Carolina Pulled Pork


 

Rusty James

TVWBB Emerald Member
Hi all,

Have any of you, that have visited North Carolina, compared your pulled pork to the fare sold at tar heel BBQ joints?

I've smoked about six butts and picnics total, but I don't think my meat, while good, compares to some of the area restaurants. It seems that my meat has less hickory flavor, and at times, I sense that rubs with sugar may be part of the problem. For instance, the slap-yo-daddy rub tastes great on chicken, but maybe not as good with pork? There was another sugar-based rub I used three weeks ago, and, while good, I thought the meat was missing something.

My immediate family has no complaints, but I gave my brother a batch of recently-smoked pulled pork, and he liked it, but said it needed more hickory flavor. (I used three fist-sized chunks of hickory, and one small apple chunk along with Roy Oak lump on that smoke)

I have been entertaining thoughts of using just salt & pepper, or even no rub at all - along with more hickory chunks.

Suggestions? Comments?
 
Well, you certainly don't want it tasting like an ash tray. I wouldn't use more wood than you said you did on your brother's smoke.

Experimentation is what we smokers do best (assuming it has a positive outcome ;) ) so definitely go with your S&P only smoke using the same amount of wood. You only want to change ONE thing when you're experimenting (the rub). Leave the wood alone so you know what effect changing the rub has with all other factors being the same.

You'll find sometimes that depending on ingredients, something you may be looking for is "drowned out" by what is already present.

Only S&P certainly won't hurt and may just be the ticket to more smoky-tasting meat.
 
Thanks, Len.

I place my wood chucks on top of the coal pile before adding a few lit (Minion method). Should I bury the wood on long smokes instead?
 
Rusty
I did several cooks, some w/wood on top and the ladt ones with the wood buried. The buried wood is completely burned instead the on top were charred only. This means a worst combustion for the top ones.
I use a WSM w/BBQGURU
 
They probably use a completely different smoking technique than the WSM. Some joints only use stick wood, and others use gas with wood for smoke. I've yet to over smoke with my WSM; and I use way more wood than most, 8ish fist sized chunks.
 
IMO, no need to bury. Smoke only has a good effect for the first two hours or so. Too much and you start to get the "ash tray " effect. I mean by this, you don't need smoke for the whole cook, no matter how long it lasts.
 
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IMO, no need to bury. Smoke only has a good effect for the first two hours or so. Too much and you start to get the "ash tray " effect. I mean by this, you don't need smoke for the whole cook, no matter how long it lasts.


Yes, I've heard that smoke will not penetrate meat after the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.
 
They probably use a completely different smoking technique than the WSM. Some joints only use stick wood, and others use gas with wood for smoke.


I'll probably call around (if they will even discuss their methods with outsiders) and see what they say. A friend of mine used to work for one such restaurant, so I will track him down and see if he knows anything. My bet is that they use no rub at all.
 
My bet is that they use no rub at all.


I inquired about getting a whole butt smoked (6.00 per pound!) at a popular joint tonight, and the owner said he uses no rub at all - only hickory wood for smoke.

I'll try that on my WSM next time and see how it tastes.
 
I mix a few chunks, 6 or 7, in with the charcoal, the bags of wood I get doesn't have large softball or fist sized chunks more like baseball size or a little smaller and I sometimes add a couple during the cook, what you could try is adding a little now and then through out each cook until you find what you're looking for I've only one time thought I over did the wood but I seem to be the only one who thought so and as for using just salt and pepper, I myself like it but the rest of the family still liked the rub better. You have to find what works for you because every ones taste and technique varies so what may work for some may not work for others. I prefer Hickory for butts because the Apple I get is almost to mild.
 
I'd just try more chunks. Trust me, Enrico knows what he's doing. Try burying them. The whole "meat doesn't take on smoke after 2 hours" is a myth. That refers to the fact that after about 140 degrees the smoke ring stops forming. That's not the same thing. You can still get more smoke flavor. What you don't want is dirty gray smoke or too much white smoke. That is very much a matter of taste. You're idea of not enough may be someone else's too much. Some people are more sensitive than others to certain flavors, especially bitterness.

I definitely don't like the no rub at all idea. You at least need salt and of course after the cook plenty of that vinegar sauce. These are just my opinions from a Texan who knows little about NC pulled pork. It's definitely on my bucket list of things to go check out.
 
Rusty
I did several cooks, some w/wood on top and the ladt ones with the wood buried. The buried wood is completely burned instead the on top were charred only. This means a worst combustion for the top ones.
I use a WSM w/BBQGURU

I have also noticed buried wood burns more completely too. I normally bury 2-4 chunks and throw one on top of lit when starting.

I am a Texan and beef is king here but in my opinion pork needs at least a basic rub... That's just me!
 
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OK, it's a fact that you can do this any way you want: on top, buried, lots, little, etc etc. However you do it, it's OK. Everyone has a way that works for them. Chris A says when he does butt, he buries them. No need to wet chips if used (soak 'em for an hour not needed). If you go to the Weber site, they say soak 'em. No mention of how to place them.

