Around here, pulled pork isn't a recipe so much as a way of life. In Eastern North Carolina the sauce is thin, tangy and built on cider vinegar and pepper, not thick and sweet. It soaks into the meat instead of sitting on top of it.
You don't need a smoker or an all-night fire to get close. A Boston butt, which is actually the upper part of the pork shoulder, is richly marbled, and that fat slowly melts during a long, gentle cook in the slow cooker. The meat ends up tender enough to pull apart with two forks.
Our pigs are raised outside on pasture and in the woods here in Gates County, from farrow to finish. We sell the butt two ways: a bone-in roast (5–8 lb) for a crowd, or a boneless half (2.3–4 lb) when it's just the family.
Serves: 8–10 (boneless half: 4–6) · Prep: 10 min · Cook: 8–10 hr on low (boneless half: 6–8 hr)
Ingredients
1 Boston butt, bone-in (5–8 lb) or boneless half (2.3–4 lb)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ cup water
Eastern NC vinegar sauce: 1 cup cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt
To serve: soft buns and coleslaw
Instructions
Mix the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. Pat the pork dry and rub the mixture all over, working it into every side.
Set the pork fat side up in the slow cooker and pour the ½ cup water around it, not over it, so the rub stays put.
Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours (6–8 hours for a boneless half), until the meat shreds easily with a fork. Resist lifting the lid; every peek adds cooking time.
While it cooks, stir the sauce ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. It gets better as it sits, so making it in the morning is perfect.
Move the pork to a large pan. Shred it with two forks, pulling out the bone and any big pieces of fat. Toss with about ½ cup of the sauce, taste, and add more if you like.
Pile onto buns, top with slaw, and set the rest of the sauce on the table.
Safe Internal Temperature
Pork shoulder is safe at 145°F with a 3-minute rest (the USDA guideline for whole cuts), but it won't pull apart until it reaches about 195–205°F. That's when the connective tissue has broken down. If it's fighting the fork, give it more time.
Farmer's Tip
Make it a day ahead. Pulled pork reheats beautifully: warm it covered in a low oven or on the stovetop with a splash of the vinegar sauce, and it tastes even better the second day.
Variations and Serving Ideas
Oven method: Roast covered at 300°F for about 5–7 hours (boneless half: 4–5), until it shreds.
Carolina plate: Serve with slaw, hushpuppies and collards.
Leftovers: Pulled pork tacos, quesadillas, or a pile on top of baked potatoes.
Freeze it: Portion shredded pork with a little sauce into freezer bags for easy future dinners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should pulled pork go fat side up or down in a slow cooker?
Fat side up. As the fat cap renders, it bastes the meat below. You'll remove what's left when you shred.
Bone-in or boneless Boston butt for pulled pork?
Both work. Bone-in has a little more flavor and is ideal for a crowd; a boneless half is easier to handle and cooks a couple of hours faster.
What makes pulled pork 'Eastern NC' style?
The sauce: a thin mix of vinegar, pepper flakes, salt and a little sugar, with no tomato. It's tangy and lets the pork flavor come through.
How much pulled pork per person?
Plan on roughly ⅓ to ½ lb of cooked pork per person. Raw shoulder loses a good part of its weight as it cooks, so a bigger roast goes further than you'd think.
Bring It Home
Get the pork for this recipe: Order our Boston Butt (Bone-In) or Half Boston Butt (Boneless) online. Pick it up at the farm (106 Kellogg Fork Rd., Sunbury, NC), or get free local delivery within 20 miles on orders of $75 or more. We're local only and don't ship.
More recipes from the farm: Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks · Oven BBQ Ribs: Low and Slow St. Louis Ribs
About Spence Fields: We're a family farm in Gates County, North Carolina. We started in 2021 to raise better pigs: outside on pasture and in the woods, from farrow to finish, right here on the farm. You'll also find us at the Edenton Farmers Market.
