Non-VegetarianSouthern cuisine Main Course

Eastern Carolina Whole-Hog Barbecue

Name: Eastern Carolina Whole-Hog Barbecue
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 12 h
Total time: 12 h 45 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 90 lb whole hog; 2 cup cider vinegar; 2 tbsp Red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp Cayenne pepper; 0.25 cup Salt; 2 tbsp Black pepper; hardwood coals; 8 cup Cabbage; 1 loaf white bread

A whole hog smoked slowly over coals and pulled, then seasoned only with a thin vinegar-and-pepper sauce, the Coastal Plain's oldest barbecue style.

🇺🇸United States· North Carolina

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 720 min
Total: 765 min
Servings: 10
Difficulty: Hard
Calories: 460 kcal

Equipment

•Cinder block or steel pit
•Long-handled shovel
•Pulling forks

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 460 kcal
fat: 30
carbs: 8
protein: 32
calories: 460

Instructions

1
Split the cleaned hog open. Sprinkle plenty of salt and black pepper inside the cavity.
2
Make a bed of hardwood coals in a cinder block pit. Shovel the coals evenly underneath the hog.
3
Put the hog skin side up over the pit. Cook on low heat for 10-12 hours, adding more coals as needed.
4
Whisk the cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt, and black pepper in a bowl to make your basting sauce.
5
Brush the hog with the vinegar sauce every once in a while as it cooks.
6
Turn the hog skin side down for the final hour so the skin gets crispy.
7
When the meat is completely tender, pull it off the bone by hand. Mix the dark and light meat together.
8
Toss the pulled meat with more vinegar sauce to taste. Serve warm with coleslaw and white bread.

Chef's tips

Cook the whole hog slowly over hardwood coals shoveled underneath, brushing it with vinegar sauce so the skin stays moist. Shred meat from every part of the hog, not just the shoulder, for the best mix of flavors.