Carolina BBQ Trail
intro
A slow-smoked pulled pork platter showcasing both Eastern and Western Carolina sauce styles, served with tangy slaw for an authentic cross-state BBQ trail experience.
Ingredients
Steps
Pat the 1.8 kg (4 lb) bone-in pork shoulder completely dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper until evenly combined. Rub the entire surface of the pork with the spice mix, pressing firmly to adhere, then let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your smoker.
Preheat your offset smoker or pellet grill to 110°C (225°F) set up for indirect heat. Drain the 2 cups of pre-soaked hickory wood chips, add them to the smoker’s fire box or wood chip tray, and wait until thin, wispy blue smoke flows from the top vent before adding the pork.
Place the seasoned pork shoulder on the smoker’s indirect heat zone, fat cap facing up. Close the lid and maintain a steady 110°C (225°F) cooking temperature for 6 hours, spritzing the pork surface every 90 minutes with a mixed solution of 60 ml apple cider vinegar and 60 ml water to prevent the outer bark from drying out.
While the pork smokes, prepare the two signature Carolina BBQ sauces. For Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce: whisk 240 ml apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a glass jar until salt fully dissolves. For Western Carolina tomato-vinegar sauce: whisk 120 ml ketchup, 80 ml apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a second jar until smooth. Set both sauces aside at room temperature.
After 6 hours of smoking, once the pork has developed a dark, crisp outer bark and reaches an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F), tightly wrap it in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Return the wrapped pork to the smoker, maintain a steady 110°C (225°F), and cook for an additional 1.5 to 2 hours until the internal temperature reaches 93°C (200°F) and the meat pulls easily from the bone with no resistance.
Remove the wrapped pork from the smoker and let it rest, still tightly wrapped, for 30 minutes to allow juices to redistribute through the meat. While it rests, toss 360 g (3 cups) shredded green cabbage with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl, mixing until cabbage is evenly coated to make a quick tangy slaw.
Unwrap the rested pork, discard the bone and any hard, rendered fat chunks, then pull the meat into thin, bite-sized shreds using two forks. Divide the pulled pork across 4 serving plates, drizzling half the portions with Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce and half with Western Carolina tomato-vinegar sauce to represent the full cross-state BBQ trail, and serve alongside the tangy coleslaw and split soft hamburger buns.
Tips
2.Don’t rush the final cook stage: the pork will feel tough until it hits 93°C (200°F), when connective tissue fully renders to create that signature melt-in-your-mouth tender pulled pork texture.
3.For the most authentic Carolina trail experience, serve both sauces on the side so guests can mix and match, just like the family-run roadside BBQ stands that line the highways of North and South Carolina.
OMG this was the star of our Labor Day potluck! I smoked an 8lb butt exactly as the recipe said, used that vinegar-based mop sauce every hour, and people were lining up for seconds. My picky 10 year old even asked for it in his school lunch all week! Total game changer for my weekend cookouts. 10/10 would make again.
Tasted just like the pulled pork I got at that little roadside BBQ stand outside Charlotte last summer! Cook time was spot on, hit 203 internal right at 8 hours like the recipe said. Only thing I did different was add a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes to the rub for a little extra kick. SO good.
Made a big batch of this for my weekly meal prep last Sunday! Portioned it out with coleslaw and cornbread for 6 days of lunches, and it reheated like an absolute dream. No dry spots at all, even after microwaving. Already added the ingredients to my regular grocery rotation.
Okay, full transparency: this was my FIRST time ever using a smoker, I was so nervous I’d mess it up. The instructions were so clear though! Walked me through every step from trimming the butt to maintaining the temp, to making the sauce. My in-laws were over for dinner and my father-in-law (who is a total BBQ snob) said it was better than his usual recipe. Win!
Flavor is absolutely incredible, don’t get me wrong—this is some of the best pulled pork I’ve made at home. Knocked a star off only because my pork hit temp almost an hour earlier than the recipe said, so I had to shuffle my dinner plans around! Ended up keeping it wrapped in a cooler until everyone arrived and it was still perfect, just wish I’d planned for that time variance.
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and I kid you not, three different people asked me for the recipe before I even left the break room. The tangy Carolina sauce is the perfect contrast to the rich, smoky pork—no cloyingly sweet BBQ sauce here, which is exactly what I love. Will be making this for every backyard hang this summer.
Flavor was good, but I used hickory wood instead of the apple wood the recipe called for because that’s all I had on hand, and it came out a little too smoky for my family’s taste. My husband loved it, but the kids thought it was too strong. Probably just a personal preference thing, though.
Made this for our college tailgate last weekend, served it on soft potato rolls with a side of vinegar slaw and pickles. Absolute home run. We had a group of 12 people and everyone ate until they were stuffed. Even beat out the usual brats and burgers for most popular food at the spot.
I grew up in western North Carolina eating pulled pork just like this every Sunday after church, and this recipe tastes exactly like my grandpa’s used to. The vinegar mop, the simple rub, the low and slow smoke—hit every single nostalgic note for me. I teared up a little at the first bite, no lie.
So happy I found this recipe! I’ve been looking for a high protein, low sugar BBQ option that doesn’t taste like diet food, and this is it. I skipped the bun and served it over roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli for my post-workout meals all week, and it kept me full for hours. Game changer for my meal plan.
Wait, can I use a pork shoulder instead of a Boston butt for this? My grocery store was all out of butts when I went shopping yesterday, so I grabbed a shoulder instead but I’m worried it’ll turn out different. Don’t want to waste 8 hours of cook time on a bad cut!
Made this for our extended family Sunday dinner last weekend, 14 people total, and everyone raved. My uncle who is from Raleigh said it was the most authentic Carolina pulled pork he’s had outside of NC. Served it with hushpuppies, coleslaw, baked beans, and sweet tea—total southern feast, zero leftovers.
Wait, has anyone made this on an electric smoker instead of a charcoal or wood offset? I live in an apartment complex where I can’t have open flame smokers, only electric, and I’m dying to try this but don’t know if I’ll get the same smoke flavor.
I’ve made a lot of pulled pork recipes over the years, and this one is easily top tier. The rub isn’t overcomplicated, the sauce has that perfect tangy vinegar bite that cuts through the fatty pork so well, and the cook instructions are easy to follow even if you’ve had a couple beers while manning the grill. 10/10.
How well does this freeze? I want to make a double batch this weekend to stash in the freezer for quick weeknight meals, but I’m worried the texture will get weird when I thaw it. Anyone have experience freezing this pulled pork?
I was intimidated by the 8.5 hour cook time, but most of that is totally hands off! I got so much done around the house while the smoker did its thing—folded laundry, mowed the lawn, watched two whole movies, and only had to pop out to spritz the pork and check the temp every hour. Way less work than I thought it would be, and the payoff is insane.
The pork itself was perfectly tender and smoky, but I found the vinegar sauce a little too tart for my taste! I ended up mixing in a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and a squirt of yellow mustard to mellow it out, and it was perfect for my family who is used to tomato-based BBQ sauces. Still a 5 star recipe, just easy to tweak to your taste!