Pork Shoulder

[Ricorocks]

I have three 2 Berkshire, 1 HEB on sale, can't resist:

After dry bringing, ~48 hrs:

East Carolina Vinegar sauce - No rubs, just mop sauce. Is that how it's supposed to work? Long cook hourly mop, more less? 225F Grilla with, 50/50 oak pecan. I'm aging the sauce now

I'm not sure what I'll do first, but the other will be:

Dry brine d, 48
Memphis Dusted, during brine time
Grilla 225F oak/pecan blend

I made a batch of 'Texas mop sauce' towards the end of cook, mop? Is that correct? How frequently & is towards end 1hr or 2...?

Thanks Guys

[gdsim1]

First, thanks for the craving... girlfriend doesn’t care for vinegar so much, so it’s rare that I get that Carolina taste. YUM! 😃

First butt, I think you’ve got the right of it. I’d suggest reserving some of the mop sauce and mixing it in with the meat (presuming you’re doing pulled pork). Gives it that extra bit of twang that screams CAROLINA! 👍

Second butt, cook sounds right but I can’t help with the mop so much... I’m not familiar with Texas mop sauce. Care to share? 😊

[Donw]

A general recipe for Eastern sauce is
• ½ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tablespoon Tabasco sauce or Texas Pete made in Winston Salem NC
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Sauce is usually added after the cook when chopped. A little goes a long way as the hog and wood flavors should be the prominent tastes.

[Bkhuna]

Low temp
Meat
Smoke
Time.

The sauce is a condiment. Usually added to meat as it's chopped/pulled to help keep the meat moist. A little goes a long way. I don't think shoulders need to be mopped. I also don't think whole shoulders need to be injected, or overly seasoned. KISS.
YMMV.

[smokin fool]

Agreed, I'd sauce it after the cook.
Not a fan of dry brining, too salty for my taste.
I dust it with rub before it goes on the grill.
For the cook I fill a spray bottle with apple cider vinegar and/or apple juice with BBQ sauce and spritz it every 45-60 mins.

[klflowers]

I don’t mop, just let the butts run, but I should try this cause I like the vinegar based sauce. If the Texas mop you refer to is the Texas bbq juice, I use it all the time on brisket, never tried it on butts. It is great on brisket.

[mnavarre]

I like doing a mop when I'm doing the Carolina vinegar sauce. Simple rub, though, salt, pepper, a little sugar, a little garlic, and some cayenne. The mop I do is something like this:

1 part Cider vinegar
1 part Apple Juice
1 part butter
1 TBSP whatever BBQ sauce I have on hand. Doesn't matter.
Pepper
Hot sauce

None of that actually get measured, mind you. It's all "that much, and enough of that, and a glug of that".

[smokin fool]

Atta boy, your system of measurement is the mirror image of mine.

[mountainsmoker]

Pork butts is what is called Western Carolina smoking made famous in Lexington, NC and a BBQ joint appropriately named Lexington BBQ. Though there are a couple others around there that make as good as pulled pork I feel as Lexington. I live about 3-4 hours from Lexington and try to get there often. The barbeque sauce made there is a mixture of Eastern Carolina bbq vinegar only sauce and an addition of catsup. Here is Stephen Raichlen's recipe which is a fine one for making for pulled pork https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/lex...vinegar-sauce/ Do not use anything else in a bargeque sauce for pork butts. Cook them the Carolina way with hickory and oak or plain hickory. Cook them low and slow 225-250 mopping is only done the 1st couple of hours then the bark is left to form. Pull the meat after reaching 195-200. Let the meat rest a short time so you can barely touch it and shred while still hot. After pulling add a little bit of the sauce so meat is moist but not wet. Serve on buns with a good cole slaw and more sauce on the side. DO NOT SERVE WITH ANY OF THOSE SISSY SWEET KC, TX OR MEMPHIS SAUCES. Do not cover the meat before you pull you want the crunchy bark mixed in with the meat, just get it down in temp so you don't scald your self and run to the hospital.

If you have any questions please ask. I have done several hundreds or more of these guys at home and for events. Oh, by the way a lot of NC bbq'rs will use a brand of hot sauce named Texas Pete as it is made in NC of all places.d

[Steve R.]

Bkhuna, I can't say I'm a fan of North Carolina style bbq, but I completely agree on the mayo based slaw on a sandwich. That's just wrong.

[Ricorocks]

Seems East Carolina Mop & Lexington Dip, differ as the later adds ketchup & apple juice.

[texastweeter]

I only use hickory on swine. I add what I call hogsauce. Basically just several different chili powder, veniger and salt/pepper. No spritz or baste. Hell, I usually forgo the bun. Your way sounds very "whole hog" style.

[Santamarina]

I usually dry brine pork butt, then give it a heavy coat of modified-MMD before throwing it in a 250°F pit fueled by an oak fire. Keep a water pan in the pit, and spritz occasionally to check the bark. Don’t wrap until it looks like a meteorite. Cook until IT is 203°F. Rest for an hour+...Cambro if holding for a few hours or less; warming oven if holding longer. Pull and eat - sauce optional.

[Ricorocks]

East Caroling Mop Sauce

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/barbecue-sauce-recipes/east-carolina-vinegar-bbq-sauce-and-mop-recipe

Seems this is used to mop during the cook

As anyone tried this?

[mountainsmoker]

That is an Eastern Carolina vinegar based sauce that is used for whole hog cooking here in NC. They use as a mop while cooking there roughly 150lb hogs, which they split and cook skin down flip twice usually or not at all depending on the smoker. Then they will sprinkle the meat after chopping and place it at the tables to add to sandwiches or platters.

[Ricorocks]

East Caroling Mop Sauce
https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...and-mop-recipe

Seems this is used to mop during the cook

As anyone tried this?

Sorry duplicate post

[HouseHomey]

I would sell my body for acid. Love vinegar!!! I will admit mayo is a close second. Sorry Bkhuna but I love a mayo based slaw on pork. Like my vinegar slaw just the same.

My my family is not big on mop sauces so I’m not sure I’ve ever had mayo slaw on mopped sauces pork.

Im starving now. Love this pig talk.

[HawkerXP]

souee pig!

[mountainsmoker]

Western Carolina slaw is made with that thar wonderful sauce and some oil. I am finally home now will put up some recipes tomorrow for any one interested.

[texastweeter]

took a few hits of it while in college, wasn't impressed....

[mountainsmoker]

Guys I am back home in western NC and will start explaining with recipes the nature of what is greatness of the home of the pork butt. As well as the Eastern NC whole pig BBQ. Now I am not going to tell you that you can't make changes, because what is the fun in that.

[texastweeter]

pork plus ACW and heat is great.