Eastern North Carolina Whole-Hog Vinegar Sauce
Chapter 1 — Rubs, Sauces & Mops
Eastern North Carolina barbecue is a three-hundred-year-old communion of smoke, swine, and stinging acidity. This isn't the sticky, sugar-laden glaze of the Midwest; it is a thin, unapologetic baptism of vinegar and pepper designed to cut straight through the rich, rendering fat of a slow-smoked hog. It serves double duty as a tenderizing mop on the pit and a sharp, astringent dressing at the chopping block, shocking the palate back to life so you can keep eating.
Ingredients
- apple cider vinegar2 1/2 cup
- distilled white vinegar1/2 cup
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 1/2 tbsp
- crushed red pepper flakes1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tbsp
- smoked paprika1 tsp
- Texas Pete hot sauce3 tbsp
Method
- 01
Combine the ingredients in a large vessel.
In a non-reactive bowl, glass mason jar, or shaker bottle, add the vinegars, sugar, salt, spices, and hot sauce.
- 02
Agitate until dissolved.
Seal the jar tightly and shake violently, or whisk vigorously, until the salt and brown sugar are completely absorbed into the liquid.
- 03
Steep the sauce at room temperature.
Do not rush this. Let the mixture sit for a minimum of 4 hours, though 24 to 48 hours is highly recommended to allow the vinegar to extract the essential oils from the dried peppers.
Notes
Apply as a mop to pecan-smoked pork shoulder.
After three hours on the smoker, baste the meat lightly every hour. Leave the pork naked through the stall to build a dark, peppery bark.
Cook to temperature, rest, and pull.
Take the pork shoulder to 190 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit until it probes like warm butter. Rest it in a faux Cambro cooler for a minimum of one hour, then pull the meat apart by hand rather than chopping it, preserving the long muscle fibers to soak up the sauce.
Dress the meat generously.
Shake the jar violently to redistribute the settled pepper flakes, then pour a half cup directly over the pulled pork, tossing it like a salad before serving on cheap, soft white hamburger buns.
Adapt for everyday home equipment.
A standard charcoal kettle using the snake method will effortlessly hold the low heat required for a proper outdoor smoke. For an indoor 300-degree Fahrenheit oven workaround, rely on a foil pouch smoke bomb and an honest tablespoon of liquid smoke in your overnight marinade.
From Cook BBQ at Home.