# North Carolina sauce  for pulled pork ?????



## tiki guy (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm gonna be doing a Pulled Pork this coming week-end for a party .

I'm looking for a Good ( not sweet ) Vinegar based North Carolina style sauce

I just returned for a BBQ / Beer festival , and I mixed up some a guy there I met gave me , BUT it called for 1/2 cup brown Sugar , after mixing it up ( thinking the brown sugar would be cut or not as sweet tasting )  The stuff "smelled" great tasted sweet as hell , not what I was looking for , I did follow the measurements so its not like I added to much B sugar .

Anyone have any N. Carolina Sauces I can try ??????


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## raptor700 (Aug 12, 2012)

here's a recipe i found, you can cut the ingredients in ½ if you don't need a lot.

You can tweek it to your liking 

114 oz Ketchup

48 oz Tomato Puree 

2 cups Balsamic Vinegar

1 cup Molasses 

½ can pureed  Chipotle in Adobe sauce  ( Optional )

3 Tbs Garlic Powder

½ cup Yellow Mustard


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## diggingdogfarm (Aug 12, 2012)

This is  a recipe i got from a friend in NC years ago, it sure ain't sweet.

Eastern NC BBQ Sauce

2 cups good apple cider vinegar (not the cheap crap!)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons crushed cayenne pepper flakes
2 tablespoons brown sugar


Have fun!!!

~Martin


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## bama bbq (Aug 12, 2012)

Here's a Carolina Red I like.  It's a thin red vinegar sauce served at every pig pickin I've ever been to.

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper


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## whtplainssmoker (Aug 12, 2012)

The one I use is from the Smoke & Spice cookbook  (Very similar to Martin's post)

2 Cups Cider or white vinegar (I use Cider)

2 TBS sugar or packed brown sugar (I use brown). 

2 TSP salt

1 TSP fresh ground black pepper

1 TSP cayenne or hot red pepper flakes (I use cayenne)

This sauce keeps virtually indefinitely and just requires a little shake before you use it.   That one is supposedly "Eastern" NC

The one below (which I haven't tried yet) is supposed to be "Central" NC a vinegar-based/ketchup mix called "Carolina Red"

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 tsp cayenne or red chile flakes

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt


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## manman (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm going to be picking up some Apple cider vinegar for a pulled pork finishing sauce and thought I might try the above sauce as well, can you give me some examples of the good stuff vs the "cheap crap"?  Any way to tell the difference besides price?  If I go somewhere that only carries the cheap crap, I'll have no point of reference to tell if it's cheap... Thanks!


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## diggingdogfarm (Aug 12, 2012)

manman said:


> I'm going to be picking up some Apple cider vinegar for a pulled pork finishing sauce and thought I might try the above sauce as well, can you give me some examples of the good stuff vs the "cheap crap"?  Any way to tell the difference besides price?  If I go somewhere that only carries the cheap crap, I'll have no point of reference to tell if it's cheap... Thanks!



Homemade is best, the flavor is FAR superior to Heinz and store-brands.
Bragg's is a good brand available at health food stores and some supermarkets.








~Martin


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## manman (Aug 12, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Homemade is best, the flavor is FAR superior to Heinz and store-brands.
> Bragg's is a good brand available at health food stores and some supermarkets.
> 
> http://bragg.com/products/images/acv.jpg
> ...



Thanks, much appreciated.  Hmmm homemade huh...sounds like another learning experience coming up.


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## rabbithutch (Aug 12, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> This is  a recipe i got from a friend in NC years ago, it sure ain't sweet.
> Eastern NC BBQ Sauce
> 2 cups good apple cider vinegar (not the cheap crap!)
> 2 tablespoons kosher salt
> ...



This is REAL close!

I'd put about twice as much cayenne in it and I'd put about half as much black pepper as cayenne, too - not enough to taste but enough to 'feel'.

I've also been known to put Texas Pete (made in Winston-Salem, NC by Garner Foods) in my sauce to flavor it and if I use it on chicken I put about a tablespoon of butter in the sauce and heat it on the stove until the butter melts.

Experiment.  Start with a half cup of vinegar and cut the other ingredients by 1/4th and taste it and change things 'til it seems right.  I'd suggest doing this over time intervals as the first sample will affect your taste buds for later ones unless you give it enough time.  A spoonful of butter and a piece of good hard bread will help, but doing samples 2 or more hours apart is better.

