Tomato vs. Vinegar
When it comes to BBQ, there is a distinct difference between “Carolina BBQ” and say St. Louis BBQ. One has a mustard/vinegar base (Carolina) and the other is tomato/ketchup based. Personally, I prefer the thicker, sweet sauces of the St. Louis region, but the traditional Carolina vinegar variety is certainly nothing to turn up your nose at.
Jay came across a Carolina BBQ recipe in my new Crock Pot recipe book, so that is what we prepared for this week’s Sunday night din din.
I was looking for a light, low fat side dish and found a “Polynesian Coleslaw” recipe on allrecipes.com. If you haven’t discovered this website and love to cook, please do yourself a favor and check it out. Gazillions of great recipes to be found!
I was intrigued by the coleslaw because it had a peanut butter based dressing rather than the typical mayo based sauce. It will be great for summer picnics since there is no mayo. I thought it was delish and complimented the pork nicely. The reviews say that the slaw is better the longer it sits, so I am looking forward to seeing how the flavors marry overnight. I also added a bit of crushed pineapple ~ sweet, salty from the soy and tangy from the rice vinegar!
Carolina Barbequed Pork
2 onions, quartered
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 4-6 lb. boneless pork butt or shoulder roast (I used a bone-in shoulder)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Hamburger buns (I used sesame to compliment the Asian flavors of the slaw)
Place the onions in the Crock-Pot. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and rub the mixture over the roast. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Drizzle 1/2 of the vinegar mixture over the roast. Cover and refrigerate the remaining vinegar mixture. Cover; cook on Low for 10 hours or on High for 6 hours. Remove the meat and onions and drain. Chop or shred the meat and chop the onions. Serve the meat and onions on buns. Use the remaining vinegar mixture to drizzle over the sandwiches.
Which do you prefer? Tomato or vinegar?
I’m stickin’ to tomato, but this meal would’ve made the Carolinians proud, I think!
