BBQ Pulled Pork: Carolina flavor without the tomato

BBQ built without tomato or pepper can still carry the tang and the smoke and the slow-cooked pull people love. This rebuild gets its body from sweet potato instead of tomato paste, and it stands fully on its own.

Pork shoulder slow-cooked this way breaks down into the collagen and glycine that support the gut lining, and the meat is a source of zinc, involved in immune regulation and tissue repair. The sweet potato puree at the base of the sauce brings beta-carotene, which the body uses to make vitamin A for mucosal and immune health, along with fiber that feeds the gut community. The coconut sugar or maple sugar in the rub is a modest amount for a roast this size, more depth than sweetness.

There is an animal behind this roast, and a long, low cook is a way of using it well, all the way down to the juices. Pull it with care, sauce it lightly, and put it on the table with a little gratitude.

Ingredients

For the pork:

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled (for studding; reduce for SIBO or low-FODMAP layering)
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt (confirm the brand has no added nightshade spices)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 3 slices bacon
• 3/4 cup of the sauce below

For the Carolina-style sauce (makes about 2 cups):

• 1 cup sweet potato puree (canned puree is a fine shortcut)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (clean-label for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (reduce or drop for SIBO or low-FODMAP layering)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (reduce or drop for SIBO or low-FODMAP layering)

Method

• Stud the pork shoulder with garlic cloves. Mix the coconut or maple sugar, ginger, smoked sea salt, and cinnamon, and rub it all over the roast.
• Lay the sliced onion and the bone broth in the bottom of the slow cooker, set the roast on top, and drape the bacon slices over the pork.
• Slow cook until fork-shreddable: about 1 hour on high, then 6 to 7 hours on low. If it is not pulling apart easily, give it another 15 minutes at a time.
• While it cooks, make the sauce. Whisk the sweet potato puree, apple cider vinegar, bacon fat, molasses, fish sauce, salt, ginger, and the onion and garlic powders together in a saucepan. Hold at a low boil for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. The sauce is meant to be thinner than standard BBQ sauce so it coats the meat lightly.
• Drain the cooking liquid, keeping the onions. Shred the pork and the bacon, then toss them back with the onions and 3/4 cup of the sauce, adding more to taste.

Instant Pot variation

Build the pot the same way: stud and rub the roast, lay the onion and broth in the bottom, set the roast on top, and drape the bacon over it. Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes, then release and check that the pork shreds easily, extending in short bursts if needed. Make the sauce on the stovetop as above, then drain, shred, and toss with the onions and sauce. (The source also offers the slow-cooker path covered in the main method.) Pressure timing follows the source; check for doneness before shredding.

*Adapted from grazed-and-enthused*