Chopped Barbecued Pork Sandwich
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This is a specialty dish from down in Charlotte, North Carolina, which comes out of the greatest tradition of the Southern barbecue. The pork butt is traditionally roasted on a spit, but in this recipe the oven method works fine.
Because of the length of time for marinating the meat, I prepare my roast the night before using a crock pot, and make the sauce. In the morning, I combine them, and they are ready to fix.
INGREDIENTS
1 pork butt or fresh pork shoulder, 4 to 5 pounds
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper, or hot sauce, or more to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 clove garlic , minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup broth from the cooked meat, or chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Place all the ingredients, except the meat, in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Do not boil!! Remove from heat; cover, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place the butt in a shallow roasting pan with 2 cups water. Cook in the oven for about 3 hours, or until very tender. (You may prefer to cook it in a pressure cooker.) When done, remove the meat from the bone, taking out any fat. Chop the meat very thinly by hand on in a food processor using the steel blade. The meat should appear shredded. This should yield about 5 cups.
Put the shredded meat in a glass container. Reheat the sauce to warm and pour over the meat. Mix well, cover, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Then remove any fat from the surface, stir well, and shape into hamburger-sized patties. There should be between 20 and 24 patties, depending on their thickness.
Serve the patties hot on buns with coleslaw, either on the side or on the sandwich. You can heat the meat separately or with the buns in a 250 degree oven.
NOTE - Patties may be quick frozen without wrapping by placing them on a cookie sheet, then into individual and separate sandwich bags or foil for use at a later date. Additional hot sauce may be added to taste.