Chef notes
The sauce is the secret to the incredible flavor of this pulled pork. We also use this sauce to mop our pit-cooked meats but also in recipes like our collard greens where it can take the place of pepper vinegar that you might use in traditional long-cooked greens. While our sauce is not what folks from outside the Eastern Carolinas might be used to, it speaks to our heritage, place and palate. It is a versatile, all-purpose sauce, and great as a finishing sauce, too.
Technique tip: Use a convection insert for indirect cooking and place a drip pan on top of that indirect heat plate. This keeps the fat from dripping into the coals and causing it to flame.
Special equipment: Kettle grill or a ceramic grill/smoker and lump hardwood charcoal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup table salt
- 1/3 cup cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup MSG
- 1/3 cup red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 (8-pound) bone-in pork shoulder
- 1/2 cup Rodney's hog seasoning (recipe above)
- 2 cups Rodney's sauce (recipe above)
Preparation
For the hog seasoning:
Mix all of the ingredients and place them in an airtight container. Cover and store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
For the sauce:
1.In a small stockpot, warm the vinegar over medium-high heat. After about 5 minutes, when the vinegar reaches 150 F on an instant-read thermometer, just before it starts to simmer, add the lemon slices and continue to cook until the lemon peels begin to soften and wilt, about 10 minutes more.
2.Whisk in the black pepper, cayenne, pepper flakes and sugar. Continue to cook over medium high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, and the sauce reaches 190 F, about 10 minutes.
3.Remove from the heat and allow to completely cool before using. Once the lemon is removed, the sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.
For the pulled pork:
1.Heat your kettle grill or ceramic grill/smoker, using lump hardwood charcoal, to a temperature to be maintained at 220 F to 250 F. Use a convection insert for indirect cooking and place a drip pan on top of that indirect heat plate. This keeps the fat from dripping into the coals and causing it to flame.
2.Remove the pork shoulder from the refrigerator about 45 minutes prior to smoking. Sprinkle the hog seasoning all over the pork to cover.
3.Place the pork, fat-side down on the grate, over the drip pan and cook for about 8 hours. Check the grill approximately every hour to maintain the temperature at 220 F to 250 F.
4.Once the pork has reached an internal temperature of 170 F, place it, fat-side up, in the center of a large double sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. As you close the foil around the pork, pour in one cup of Rodney's sauce and then fold the aluminum foil to create a sealed package. Put the foil-sealed pork back on the grate of the grill and cook for another 2 to 3 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 195 F to 200 F.
5.Remove the pork from the grill and allow it to rest in the sealed foil pack for at least 30 minutes. Wearing a pair of heat proof gloves or tongs, pull the pork apart removing any bones or excess fat. Using a (small) barbecue mop or pastry brush, add some more of Rodney's sauce to taste and reserve some for serving with the pork.
