re: Annual South Carolina BBQ Belongs In The Trash Thread

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It has to be ripped to shreds to tenderize it

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This doesn’t make any sense. It’s ripped to shreds BECAUSE it’s so tender that it’s just too damn easy to do

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and then slathered in some sauce to cover the taste.

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Have you ever had a freshly pulled piece of pork butt after it’s rested for a little while? My God is fantastic. Sweetness from the rub and sweet vinegar mop sauce (that you quit putting on a few hours before finishing it) and from pork’s natural sweetness. Savory from that tender, succulent pork shoulder. frick it’s good.

I personally like pepper vinegar sauce on the side so I can can dip it, but it absolutely doesn’t need it. Saying pulled pork needs pepper vinegar to taste good is like saying brisket needs sauce to be juicy

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It has to be ripped to shreds to tenderize it and then slathered in some sauce to cover the taste.

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First off before eating any BBQ, you should taste it "dry" (without sauce).

The reason pulled pork falls apart, is the low and slow cooking process "melts" the collagen and connective tissue that holds it together when the animal is alive. Additionally, the slow coking process renders the fat in the meat and redistributes it through the meat. When you break down fat molecules while cooking you turn them into triglycerides and water. Basically, this is what makes the meat moist when we eat it.