Listen to what folks say to do then try what you think is best but above all: do what works for you. I'm now onside with what Jim said. Enough already :)
 
If you look on the North Carolina BBQ trail only a few places are grandfathered in to smoking whole hogs on open pits by shoveling hickory coals under the meat for a very long time and very low temps. Allen and sons by me still does this and Wilburs as well to name a few. You can not replicate that on any stick burner wsm or propane smoker in my opinion. But what you can do is smoke a pork butt like they do in the west of North Carolina. Just salt it and smoke it with hickory chunks. Try 2 fist sized chunks buried and 2 on top. If that is not enough do 3 next time. Then 4 etc. you can always add more the next time but you can not take smoke away. Of course add vinegar sauce to compliment the meat not hide it. I prefer the east sauce to west.
 
After eating some leftovers I had vacuum packed and frozen, it seemed to me the pulled pork had more smoke flavor. I actually liked it better the same day I had pulled it.
 
I use a home made rub with brown and white sugar and experience the same problem. My next smoke will eliminate the sugars. My guess is the sugar melts and glazes the surface of the meat, preventing any further smoke penetration. I will let you know what I learn, or if someone has any thoughts, please share.
 
If you look on the North Carolina BBQ trail only a few places are grandfathered in to smoking whole hogs on open pits by shoveling hickory coals under the meat for a very long time and very low temps. Allen and sons by me still does this and Wilburs as well to name a few. You can not replicate that on any stick burner wsm or propane smoker in my opinion. But what you can do is smoke a pork butt like they do in the west of North Carolina. Just salt it and smoke it with hickory chunks. Try 2 fist sized chunks buried and 2 on top. If that is not enough do 3 next time. Then 4 etc. you can always add more the next time but you can not take smoke away. Of course add vinegar sauce to compliment the meat not hide it. I prefer the east sauce to west.


Thanks, Frank.

I was under the impression that eastern NC BBQ was cooked with gas and flavored with sauce. My wife is from Robeson County, and I think she said that BBQ down there was roasted with gas. She is big on the vinegar-based sauce they serve in those parts, and I have come to like it too, but we don't come by it often, as this area serves the thicker ketchup-based stuff - which I like, but diabetes has caused me to limit, or dilute, such sauces. Larry Wolfe, of Wolfe Pit BBQ, posted a down-east sauce recipe on YouTube that has good flavor...

• 1 Cup - Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup - Water
• 2 TBS - Brown Sugar
• 2 TBS - Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp - Salt
• 1 tsp - Black Pepper
• 1 tsp - Cayenne Pepper

There may be some good down-east sauces, here, but I haven't looked very hard yet.


EDIT: Ever heard of this place?...


Their BBQ is one of the most unique tastes in America. I even saw their slaw mentioned in a culinary magazine some years back as one of the top 75 unique flavors in the world. I'm not sure if they use butts or not, but they cook their pork over gas, and they do not pull it apart. Instead, they shave it with a meat slicer and serve it on a bun with their special slaw. The slaw is the heart of it all, and they even have slaw-only sandwiches on their menu.


 
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Smoked two butts and one picnic last week. This time, I added at least five or six hickory chunks, and I added a few more a little later in the cook. I also added a few Jack Daniels wood chips at the start too.

The pork had a more-pronounced woodsy flavor this time, but still not as much as the local restaurants. I am still using water in the bowl. Could that hinder smoke penetration?
 
Hi all,

Have any of you, that have visited North Carolina, compared your pulled pork to the fare sold at tar heel BBQ joints?

I've smoked about six butts and picnics total, but I don't think my meat, while good, compares to some of the area restaurants. It seems that my meat has less hickory flavor, and at times, I sense that rubs with sugar may be part of the problem. For instance, the slap-yo-daddy rub tastes great on chicken, but maybe not as good with pork? There was another sugar-based rub I used three weeks ago, and, while good, I thought the meat was missing something.

My immediate family has no complaints, but I gave my brother a batch of recently-smoked pulled pork, and he liked it, but said it needed more hickory flavor. (I used three fist-sized chunks of hickory, and one small apple chunk along with Roy Oak lump on that smoke)

I have been entertaining thoughts of using just salt & pepper, or even no rub at all - along with more hickory chunks.

Suggestions? Comments?

I've been to or through NC a bunch of times, but the only place I've ever had real pulled pork was at Moore's Old Tyme Barbecue in New Bern (not far from Camp Lejeune). It was good...damn good, but I don't recall it being any more smokey than what I cook at home. I usually use 4-6 chunks of wood: always half apple and the other half either hickory or cherry (whichever I have on hand). By weight, I probably use about 1/2 pound worth of wood. Also, I usually put the wood on top of the heap (using the tin can minion method).

One thing I've noticed myself, though, is that if I mix in any sauce (vinegar or tomato-based) after shredding, it seems to cancel out some of the smoke flavor. This can help balance it out, but I've gotten to the point where I use only the juices collected in the foil/resting phase to re-hydrate/moisten as needed and leave the sauce out of the equation.

-Chad
 
Smoked two butts and one picnic last week. This time, I added at least five or six hickory chunks, and I added a few more a little later in the cook. I also added a few Jack Daniels wood chips at the start too.

The pork had a more-pronounced woodsy flavor this time, but still not as much as the local restaurants. I am still using water in the bowl. Could that hinder smoke penetration?

Thanks for the update. It's nice to hear more about "the rest of the story".

I missed this thread when you started it. Interesting comments about sugar in rubs for pork butts. I've noticed that a lot of butt rub recipes seem to have a lot of sugar in them (compared to brisket rubs), at least just in my limited experience and observations. But comments here sound like less sugar might be better.

Did you use a rub on these recent cooks, or just salt & pepper, or nothing?

Thanks,
Jason
 

 

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