Carolina Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

Updated: July 31, 2014
Originally Published July 31, 2012

There's nothin in the world like a good ol' southern pig pickin'. It's something quite common down in North Carolina. My husband and I had one at our wedding reception 14 years ago as did my cousin who got married a couple years ago. It's nothin' fancy, just some down home cookin'.  So I decided it was time to make my own version of Carolina BBQ. Typically a pig (or two) are slow roasted in a large barrel cooker, which looks like an oil drum, for hours and hours. Then, after the pork is pulled it is served with some famous Carolina barbeque sauce which typically is apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes and a few other spices. There are a million and one versions but they all have to have that vinegar as the base. It's what makes Eastern Carolina Barbeque different. Nope, it's not sweet like Memphis Que, but has some tang and spice. Don't get me wrong..I love me some molasses-based barbeque sauce...(like my JD Barbecue Sauce) I can eat that with most anything, including potato chips. BUT, Carolina BBQ is what I was raised on and though both are good I cannot choose my favorite because they are so different. I love them both! So anyway..I was on a mission to create a delicious Pig Pickin for my Princess's third birthday party complete with barbecue, cornbread, potato salad, baked beans (I cheated and used Bush's) and cole slaw . Well, I don't know about you, but up here in PA I don't have a barrel smoker sittin' in my backyard thank you very much. PLUS, who has the time? Seriously? Not me, that's for sure! So instead I tried to adapt my Jack Daniels Memphis style Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe to a Carolina Slow Cooker Pulled Pork. Okay, now I'm going to tell you the secret in the sauce...because, if you're gonna cheat, there HAS to be a trick somewhere. The trick here is to use.....drumroll please......

                       .........Liquid Hickory Smoke. Yep, they bottle smoke. Who knew? It'sbasically water that has had smoke pass through it, then it's bottled. I can usually find liquid smoke in my grocery store. It's the key to giving the pork that smokey flavor. I know, I'm a cheat...but so what?! It tastes amazing and is less hassle! Seriously, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about Caroline Pulled Pork. Sigh....luckily I was down south a few weeks ago and got some straight from my old stompin ground...and it was delicious! I think I smell some pulled pork in my near future.


SO..without further adieu...here's my tasty recipe. I love it! Hope you do too! It's got a little kick to it, but what do you expect when it calls for red pepper flakes? :)

Ingredients:

Rub:

1 T. Chili Powder

1 T. Salt

1 T. Onion Powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

5lb shoulder roast or picnic roast

1 T. Liquid Hickory Smoke

3 cups divided Carolina Barbecue Sauce

BTW: Make the barbecue sauce the day before! 

1. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Then mix spices together then rub all over the pork. Sear the roast on all sides. This will give it a little more flavor and since we are slow cooking, we need to cheat as much as possible. :)

2. Flipping the roast can be tricky because it is pretty heavy so I used some tongs and a big spatula. Just be careful because it's pretty hot.

3. Next, place in the slow cooker and add 1 cup of barbecue sauce along with 1 tablespoon of liquid hickory smoke. Place the lid on and cook over night on low. (8 hours) 

4. Remove roast to a separate dish to cool slightly.

5. Using two forks at first, shred the pork. Once it is cool enough to handle then definitely use your fingers to pull the pork. You have a better feel of what is fat and what isn't that way and it is much easier too.

6. Pour the drippings into a separate bowl. 

7. Skim the fat off the top and discard. Reserve 2 cups of juices and add 2 cups of the barbecue sauce.

8. Place pulled pork back in the slow cooker and pour in the sauce mixture. Cook on low for 3 hours. You can cook longer, it really doesn't hurt anything. I cooked mine for 6 hours.

