Yum! This was a great recipe! Thank you.

This was good, but if I make it again, I would cut back on the vinegar, since it was a bit overpowering. Use maybe half the amount of vinegar and increase the ketchup.

Sounds good, but my favorite method is to make the sauce seperately, throw a spice rub on the pork butt (paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, and brown sugar with whatever additions you prefer), throw the shoulder in a slow oven for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours (depending on size) till the meat shreds with no effort, then toss the sauce (my preference is a carolina mustard-vinager BBQ sauce with pork butt) with the shredded meat and serve on buns (with extra sauce on the side, of course).

The main benefit of doing it this way is the meat develops an irresistable crust on the outside so when you shred it, each bite gets a bit of the crusty goodness.... Heaven.
Plus, your house will smell like roast pork.... mmmmm.

Excuse me, I have drool on my keyboard....

Tammy, that recipe sounds too delicious for words.

I made this recipe for the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago and it turned out terrificly. Elise, hats off to your dad. I replaced the jalapeño and chipotle chile powder with two chopped, canned chipotles and a couple of tablespoons of the adobo sauce they came packed in. It was mighty delicious and well received. But, if it was missing something, it was the "crust" offered by Tammy's method which I cannot wait to try out!

I'm trying this today, but slightly different.

Crockpot - Pork Tenderloin in chunks and your sauce.

Just in reading this, it sounds (and tastes - pre-cooking) a lot like the Lexington NC Style BBQ. If so, I am going to be soo happy.

Made this twice in 2 days LOL as my wife doesn't like the sweetness in sauces. Replaced pickled pepper with 1 1/2 jalapenas, Mexican Chile pepper, and 1 tbls of brown sugar. At the end, 1/4 cup Tony Roma barbecue sauce. Yummy

This was my first attempt at a meal I've loved forever. I have to say, your recipe has been laminated and hung in my kitchen. Though, I admit I wing the sauce a bit depending on what's in my kitchen and my mood, I usually use fresh jalapenos and I don't measure anything. It's more fun that way. But this is so yummy, even my girlfriend will eat it! Thanks!

You are right, this is the best! Wonderful flavor. Thanks! I used a chipotle pepper and sauce instead of the powder and it was excellent. I just wrote a post on my blog about it. Yum!

I don't think a single picture has ever whet my appetite as much as that one.

Fortunately I can *gasp* buy a better than reasonable pulled pork sandwich in Grand Central Terminal, near where I work.

This is going in the permanent "some day when I'm brave enough to do something besides baking" file.

Going back to Kansas City tomorrow, I'll have to sample the local pulled pork and try and beat it! Sounds like a great recipe, as always!

Holy cow, that looks great. I'm making it this weekend.
Mad William Flint - I work by Grand Central too. Care to share your source for pulled pork?

I love that top photo! It looks absolutely mouth-watering.

We just switched over our menu at work and the main kitchen has this amazing new recipe for Pulled Pork Chimichangas where they take pulled pork and put it in a tortilla with montery jack and deep fry it so it's got a crispy shell. So sinfully delicious.

Oh, pulled pork, how I love thee... Thanks for the recipe!

It's too bad the vinegar was too much for you. In Eastern NC, where I'm from, that's what barbecue is all about--there is no "sauce"--and the bread doesn't actually get soggy, if it's done right.

Note from Elise: The vinegar is perfect for me, but perhaps not for another commenter. We love it this way, sort of like a sloppy joe, but with shredded pork.

Love the recipe and will try it myself without altering anything. Pulled pork is one of my favorite foods. Maybe you can do a thread on sauces sometime. There is always a big debate on who's BBQ is the best... I for one cannot decide on just one. I like different styles... molasses or brown sugar, mustard, tangy, spicy, smoked... all of them. Often, I need to have three different sauces on the plate to dip into. You've combined each of those concepts into one flavor. That is what intrigues me most about this recipe. Best way to have this in my opinion is with twice the amount of meat you'd use on any other sandwich piled high, (but eaten with a fork), a couple pepperoncinis on the side, some nice thick cut kettle cooked potato chips, and an ice cold beer. :)

Oh, I love these sandwiches. Reminds me of when my mum would make these homemade. I also like making them for my family. I love your picture.

How would you adapt to crock pot? Put the pork and the sauce into the crock and cook on low for 6 hours? any suggestions?

For once, I recipe I see here that I can't try.

I prefer the pulled pork out of my smoker I'm guessing. But other than this one infraction, I DO love your site!

This recipe is very user friendly with straightforward, easy directions and ingredients that almost everyone has in their cupboards - save for the pork butt. The variations from cooks in the comments couldn't be better! I'll be making it soon.

That first photo is so yummy looking! Thanks for the shout out. :-)

My NC BBQ recipe is very similar to yours (and my mom's is almost exactly the same). The only difference is that I smoke my pork butt and then I shred it. I marinate it in my sauce in the oven on warm for a couple of hours before I serve it.

I'm a vote for the "crusty". ( I also use a 5-6 lb bone in boston butt roast) I put a dab of liquid smoke in the water mix with a couple shakes of franks hot sauce. I finish it in a HOT 425 oven mopping every 15 minutes with the reserved juices from the pot till "crusty". Now Salad-fresh bread-roasted potatoes and (your choice)sauce on the side with plenty of beer and I'm Lovin it.

Oooooh! This looks and sounds just wonderful. I wonder if you could cook the pork in a crock pot and reduce the sauce on the stove. I did that with your short ribs and it worked great.

This recipe is 24 hours too late. I had a craving for pulled pork this weekend and made, for the second time, Shirley Corriher's (Cookwise) pulled pork. And, for the second time, I failed miserably. After six hours of cooking/braising at 200 degrees, "falling from the bone" just didn't happen. I'm replacing Shirley's recipe with this one.

