Recipe Background
North Carolina barbecue flavors feature tangy dry rubs and zesty-sweet vinegar sauces. This North Carolina Style Pulled Pork recipe brings those deep flavors to your own kitchen! The pressure-cooked pork is perfectly tender and juicy for mouth-watering bites. When combined with traditional North Carolina spices and a homemade vinegar sauce, it's the stuff of summer's (or spring or autumn or winter's) dreams.
North Carolina barbecue flavors feature tangy dry rubs and zesty-sweet vinegar sauces. This North Carolina Style Pulled Pork recipe brings those deep flavors to your own kitchen! The pressure-cooked pork is perfectly tender and juicy for mouth-watering bites. When combined with traditional North Carolina spices and a homemade vinegar sauce, it's the stuff of summer's (or spring or autumn or winter's) dreams.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed
- 4 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 (3-pound) pork shoulder boneless and cut into 1-inch-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup beer such as lager, pilsner, or amber
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
For the vinegar sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Directions
- Mix 2 tablespoons of the dark brown sugar, the sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, the mustard powder, the black pepper, and the onion powder in a large bowl.
- Add in the pork shoulder pieces, tossing to coat. Make sure every piece of the pork is evenly coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
- Set the pressure cooker to warm or sauté and set the timer for 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in the pot of the slow cooker.
- Working in batches, add in the pork slices.
- Cook until each slice is browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the browned slices to a plate. Try not to crowd the slices in each batch.
- Add the beer, the chicken broth, and the browned pork into the pot along with any remaining juices left on the plate.
- Lock the lid in place, sealing it.
- Press the warm/sauté setting and set the cooking time for 42 minutes.
- Once the time is up, manually release the pressure.
- Remove the lid when safe to do so.
- Move the pork to a platter and let it cool.
- Discard most of the cooking liquid in the pot, reserving 1 tablespoon on the bottom.
- Combine the vinegar, the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, the remaining dark brown sugar, the remaining kosher salt, the red pepper flakes, and the Dijon mustard in the pot with the reserved liquid.
- Press the warm/sauté setting and let the sauce cook for 15 minutes, bringing the liquid to a simmer.
- Shred the pork with a fork.
- Cover the pork with the vinegar sauce and serve.
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