 

9. Here y'all go! Doesn't that look amazing?? You can serve it up just on a plate with some fixins like cornbread, potato salad and cole slaw on the side. OR you can serve it on a bun. Just make sure to pour some of the Carolina Barbecue Sauce over it before you dig in either way. Oh, and it ain't right if you don't put the slaw ON the sandwich. You gotta do it up Carolina style! The combo of textures with the sweet and the tang is what makes this sandwich most incredible. Just try it! No whining :)

I got a ketchup and mustard container set from Walmart for less than 2 bucks. I'd suggest cutting off the tip to make the spout a little larger. Have this filled with the sauce to make it easier for guests to pour sauce on the pork.

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Southern Green Beans

Growing up in North Carolina, we've had our fair share of foods cooked with bacon...Who am I kidding...living in Philly I STILL have my fair share of things cooked with bacon or bacon drippings! I go so far as to save that heavenly goodness in a mason jar. Yep! I kid you not! It adds a depth of flavor to my dumplins and soups that is hard to replace. Sure, you can do without, find a substitute, and still have a good recipe, but why not have a great one?? It's not like you're gonna eat the entire batch of whatever-it-is single-handedly in one sitting. Well, this recipe is one of those things that bacon just 'makes' the dish. It's kinda like a good outfit. Sure, you may look great in the cute dress you just bought...BUT when you add the accessories..the jewelry and some cute shoes...they make the outfit great! Now, don't get me wrong...I love some fresh green beans with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder...but once in awhile it's okay to indulge in something a little more...divine....lol...okay...I'm getting a little corny here....So anyway, my mom has been making these green beans for years and for me, there's nothin like them! Definitely a Thanksgiving staple in our house! I hope y'all enjoy these as much as I do!

Ingredients

3 strips of bacon

2 lbs. of green beans, trimmed and washed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the bacon and fry until it is cooked crisp.

Next, add the diced onions and saute until translucent.

Add green beans and 1 clove of minced garlic and stir together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add 1 cup water then turn heat down to low and cover with a lid. Cook on low until tender, about 30 minutes unless you prefer al dente, then cook for only 15 minutes.

6. Serve and Enjoy!

 

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Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

This time of year, there's nothing like a warm hearty meal to fill your belly when it's chilly outside and you want to curl up on the sofa with a blanket and your special someone.  I love chicken pot pie but I really try to avoid the recipes using canned soups, sorry Paula Deen. I do use canned soups in some recipes but I wanted to learn how to make this the 'right' way. Here's my adaptation of several recipes and a few years of tweaking. I sometimes will make my own crust or use Pillsbury's refrigerated crust that you can roll out. It just depends on how much time I have and how much motivation. I will post the crust recipe at a later date. One tip though...if you use a refrigerated pie crust, sprinkle some flour and roll it out with a rolling pin. It keeps the crust from being too thick and is more like a homemade crust. It makes it a little more flaky..not as flaky as a crust from scratch, but definitely an improvement. One caveat here...I made this on a whim and didn't have all the fresh veggies on hand...so I had to resort to using some canned. (Definitely not as delicious, but still good).

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. chicken breast OR 1 lb. already cooked chicken breast

1 cup sliced carrots

1 c frozen peas

2 T. butter plus 2 T. bacon drippings OR 4 T. butter

1 small onion, diced (1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (1/4 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 c milk

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon or 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon 

**Note** May substitute 2 cups of your favorite veggies for the carrots and peas: fresh, frozen, or canned (i.e. carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, etc.) I don't like to use canned unless I'm in a pinch. They're definitely not as good.

1. First, if you don't already have cooked chicken, salt and pepper the cut up chicken breasts and saute in vegetable oil. Cook on both sides until cooked through. Remove to cool slightly and cut up into bite-sized pieces. If you have leftover chicken, then skip this step. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare the veggies if they need to be cooked. You can boil them or steam them. Whichever method you prefer. I sometimes get the steam in bag peas. Today, I just used canned because it's all I had at the time.

2. Over medium- medium/high heat saute onion and celery in 2 T. butter and 2 T. bacon drippings until translucent. I save my bacon drippings in a mason jar and use it in several recipes like my Chicken n Dumplins. Just refrigerate. Add the garlic now so it doesn't burn.

