Pulling Pork/Chopping Pork

The Naked Whiz · June 2003

My wife (the one who dropped 2 cell phones into porta potties in 8 days) is thinking about volunteering me to cook some pulled pork. (At least this is better than when she volunteers me to haul heavy metal tables all over *&*($#&@$ Raeigh in the middle of the night...)So, I have a question about producing the final product. [p]I watched some of the Q shows on the Food Network last week and watched how Mitchell's BBQ in Wilson takes the meat off the pig, adds things like vinegar and sugar and then they chop the pork. (or did they chop it first?) So, when you pull pork, what do you do to it? Do you chop it? Do you add more rub to the pulled meat? Do you add the sauce then or do you let the user add the sauce? Since NC bbq sauces are pretty thin, it doesn't seem like you can add it to the sandwhich, you need to add it when you are pulling? Anyway, any information about how to do it would be appreciated. [p]Thanks!
TNW

MickeyT · June 2003

<p />The Naked Whiz,[p]When I do butts ( I do a bunch of these during the year cuz their sooooo easy)I pull the pork and leave it as is.[p]I don't see the harm in chopping though. Might be faster or easier for some. [p]The butts also have so much flavor that I never have to add any rub of any kind. [p]Finally I NEVER add and sauce. That I leave to the lucky recipient. I normaly pull it and put it in one of those cheapie aluminum rectangular thingies and have 2-3 different sauces for those who want it.[p]My 2/c[p]Mick[p]

nikkig · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,
When we do butts, we pull it. Sometimes some of the longer strands I will cut to make it easier. As for adding stuff, we don't. The butt has enough flavor as it is. We also leave the sauce to the individual because some people don't like sauce, and you can also provide a variety of different sauces. [p]~nikki

Cap'n · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,
I would have to agree with MickeyT and nikkig - leave the sauce to the eater.
As for pulled versus chopped - chalk that up to personal preference - I usually do a bit of both to ensure equal distribution of the bark.
Cheers,
Cap'n

JerseyD · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,
Chopping vs pulling (by hand or with two forks) is a regional thing. I guess it depends on how much "chew" you want the meat to have. I've been to bbq shacks in North Carolina that chop the meat so much that it's almost a thick mush. Still tastes great, but I prefer the texture of fork-pulled meat. Of course, just a little chopping for uniformity on the bun is good, too.[p]And you are right about that Carolina style vinegar sauce. You do not add it to a sandwich, you toss the meat in it after pulling/chopping but before serving. At the table, your guests should have cole slaw and hot sauce (Texas Pete seems to be the bottle of choice in N.C.) to add at their discretion (not bbq sauce). Here's a great list of sauce variations (with many annoying pop-up ads but worth the trouble): http://bbqcentral.hypermart.net/amregions/overview.htm

Rich G · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,[p]I usually do two butts every couple of weeks (cuz if I don't, I run out, when I run out, I get cranky!!) Here's how I do 'em:[p]Rub (mustard or not depending on mood), cook (usually to 198-202 internal), wrap in foil for at least an hour, don gloves, pull, sprinkle with some additional rub, mix, taste, add more if necessary, serve on a platter with buns, coleslaw, sauce(s) on the side. Then I eat too much, foodsaver what's left and repeat the last step.[p]I almost always will serve with sauce on the side so that the eater can choose. I will sometimes mix the leftovers with some sauce prior to vacuum packing as it makes it more of a heat and eat meal.[p]HTH,
Rich G.

hounddog · June 2003

I agree with what is said here about chopping and saucing. However, when I am serving a large crowd, I tend to do two things (1) i do a rough chop, which is intended to make sure things will fit on a bun comfortably.
(2) I do a light saucing at the last possible minute with a vinegar/sugar/hotpepper/pepper/salt sauce. I then offer more of the same on the side for folks who like. I have also offered other sauces, but I tend to like the vinegar sauce and have settled on it.[p]The one thing I have learned is don't sauce early. Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. You won't like the product on the reheat, to my way of thinking.
That and serve cole slaw. Even if you hate cole slaw, serve it.[p]

Wise One · June 2003

The Naked Whiz, I pull mine and then like nikkig I cut with a pair of kitchen shears to get shorter strands. Being from SC I like a mustard sauce. Here in Georgia they look at you like you've got three heads when you use mustard sauce so I have a bottle of red available also. If I were to use that NC stuff, I would take a bit of the meat out and put it in a separate tray withthe sauce poured over it though. You want to make sure the sauce complements the taste of the meat not overwhelms it. Some people put sauce on their pork to put moisture back in it. I don't need that so I just use a bit to give it a nice taste. People will understand your nickname when you serve them pulled pork with no sauce. They will call you "The eat-pulled-pork-Naked Whiz".