Made this last night. I couldn't find the Chipotle chile powder anywhere, so I just used regular chile powder. I made it for my family, and we all agreed it was the best pulled pork we've ever had. It was so tender and juicy, with a slight zing to it. At first I thought 3lbs was going to leave us with left overs...not a chance. Great recipe.

That recipe looks about as close to a Piedmont Pig Pick as you can get without a smoker. MMM good. For that truly authentico look, top off that sandwich with a bit of coleslaw.

Cheers.

This was a specialty when we lived in NC, and my husband's favorite was at a place called Crook's Corner. I'm gonna surprise him with this sandwich on a Monday night football night, since I like to make "fun" food. Thanks so much!

Thank you! I am such a sucker for a good pulled pork sandwich, and my recipe is a bit plain. I must try this one. It sounds absolutely amazing!

This recipe adapts perfectly to the crockpot. just throw it all in for 6-8 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce, shred it onto a baking sheet and stick it in the oven to get the crust. Directions for that step can be found in Elises "Carnitas" recipe. Reduce the sauce on the stove, then add the crispy meat back to the sauce, and serve. Perfect every time!

Now I'm not putting this forth as eye-rollingly wonderful. But the BBQ place downstairs in Grand Central (between the chili spot and Two Boots pizza, also both pretty good) has quite a respectable few permutations of pulled pork sandwich.

I've found that the food in that little plaza down there are actually far better than you should reasonably be able to expect given the atmosphere of the place. Junior's for cheesecake and Egg Creams (Mmmm... Egg Creams), decent sushi, kosher deli, "good enough for lunch" chicken vindaloo, crepes, etc.

This is a dish my mom makes a lot...Comfort food :)

Oh God that looks soooo amazing!

All this sandwich needs to be perfect is a handful of coleslaw on top of the meat and YEAH!!!!! :) Great recipe!!

Not even close, I don't know what you people have been eating but this was as middle of the road and bland a recipe for something that is, when prepared properly, worth raving over. Not this one, can't recommend it when compared to the real thing.

Note from Elise: When you find a recipe that qualifies in your mind as "the real thing" please tell us what it is. Also, if you find the results of our recipe bland, I would suggest checking your spices to make sure they are still strong, checking the heat of the jalapeno you are using, and adding salt to taste.

@ Mad William Flint: I went searching for the spot yesterday (before I read this) and found the right one. Tried the pulled pork, which was quite good, and got it with baked beans (which were very tasty, and spicier than I expected, but yummy enough so that when I dripped some of the sauce on my sweater I didn't even care. Though I did smell of beans for the rest of the day...) (not that there's anything wrong with that). Thanks for the tip!

I enjoyed the taste of this I made it for my husband for work he loved the taste oan said it was easy to but together.thank=you

Oh heavens, I must make this right away. Del.icio.us, here we come. The recipe really looks like a winner. Thank your dad for me.

These "sandwiches" are great. I love having them with coleslaw (slightly sweet) on top of the meat (not on the side) it really compliments the tang of the vinegar. Try it some time, you won't ever go back!

I made this last night and it was delicious! It was the first time in a long while that my husband went back for thirds (!). And we have plenty of leftovers, too!

It was a bit spicier than we're used to, but not too much. It would have been perfect if I'd added some cole slaw on the side.

Hey Elise- We have just completed an office potluck and I brought this as my contribution, and got rave reviews all around. I doubled this recipe and I ran out of White vinegar so used so I did subsitute Apple Cider vinegar, as well I had no dijon so I use regular mustard. I think next time I may just try it in the crockpot (to save me from all that shredding.)
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes- great job!!!

Oh my, oh my . . . I've SO been craving pulled pork. Thank you!

This recipe is to die for. Absolutely delicious! Elise, thank your father for me :)

I also saved the leftover/extra sauce and used it on white rice. Yummy to my tummy.

Elise, I made this dish tonight according to your recipe. I cooked the meat and the sauce together in a slow cooker for 8 hours. Then, I reduced the sauce on the stove and added the shredded meat. I didn't crust the meat in the oven because I was baking beans in it. Outstanding! I don't think I missed a thing. Thank you for this recipe. It is a real winner.

Okay, I made it today and just had some. GREAT. My only change: one fresh jalapeño (with its seeds) instead of pickled jalapeño. Also, it took 3 hours of simmering to get the pork shoulder tender.

Fantastic recipe.

It's in your humble opinion the best? Hah hah you and everyone else who makes the same thing!

Note from Elise: Isn't that usually the case? ;-)

Sounds good. what about salt? Does adding some salt overpower the sauce? I have not tried this yet but was wondering if salt was necessary, it would seem like it would be so the pork would not come out so bland. Can anyone answer this question would greatly appreciate it.

Note from Elise: Even when is not called out as an ingredient, you should salt to taste. In this case, I've added it to the list.

I just made this today and it turned out to be sooo good. I did not have jalapenos, so i just used hot sauce. I also added a little bit of honey into the sauce. I know some people will not like the strong vinegary flavor to this dish, but to me, this is the best ever pulled pork recipe I have ever come across, bar none.

I really want to make this recipe- but how would I double it and do it in a slow cooker? I am not that great of a chef to figure it out on my own. Thanks.

Note from Elise: Well, I'm not a chef either, mostly I learn through trial and error, which is what I recommend to you. We don't have a slow cooker, so I wouldn't know what to tell you.

Gave this a try and the family totally loved it. I agree with your comment Elise about checking that our spices are fresh. There is a tendency for them to lose their flavor and bite after a while.

I will try it in the slow cooker next time. Thanks to all those who leave extra tips such as adding some coleslaw.