North Carolina Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Chef Richard 4 Servings 6 hours

The best and easiest North Carolina Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder you’ll ever make—and eat!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional)
  • 1 bone-in pork shoulder (about 7 pounds)
  • 1 oven safe roasting bag

Pig Picker Pucker Sauce:

  • 1½ cups cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 tablespons granualted sugar, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1½ tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  • In a food processor, combine the peppercorns, paprika and garlic and begin to puree. While the motor is running, drizzle in the oil until a paste is formed. Using a rubber spatula, scrap the garlic paste into a bowl.
  • Place the butt on a work surface and season with the salt. Rub the garlic paste all over the meat. Place the butt and the liquid smoke (optional) in an oven-safe roasting bag and close with a twist tie. Place in a large roasting pan and cook until tender, about 5 hours in a 275°F preheated oven.
  • Remove roast from oven. Slip the oven-roasting bag off the meat and discard. Transfer the pork’s cooking juices into a medium sauce pan. Skim the fat from the cooking juices with a ladle or degreaser.
  • Raise the oven to 400°F. Return the pork in the roasting pan along with the pork’s cooking juices into the oven. Continue roasting, basting frequently with the simmering liquid in bottom of roasting pan. Brown well, about 30 minutes.
  • Remove pork from oven and let it rest 20 minutes, using 2 forks pull the pork into small pieces.

Pig Picker Pucker Sauce:

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Serve the sauce on the shredded barbecue pork.

Note: You can add some left over pork pan juice into the sauce also. Makes 2½ cups. You can also use any BBQ sauce of your liking instead of the Pig Picker Pucker Sauce