Al Dente

Pulled Pork: Meltingly Tender Meat Seasoned by Smoke and Slow Cooking Is the Essence of Christmas Eve for My Family

I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, 45 minutes from the famed Lexington Barbecue.  Most of the time, we ate barbecue from Stamey’s in Greensboro (Mr. Stamey is credited as the father of Lexington barbecue) but on Christmas Eve, my father and I would drive to Lexington #1 operated by Wayne Monk.  And we weren’t the only ones--the restaurant was teeming with people doing the exact same thing.  We would jockey up to the counter (keeping our fingers crossed that they wouldn’t run out) and stand in line for our order: two quarts of pulled pork, extra dip (sauce), slaw and buns--and we always ordered the light-as-a-feather hush puppies to keep us quiet on the drive back!  These days, we spend Christmas at my sister’s house in Westchester County, NY, so I am the holiday pitmaster.  I miss the road trip to Lexington but there is nothing like making your own pulled pork.  The long slow day of smoking creates much more excitement and a bigger appetite than the take-out variety and it is a great way to get the whole family in on the fun.  We take turns pulling the pork with two large forks and dousing it with the tangy-sweet and hot vinegar dressing that North Carolina is famous for.  This recipe is the one I make for my friends and family and I guarantee you, once you try it, you will adopt pulled pork as your new holiday tradition.  And if you can find a farmer with Berkshire pork, make the extra effort to use it--you will be richly rewarded!

North Carolina Pulled Pork
Grilling Method: Indirect/Low Heat

Hickory wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 Pork Butt, Boston Butt or untrimmed end-cut pork shoulder roast, 7 to 9 pounds, preferably bone-in
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper or BBQ Rub
Peanut or olive oil
BBQ Sauce (see below)
North Carolina Coleslaw (see below), optional
1 package plain white hamburger buns

Prepare either a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking. 

Remove pork from wrapper.  Do not trim any excess fat off the meat, this fat will naturally baste the meat and keep it moist during the long cooking time.  Brush pork with a thin coating of oil.  Season with salt and pepper or barbecue rub.  Set aside on a clean tray until ready to cook.

Before placing the meat on the grill, add soaked wood chips.  Place chips directly on white-gray ash briquettes or in the smoking box of your gas grill.  If using a charcoal grill, you will need to add charcoal every hour to maintain the heat.

Place pork in the center of the cooking grate fat-side up.  Cook slowly for 4 to 5 hours at 325 to 350 degrees F, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork registers 190 to 200 degrees F. The meat should be very tender and falling apart.  If there is a bone in the meat, it should come out smooth and clean with no meat clinging to it. (This is the real test for doneness on the barbecue circuit.) Remember, there is no need to turn the meat during the entire cooking time. 

Let meat rest for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Using rubber food-service gloves, pull meat from the skin, bones and fat. Set aside any crispy bits (fat) that have been completely rendered and look almost burned.  Working quickly, shred the chunks of meat with two forks by crossing the forks and “pulling” the meat into small pieces from the roast.  Alternately, you can chop the meat with a cleaver if you prefer.  Chop the reserved crispy bits and mix into the pulled pork. While the meat is still warm, mix with enough BBQ Sauce (recipe follows) to moisten and season the meat, about 3/4 cup.  The recipe can be made in advance up to this point and refrigerated.  To reheat: place pork in a pan covered tightly with aluminum foil with about 1/4 cup additional sauce in a 250 degree F oven, stirring occasionally.  It will take about 20-40 minutes to re-heat depending on the quantity of pork.

Serve sandwich style on a white hamburger bun and top with Carolina Coleslaw (recipe follows).  Serve additional sauce on the side, if desired.

Makes 8-10 sandwiches

Gifts from the Heart and Home: Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts

Everyone I know who has tasted these nuts are instantly addicted to them!  In fact, my good friend Bob Blumer was so impressed with the big bold flavors of these simple nuts that he dubbed them “Elizabeth Karmel’s Soon-to-be-Famous…” I don’t know about famous, but they do have quite a following!  The beauty of this recipe is that they taste rich and buttery but there is no butter at all.  That gives these candied nuts a longer shelf life and a healthier profile.  But the real reason to make them is because they are delicious.  I make them every week to have on hand for snacking, dressing up salads, cocktail nibbles or for gift-giving.  A mason-jar full of nuts and a pretty ceramic bowl is my favorite housewarming gift--and if you bring these to a party, tell the host or hostess to hide them or they will be gone before you can say Happy Holidays!

Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts

1 cup dark brown sugar
1-2/3 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons Kosher salt
3 pinches of cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut halves
1 pound pecan halves
1 pound hazelnuts
2 egg whites, room temperature
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix together sugars, salt, cayenne and cinnamon; set aside.  Beat egg whites until frothy but not stiff, add water and stir until combined.  Add nuts and stir to coat evenly with the egg white foam. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture and stir until evenly coated.  Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with a Silpat or parchment paper--you may need to put mixture on two cookie sheets. 

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally as needed.  Remove from oven and separate nuts as they cool.  Let cool for at least hour before storing in tightly closed container.

Makes 3 pounds

Note:  I first created this recipe using only walnuts.  But quickly found that you can mix or match the nuts to your liking.  The mixture of walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts is my current favorite.  If you only want to make 1 pound of nuts, divide the egg white and water by half and use a combined I cup of sugar--1/3 dark and 2/3 white, a pinch of cayenne, and only 1 teaspoon of salt and cinnamon.

--Elizabeth Karmel

Check out Elizabeth’s favorite kitchen products in the Kitchen & Home Gift Guide.