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Pulled this off the old cookshack site, wanted to post some of the "best of".
Please add your information that you've learned so others may learn.

Okay Gang, Our last adventure today in Pulled Pork is a Vinegar Based Sauce.

I've used this as a baste/mop, as a finishing sauce (finishing to me is putting the sauce on during the last hour) and also a serving sauce. Kick up the heat a notch in this one if you like:

Smokin Okies Vinegar Mop for Pulled Pork
(also called an Eastern Carolina Sauce)

  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 tablespoons salt (I like the flavor in Kosher/Sea Salt and bigger granules)
  • 2 tablespoon red pepper (crushed)
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne (I've also used Hungarian Paprika)

Don't need to cook this sauce, just combine, let sit overnight. Put this on your Butt, it'll go wild.

Good Q'in Smokin Okie
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I am making a butt for tonight's season opening Formula One race and I've decided to give this sauce a try. I figure if I don't like the taste I'll still be able to use the remainder of the sauce to remove the varnish from some old furniture or something.

[This message has been edited by Lucky Strikes (edited March 03, 2001).]
I can't wait to try the sauce! I'm using a commercial sauce from Lloyds which works very well. I noticed that it takes a lot of sauce, though: I mixed 2 lbs. sauce in with the pork, and now when I reheat it for sandwiches, I have to cover it with more sauce. I guess that's the way to do it, right? So how much of the vinegar sauce do you put on per pound of pork?

I'm sure you hear this all the time, but thanks for all the help. You da man!

Pete
Hey, thanks for the kind words, but I do this cause I love "Q" and I learn as much as I give.

Thanks to Cookshack for the new forum, I'm just an instigator...

For freshly pulled pork, how much sauce is really going to depend on your personal taste. I can see your point about taking a ton of sauce because some people will want to really taste it. Others will not want as much. Still others won't want any at all.

Now you see why I recommend keeping good notes. You're doing the right thing. I'd measure an amount of pork, figure out how much sauce (uh, I don't weigh my sauce in pounds like you did, I use cups)

As far as the sauce for pulled pork for later eating. The way I do it is after I've pulled and eaten my fill, I take one pound piles, put them in FoodSaver bags and add about 1/2cup per pound. I let it sit for about 15 min 'cause the pork will just suck this juice right up.

Then I seal it and freeze it.

When I need pulled pork, I take a 1 pound pack out of the freezer, throw it in boiling water and it comes out just like new. I've tried other methods, but this, for us, is the best.

Hope that helps.



------------------
Smokin Okie
It's done when it's done
Cookshack BBQ Guide Page
Well I gave the old Eastern Carolina sauce a go this weekend and I am impressed.
It was not nearly as harsh as I had feared. I must say I'm not a huge fan of
putting sauce on my meats, but I do like to experiment with different things.
This Eastern Carolina sauce is by far the best I have tried. btw my wife just
loves the mustard based sauce. Thanks for both recipes.
My new Model 55 will arive at end of April. My question, as a Newbie, is how are you supposed to mop the pork butt while it is cooking in the smoker? I thought that you were supposed to leave the door closed until the meat was done since so much heat is lost when the door is opened. Seems to me that if you mop, then several hours will be added to the cooking process. Does a 8 lb butt need 20+ hours to cook if mopping is done? How often do you mop and how much more cooking time is added for each time the door is opened? Thanks for the assistance.

Boilermaker
Well, it's personal preference.

Yes, if you decide to mop, each time you open the door, will add to the smoke time. Sometimes that's not a bad thing, you can also add wood to add more smoke if you want. Many like their butts to have more smoke flavor.

I added this mop for those who like to mop.

If you don't have time to add to the already long smoke because of a deadline -- don't worry about the mop, go for a good finishing sauce.
This sauce receipe is excellent as it is. Since I'm a Texan, the first time I worked in North Carolina, A native invited me to the best bbq in Tarboro. Was I surprised when, expecting beef brisket, ribs, or maybe chicken with a tomato based sauce. The bbq was pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce. No, it wasn't Texas bbq, but it was damned good.

