to pull or chop- i disagree

[rip]

I live 45 miles east of memphis in a little town called somerville tn. Lots of BBQ around these parts and most all chop. Here at our house we pull it, I think it taste better pulled, may just be all in my mind.

 

[rando991]

Chopped or Pulled as it applies to Eastern NC BBQ: My Granddaddy used to BBQ a whole pig (it was called a PIG PICK'N). They used to do it in the ground like the Hiawaiians do it but without the leaves...he had a big metal rectangular box that was basically a big smoker. Later in the late 70s and early 80s people began making Pig Cookers (just big cookers) out of metal drums. You slow cooked the pig over charcoal all day and marinated (we would call it "mopping" today) it with the vinegar/red pepper sauce (no tomato sauce...at all)...then, if you were lucky enough to be near the pig when it was done, you pulled off the meat right from the pit. To serve it, they would pull the rest of the meat off and chop it up (this is what you get in eastern NC when you go to a BBQ joint). Btw, the lucky ones I mentioned above got all the ribs.
Also, NC BBQ means you get chopped pork, cole slaw, (stone ground) hush puppies, and either Brunswick stew or potato salad, and of course, sweet tea. Desert would always be banana puddin.'

 

[olecrosseyes]

Loved that one!

Me 2!

 

[dasgrinch]

I prefer to cook my butts up to 170-180, then pull what meat I can from it, and chop the rest. It gives a nice mix of textures and the long strands keep it all nicely together. I've cooked all the way up to 200 before and for my tastes the meat is too soft, unless you put it on a hard roll there's no bite to it.

Just my 2 cents. It's like everything else around here, everyone has an opinion, and a way to do things that they like. No one technique will ever please everyone.