R. Doug Wicker — Author

Well, I must say that looking at my blog hit counter, it appears barbecue in general and smoked pork shoulder in particular are very popular indeed.  Last Wednesday I shared with you the secret to perfectly smoked barbecue Boston butt (pork shoulder).  I also told you that I would give a recipe for that second shoulder that we still have left over after serving up the first.  This recipe is super simple, irresistibly delicious, and incredibly addictive.  I’ve had people who attended one of my barbecues almost a decade back remark how much they miss the taste of this dish.

Smoked Boston Butt (pork shoulder)

What we’re going to make today is Carolina-style mustard barbecue hash — a cousin to the pulled pork that’s slathered in tomato-based barbecue sauce but instead using a tasty sauce that enhances the delicate smoked flavor of a perfectly smoked shoulder rather than disguising it beyond all recognition.  Let’s face it:  if you’re going to take your perfectly smoked shoulder and drown it in traditional barbecue sauce, then you might just have well slow-cooked that pork shoulder in the oven.

What you’ll need for the sauce:

Sauce ingredients: Apple Cider or Distilled White Vinegar and Yellow Mustard

First, take your leftover butt and slice it into ¼ to ½ thick slabs

Half-inch-thick slices

Cut those slabs lengthwise into thick strips, then into cubes.

Slices cut into strips, then cubed

Sautée the pork cubes until you’ve rendered out much of the fat (about thirty to forty-five minutes).

Render out most of the fat

Once the fat pools nicely in the bottom of the pan, drain it off.

When the fat pools in the bottom, drain it

While the pork drains, mix together equal amounts of yellow mustard and either distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.  Go easy here.  You can always add more.  You cannot, however, remove too much vinegar and mustard from the pork once it’s in there.  If you get it too tart, you’ve blown the dish (and destroyed your delicious smoked pork).

Mix together equal parts vinegar and mustard (but don’t overdo it)

Mustard/Vinegar Blend

Pour your mustard/vinegar blend into the now fat-drained pork cubes.  Add water and simmer covered for at least thirty minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scortching and adding more water as necessary if it starts to dry out.

Mustard/Vinegar Blend goes into Pork Cubes; add water as well

The cubes will begin to break apart into a hash-like consistency.  Don’t overdo it, however.  You still want some cube-like texture for interest and as little bursts of smokey flavor.

Simmer, adding water as necessary.

The completed dish should be only slightly tangy, with neither mustard nor vinegar overpowering the pork and its delicate smokey flavor.  Traditionally, this is served over buttered long-grain rice, but it also works very well on toasted hamburger buns in a unique take on the ubiquitous (but vastly inferior) pulled pork sandwich.

Serve over buttered long-grain rice or on toasted hamburger buns