3. Add flour to onions and celery and cook for a few minutes stirring so the flour doesn't burn.

4. Slowly add chicken stock and milk and stir with a whisk. Add the better than bouillon and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. 

5. Roll out the pie crust and place bottom crust in pie plate. 

6. In a large bowl  combine chicken and any other veggies you may be adding. You can add frozen veggies here, or canned, or fresh depending on what you are cooking. I would recommend potatoes to be slightly cooked before.

7. Pour chicken and vegetables in the pie crust in a mound. It will settle as the pie cooks. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken.

8. Carefully place top pie crust on the pot pie. Cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape during cooking. Crimp the edges fancy like this :)...that's some pretty crimping...lol or press with a fork to seal the edges. 

9. Bake in a preheated oven 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

That looks so pretty...and delicious!

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Southern Chicken-Fried Chicken

Chicken Fried Chicken? What? Did you write that correctly? Yes. I know it sounds a little redundant but it's like Chicken-Fried Steak. Pretty much anything that is 'Chicken-Fried' comes with a yummy cream gravy. It's breaded and fried the way you make Fried Chicken but you use some of the oil drippings to make the cream gravy. Though it may not be the most health-conscious meal, it certainly is delicious! Everything in moderation right? I wouldn't recommend eating this every night..but on occasion doesn't hurt. Try it! It's amazing!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1-2 cups self-rising flour (for breading)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp white pepper

vegetable oil or melted Crisco vegetable shortening

3/4 c. milk

3/4 c. water

1. So first, get your heavy bottomed skillet preheated. (Not non-stick) I love my cast-iron skillet. Melt the Crisco or use vegetable oil and slowly preheat it over medium high heat. Oil should be about 1/2 inch deep in the pan.

2. I don't have a picture shown here, but I'd recommend using a mallet to pound the chicken out to 1/2 inch thickness so it is flat and will cook evenly.

3. Next, mix together 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp. white pepper. Rub the seasoning on both sides of the chicken.

4. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a low container or a bowl. (I love my Pampered Chef breading set). Season the self-rising flour with salt and pepper. (Remove 3 T. of the seasoned flour to use with the gravy and set aside) 

5. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture shaking off any excess.

Dip into the egg mixture coating both sides.

and then coat again with the flour. 

6. With a long handle fork carefully place each chicken breast into the hot oil. Fry on both sides, turning once until golden brown.

7. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil or a lid. (I don't have a lid for my cast iron skillet)

8. Remove from pan and set aside to drain. 

9. Meanwhile, remove oil from pan except 2 tablespoons trying to keep as many of the brown bits as possible. Turn skillet on medium heat. 

10. Sprinkle with the flour that you set aside. Whisk together and brown the flour.  

You want the gravy to look like this. Nice and golden brown, otherwise it'll taste like flour, not like the delicious gravy you want.

11. Combine the 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water in a cup. Gradually stir in the milk/water stirring constantly to avoid lumps. 

Voila! To die for cream gravy to serve over your yummy Chicken-Fried Chicken and mashed potatoes.

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My 2012 Top Ten Favorite Posts

Well, before I begin 2013 in the blogosphere, I was thinking I should probably post some of my favorite posts from 2012. Tell me...what are YOUR favorites?? 

10. Southern Fried Chicken Fingers

9. White-Washed Shabby Chic End Table

8. Home-Made Mocha Frappuccino 

Why spend a fortune at Starbucks?

7. Trash to Treasure Picnic Table

Love this table! Updates to come in 2013

6. Carolina Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

5. My Momma's Nachos

One of my favorites from my childhood

4. Distressed Dresser/TV Stand

Love this as a TV stand! Perfect addition to my living room coastal country decor theme I am attempting

3. Southern Sweet Tea

Who doesn't love some good sweet tea??

2. Family Tree in Pictures

My favorite DIY project to date..and the most special to me.

And my {Number ONE} Favorite Post???.....It's a funny one that I pray I never have to re-live....EVER.....

1. I {Heart} Snakes in my Minivan...

Well...That's All Folks!!

Happy  New Year!!