Enjoy!


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## diggingdogfarm (Aug 12, 2012)

rabbithutch said:


> This is REAL close!
> I'd put about twice as much cayenne in it and I'd put about half as much black pepper as cayenne, too - not enough to taste but enough to 'feel'.
> I've also been known to put Texas Pete (made in Winston-Salem, NC by Garner Foods) in my sauce to flavor it and if I use it on chicken I put about a tablespoon of butter in the sauce and heat it on the stove until the butter melts.
> Experiment.  Start with a half cup of vinegar and cut the other ingredients by 1/4th and taste it and change things 'til it seems right.  I'd suggest doing this over time intervals as the first sample will affect your taste buds for later ones unless you give it enough time.  A spoonful of butter and a piece of good hard bread will help, but doing samples 2 or more hours apart is better.
> Enjoy!




Yep, I sometimes kick it up a notch with some hot sauce, some well flavored paprika and a little ohneeyohn powder! :biggrin:     


~Martin


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## keith156 (Aug 12, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *DiggingDogFarm*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is really close to what I use as well but also use paprika and I tend to go really light on the brown sugar. I'm a fan of vinegar based sauces but no so much on the sweet.


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## tiki guy (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks I'm going with Digging Dogs ( kinda the same I had found BUT less Brown sugar )  Quick question about timing .......

I usually finish up with enough time to foil, and towel it for a hour or two before pulling it , and putting it out to be eaten .

My problem this time  the Party is earlier in the day and I was thinking of smoking it the day before ......leaving it wrapped up and pulling it the day of the party ????

What Y'all think ?  should I pull it warm the day before and refrigerate it ?  OR keep it wrapped pull it the day of the Party warm it back up pour the sauce on it and serve ?


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## chef jimmyj (Aug 16, 2012)

If you can time it so your meat is done 5-6 hours before the meat is served you can Foil and Towel and go in a Cooler whole, then pull when ready to eat...BUT...If it will be done more than 6 hours before eating...Pull it, bag it no more than 3" thick, let it cool for 1 hour and then into the Refrigerator to be heated the next day. Add the Vinegar just before service...JJ


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## tiki guy (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks Jimmy J   Like I said I "usually " have the time ....BUT this Party is so daum early I would be up all night watching it .

I still don't trust putting in at night setting this and trusting it hold temp and such I kinda like tending it durning the smoke watching the smoker temp / internal temp

I'm gonna give it a try ...and hope for the best !  I'll let Y'all know


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## tiki guy (Aug 17, 2012)

Well first ...............................I know the deal " NO Q-VIEW " it didn't happen  ( usually do a quick view ) this time I dropped the ball

  8.8 pound beautiful Pork Butt rubbed with Carolina style rub and rested in the fridge wrapped for 24 hrs . 

Fired up the Smoker with water in the pan and some apple cider  vinegar some salt & Pepper ...loaded up the chip pan with Stubb's mix chips ..( which I added to for the first few hours till 140 temp reached ) 

At 165 IT I injected with the North Carolina Sauces I had made  got it to 205 its wrapped in foil now wait ting to pull it 

I have to say this is a FIRST 14 . 5 hours  when I went to take it off the rack .....The dam thing almost fell apart !  Got it inside to foil it ...MAN falling apart smelled great looked great gonna pull it in a few hours bag it put it in the fridge till just before the party   I will let Y'all know but I think its gonna be fantastic    

  Thanks ( as always ) for all the input help and suggestions


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## rabbithutch (Aug 18, 2012)

Hey, Tiki Guy!

What time is the party and where is the map to your house?

:drool:


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## tiki guy (Aug 18, 2012)

Ha Ha ha !     I would LOVE to host a gathering here at my House , just a humble little place BUT  a day with some good smoking with good people   Hell yeah i would !


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## rabbithutch (Aug 18, 2012)

Tiki Guy said:


> Ha Ha ha !     I would LOVE to host a gathering here at my House , just a humble little place BUT  a day with some good smoking with good people   Hell yeah i would !



If I were still in Raleigh instead of the middle of Texas, I'd take you up on that! :bluesbros:


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