Mac in NC · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,[p]When is the big day? I'll gladly help you with the cook. I just had a BBQ (15 lbs. of pulled pork and other assorted items) that fed about 20 folks from my station and I only had enough p.p. left to make one sandwich. I will assume it was a successful cook. I served a N.C. red and a S.C. yellow sauce on the side for the folks to try. Pretty much 50/50 for their taste preferences. Most of them had never tried "BBQ" but they all said they were glad they did. Mac

The Naked Whiz · June 2003

Mac in NC ,
Hey! Thanks! This is going to be a meal for a homeless shelter downtown. It is on a Thursday night, so I will probably cook the pork Wednesday night, pull it in the morning so I can go to work, put it in the refrigerator and then my wife (the one who dropped the two cell phones in the portapotties...) will take it to the meal Thursday evening. [p]I've told her that she has to serve cole slaw even though she hates the stuff, and I told her to use cheap hamburger buns. Due to logistics and practicality, she and her fellow volunteers may assemble the sandwhiches. So in that case, the sauce definitely has to be on the side. [p]I guess I have to 'fess up now. The reason I ask about the sauce is that I bought a bottle of Harris Teeter Lexington sauce and a bottle of the Eastern Carolina sauce. They are both little thicker than water. (Yes, I confess, I bought store sauce....) When I made some sammiches this past week, it just didn't seem to stick to the meat and so it didn't seem to accomplish much putting it on the sandwhich. That's why I wonder if it should be poured over the meat and allowed to become part of the mix. OH, I JUST DON'T KNOW... (pulling hair out).[p]TNW

Wise One · June 2003

The Naked Whiz, let me see if I understand this. Do you have another wife who did NOT drop two cells phones down the porta-potty?

Mike in MN · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,
Lots of great ideas...my 2 cents...don't let the meat cool completely before you pull it. Easier to get the fat out. I prefer pulling with a couple of forks, and cutting the longer pieces once they are pulled. [p]I make up a mixture of apple juice, garlic rice vinegar, and a NC hot sauce (Scotts BBQ Sauce) that adds a nice zip to the meat. I apply this when reheating, or sometimes I will mop when finishing the cook. I usually serve the sammiches with a couple of different BBQ sauces on the side...some sweet, some spicy. [p]I like to use ample moisture when I reheat. I have a tendency to put the meat in a frypan/large pan, add the moisture combination of choice, and let it sizzle like it was on a hot grill (flat, like a restaurant style grill) for a couple of minutes (just till it's heated through) Then pull it from the pan and serve on the bun...one at a time. [p]This is supper for tonight. Soon.[p]Mike in MN

WooDoggies · June 2003

Cap'n,[p]And don't forget the Scott's![p]Cold PBR's
John[p]
[ul][li]NC in a Bottle[/ul]

The Naked Whiz · June 2003

Wise One,
Actually yes. LOL[p]TNW

Mac in NC · June 2003

The Naked Whiz, If it's this Thursday, let me know. I'm off Wed. evening and all day on Thursday. Just let me know what I can do to help. Check your email for more info.
Mac

Unknown · June 2003

The Naked Whiz,
I have been having pulled pork (yes, on the horrible white buns) for about 5 years. This will be the first with the BGE (which just arrived today) Just as soon as the meat is cool enough to handle, I start the pull. Actually, I make the pull part of the party. I have four people who are my privileged pullers and we all don rubber gloves and pull away. As soon as it is pulled and still warm I pore a Mustard Vinegar Sauce over it I used to use a red sauce and the vinegar sauce and divided it, but found that 99% of people love the vinegar. If you are interested, please email me and I will send you my recipes which I found in Cook's Illustrated Magazine several years ago.Actaully, you could probably get it on their website. Have fun!

Unknown · June 2003

Life levels the playing field. She will be there when you drop the finished steaks in the dirt. She'll be all over this site. :-)

Pulling Pork/Chopping Pork

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