Favorite sauce for Pulled Pork?

[Jimbo]

I am cooking my first Butt on Thursday and would like a good/easy sauce for dipping on the side.  What's everyone's ideas?  Thanks.

[mattmilw]

Jimbo-

Great question....I'm doing my first butts this weekend too. I look forward to the responses.

Good luck with yours.

Matt

[Swany777]

Hey guys....to me, there is nothing better than "Vaunted Vinegar" sauce.  The recipe is either in the book "Smoke and Spice" or in "Peace, Love, BBQ"...the latter I think.  I'm sure you can find it in the recipe link on these forums too.

More of a Carolina style with the vinegar, but I find that tang just cuts right through the sometimes fatty pork shoulder.  To me, it doesn't get much better than that.   ;)

A tip I learned now that I have about 5-6 pork shoulders under my belt:  allow for 2 hours per lb, then allow time to FTC with some apple juice in the foil.  I think it makes a huge difference (after reaching about 190 degrees first, of course).  Good luck.

Swany

[Habanero Smoker]

Vaunted Vinegar is also my preference, but I do not like too much acidity, so I often use Nakano Rice Vinegars.

Here's a link to the recipe site; I'm not sure if this is the same as the one in Smoke and Spice.
http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124

[asa]

Here's the Carolina-style sauce I've been using. It is a work in progress.
Measurement are all by approximate volume (ie., 2T=1oz)

1C    Ketchup
6oz   Brown sugar
3T    Salt     
2T    Black pepper
2T    Red chili pepper flakes
2T    Worcestershire sauce
--- stir above together, then add
6C    Cider vinegar with stirring/whisking

makes ~ 8 cups, ie., ~1/2 gallon
I don't cook it but I'm sure you could if you want to - (let me know what that does to it.)

I've come to think that the 2T of red chili pepper flakes (which impart more and more heat with time) might be a little too hot for some people, and so am thinking of cutting back a little in future tries. (it is not too hot for me and most people I've asked say it is not too hot with the above recipe, but then I don't add very much when chopping/pulling the pork)

For rib/chicken sauce, you can add 1C of this to 1-2 C of ketchup, plus a 1-2 T or so more of worcestershire sauce, and more brown sugar. That seems to be a pretty good combo - a little thicker and sweeter.

Remember, experiment, and pass it on - -

so it goes.

[irish_smoker]

I am also a fan of the Carolina style, here is a mixture that was given to me from Bubba.

1 cup cide vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

This is enough for one shoulder.  It is very easy and very good. 

[MallardWacker]

I know this is not home made, there are a few of us around here that do use this.  When I give a butt away I always throw a bottle of this in...it is "Sweet Baby Rays" and yes you can get it at the World of Wallis.

[asa]

Irish_Smoker: Yours is really a more authentic down-East Carolina sauce than mine, which I think is more typical of the mid-Piedmont region around Lexington and farther west where they add ketchup to it. But don't mention a ketchup containing sauce in Eastern NC -if they hear you they'll slice you up to thin to fry.

And thanks for the tip, MallardWacker. Looks like we can get Sweet Baby Ray's in NC. I'll give it a try. Which one is the least sweet of their sauces? (I'm not a big fan of real sweet sauces for pork)

[MallardWacker]

asa,

You may not like it, they only sell one style at W/M.  Being from the south things can get a little sweet around here.  It's kind of like that vinegar type stuff...caauyaffff me no like that type.

[ListerD]

I like my BBQ sauce (see recipes) for anything pork. It works well on everything but espescially pork.

[asa]

asa,
You may not like it, they only sell one style at W/M.  Being from the south things can get a little sweet around here.  It's kind of like that vinegar type stuff...caauyaffff me no like that type.

Thanks for the tip. The web site says that Harris Teeter and Food Lion also carry it in the Carolinas. That's where I'd probably check first. So if I understand you correctly, you do prefer sweeter sauces and not those with a heavy vinegar-based taste? Any of the SBRs that are sort of inbetween those extremes that you might recommend?

     Art

[Oldman]

Well I like that red stuff myself.... Now you want one with just enough kick? Then get a hold of iceman. As the bottle says.. it has an attitude.

[MallardWacker]

Sweet YES, Vineee-grrrr YUK.

[asa]

Sweet YES, Vineee-grrrr YUK.

Thanks for the translation DaffyWhomper. I had trouble looking up "caauyaffff" in my Funk 'n Wagnalls.

[BigSmoker]

MW you just have never had a good vinegar sauce is all.  You want something really good try a mustard based sauce for the pulled pork.  It is sho nuf good :P.