This sauce is the real deal for pork. Just like my memory from my first trip.

Since then, East Carolina bbq has been a staple in my smoking portfolio.

It's all wondweful.
Until he gets here,he might say" what cooker are you using".

The traditional small Cookshacks cook so moist,that we open the doors, to dump moisture, and don't need to add any.

Cookers that flow lots of air,like the oilfield pipe offsets,may require it.



He might say, if you are cooking a very large butt,and decide to turn it over ,halfway thru the cook-so it doesnt stick to the rack,and you are doing it to add a layer of flavor,that would be a good time.

Hope this helps a little-until he checks in.
I have the smallest cookshack and have never mopped. I'm sure it can add flavor but I've never felt it necessary. I've cooked 10 lbs pork shoulders and never felt like the lack of a mop affected the flavor. In fact, I've dialed in a recipe I found in a BBQ book that included a dry rub and a sauce and it is an awesome combo. It is an apple cider/vinegar based sauce. Ironically, I used to really dislike vinegar-based sauces. Then I found this combo of rub and sauce and I stopped making anything else on my pork butts. It is simply awesome. I'm probably missing out on other good recipes but this one keeps me going back.

I keep good notes and now feel like I know exactly how much wood my friends and I like. One of the things I love about the cookshack is the ability to throw everything in and let he magic happen. I can be doing other things (drinking beer) without worrying about the meat. My old smoker did not hold heat well and required a lot of work to keep a stable temperature.

As a side note, I got a recipe out of the Big Bob Gibson BBQ book for brisket and it too is awesome. Again, throw it all in the smoker and let it do all the work.
quote:
Originally posted by Hozer:
So when using a mop, is the concept that the mop is in addition to a dry rub upfront or instead of?


Hozer, when I mop (which is rarely with my Cookshack) it's always in addition to a dry rub. I've found the CS is a moist enough environment that mopping isn't needed and actually adds to the cook time.
Now, I will add a little moppin' sauce before I FTC and always have some available at the table. Hope this helped.
Hozer, as Slim said with the CS being so moist there shouldn’t be a need to mop. I used to use AJ when I FTCed, but once I tried Smokin Okies Vinegar Mop for Pulled Pork I haven’t gone back. Since this is an old thread and it’s getting long I’ll repost Smokin’s recipe. It really is hard to beat. I won't do a butt without it.

Smokin Okies Vinegar Mop for Pulled Pork (also called an Eastern Carolina Sauce)
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tablespoons salt (I like the flavor in Kosher/Sea Salt and bigger granules)
• 2 tablespoon red pepper (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne (I've also used Hungarian Paprika)

Don't need to cook this sauce, just combine, let sit overnight. Put this on your Butt, it'll go wild
Smokin Okie I made this and tweaked it a little and my buddies and I actually really like it as sauce as much as a mop Razzer. We're in AL where it's mostly tomatoe based.... My question is have you or anyone for that matter ever made like gallon of this instead of 2 cups? I'm going to need a bunch next weekend and if I make a gallon I'm just a little worried if I quadruple (or whatever the amount is) the recipe the cayenne/salt/pepper flake maybe too much. Any suggestions? I really don't feel like making a ton of small batches is the way to go. All help is greatly appreciated. Ive been letting it sit a week or two and it's the bomb. All help is appreicated!!!!
I've never made it in that quantity, but I would expect that it would scale up just fine. The challenge is to let it "meld".

If you're really worried about the head, use 1/2 the amount for the gallon. Give it a day or two and taste it. See how it tastes. If it's fine, your good. If you want more heat, add them in.
Up to you ZHD. Mopping is for flavor, it (for me) doesn't really help keep the food "more" moist, that's why I do it at the end.

You need to match it to your rubs and smoke.

Give it a try and see.

And correct, if you open the door moor, you'll need to add cooking time (depends on smoker as to how much longer).

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