There seems to be no end to this debate; Memphis style, Southern style, North Carolina style, or South Carolina style. Even Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida have gotten into the game! We're talking here, of course about the vast array of pulled pork crockpot recipes that make these claims.
What most everyone can agree on is that no one agrees which style of sandwich truly belongs to which region. Comparing hundreds of pulled pork crockpot recipes doesn't help much either. For every barbecue sauce on the market there is at least one recipe. For every variation of dry rubs you can find, there are that many more methods and ingredients for cooking a pulled pork sandwich. Here are just a few common methods for cooking and serving this sandwich that seems to be everyone's hometown original!
Vinegar - Whether you use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar, the idea is the same. In order to make a barbecue sauce you need the sweet and sour combination. You'll find many recipes that claim to be official Memphis style pulled pork because they always use vinegar in their sauce. However, just about any pulled pork sandwich that has homemade barbecue sauce will have vinegar as an ingredient.
Brown Sugar - Many dry rubs contain brown sugar to give the sweet flavor to the whole sweet-sour balance that a pulled pork sandwich should have. A simple concoction of brown sugar, vinegar, and a pinch of any hot sauce or seasoning is often found in barbecue places in Florida and Alabama. Whether this simple recipe originated there we'll never know. Although, I can't say I've ever seen a pulled pork sandwich seasoned like this in Memphis.
Dry Rub - This may be one of the oldest "new" seasoning techniques around. Memphis can lay claim to this in some of the recipes you'll read, but you'll find dry rubs firmly entrenched all over the South. Although dry rubs have been around for ages, the new focus may be on the availability of prepackaged rubs. The labels on the bottles are just as confusing, claiming to be "The Best Of..." one place or another and containing identical ingredients. It doesn't matter, really. To season pork with a dry rub you really need a standard list of ingredients which include paprika, cayenne, cumin, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Condiments - There are several standard condiments found on most every table serving pulled pork sandwiches. A bottle of barbecue sauce is a must. Then, some people like a little red hot sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper. I have yet to see a bottle of ketchup! That just seems wrong... and it probably is. Memphis holds the honor in most people's opinion of being the cole slaw condiment originator. If you get a "slap of slaw" on top, you're probably enjoying a real Memphis pulled pork sandwich.
Cooking Method - Of course, using your slowcooker to make a batch of pulled pork may be quite a departure from the method your parents and their parents before them used. The most noted methods to prepare the pork include grilling, smoking, oven roasting, and braising. Different methods are claimed as original by different regions and there is no one, simple answer to this. If you go to Memphis you'll see a lot of smoky pits with big hunks of pork sizzling away on the grill, but you'll also see that same method in a lot of other places, so it's hard to pin down.
Is it time to dismiss the debate that was caused by looking through some pulled pork crockpot recipes? Probably. If you are a native son or daughter of South Carolina, or Florida, or Alabama, or anywhere in the South, and your PawPaw has been making the same recipe for pulled pork sandwiches since you can remember, then that recipe belongs to you and it is an original to your region. Don't let anything distract you from your mission. Claim your family's recipe as any good native would... stake your claim and make your recipe yours!
What most everyone can agree on is that no one agrees which style of sandwich truly belongs to which region. Comparing hundreds of pulled pork crockpot recipes doesn't help much either. For every barbecue sauce on the market there is at least one recipe. For every variation of dry rubs you can find, there are that many more methods and ingredients for cooking a pulled pork sandwich. Here are just a few common methods for cooking and serving this sandwich that seems to be everyone's hometown original!
Vinegar - Whether you use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar, the idea is the same. In order to make a barbecue sauce you need the sweet and sour combination. You'll find many recipes that claim to be official Memphis style pulled pork because they always use vinegar in their sauce. However, just about any pulled pork sandwich that has homemade barbecue sauce will have vinegar as an ingredient.
Brown Sugar - Many dry rubs contain brown sugar to give the sweet flavor to the whole sweet-sour balance that a pulled pork sandwich should have. A simple concoction of brown sugar, vinegar, and a pinch of any hot sauce or seasoning is often found in barbecue places in Florida and Alabama. Whether this simple recipe originated there we'll never know. Although, I can't say I've ever seen a pulled pork sandwich seasoned like this in Memphis.
Dry Rub - This may be one of the oldest "new" seasoning techniques around. Memphis can lay claim to this in some of the recipes you'll read, but you'll find dry rubs firmly entrenched all over the South. Although dry rubs have been around for ages, the new focus may be on the availability of prepackaged rubs. The labels on the bottles are just as confusing, claiming to be "The Best Of..." one place or another and containing identical ingredients. It doesn't matter, really. To season pork with a dry rub you really need a standard list of ingredients which include paprika, cayenne, cumin, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Condiments - There are several standard condiments found on most every table serving pulled pork sandwiches. A bottle of barbecue sauce is a must. Then, some people like a little red hot sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper. I have yet to see a bottle of ketchup! That just seems wrong... and it probably is. Memphis holds the honor in most people's opinion of being the cole slaw condiment originator. If you get a "slap of slaw" on top, you're probably enjoying a real Memphis pulled pork sandwich.
Cooking Method - Of course, using your slowcooker to make a batch of pulled pork may be quite a departure from the method your parents and their parents before them used. The most noted methods to prepare the pork include grilling, smoking, oven roasting, and braising. Different methods are claimed as original by different regions and there is no one, simple answer to this. If you go to Memphis you'll see a lot of smoky pits with big hunks of pork sizzling away on the grill, but you'll also see that same method in a lot of other places, so it's hard to pin down.
Is it time to dismiss the debate that was caused by looking through some pulled pork crockpot recipes? Probably. If you are a native son or daughter of South Carolina, or Florida, or Alabama, or anywhere in the South, and your PawPaw has been making the same recipe for pulled pork sandwiches since you can remember, then that recipe belongs to you and it is an original to your region. Don't let anything distract you from your mission. Claim your family's recipe as any good native would... stake your claim and make your recipe yours!
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Saving time and money may be the reason you decide to try Crock Pot Cooking, but these pulled pork crock pot recipes will have you coming back for more! Grab a few recipes today and let's get cooking!
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