Wishing it were July

Steve Raichlen's North Carolina Pulled Pork, Vinegar Sauce, and Coleslaw

from Steve Raichlen's BBQ USA, pp. 235-239

(serves 20-24)

Ingredients:
1 fresh ham (16-18 lbs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Eastern North Carolina--Style Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)
20-24 hamburger buns
North Carolina-Style Coleslaw (page 239) 

You'll also need:
6-8 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hr in water to cover, then drained

1. Generously, and I mean generously, season the ham all over with salt and pepper. You'll need 3-4 tablespoons of each. 

2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low. If using a gas grill, place 3 cups of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. 

3. When ready to cook, place the ham, skin side up, in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the ham until darkly browned on the outside and cooked through and very tender inside, 7-8 hours. To test for doneness, use an instant-read meat thermometer: The internal temperature of the ham should be about 195 degrees F. (Yes, this is very well-done - that's how you get meat tender enough to pull.) If the ham starts to brown too much (and it probably will), cover it loosely with aluminum foil, but remember that those browned bits are good, too. If using a gas grill, after 3 hrs add 3 more cups of wood chips or chunks. To do this, remove the ham from the grill and add the wood chips or chunks to the smoker box or replace the smoker pouch with a new one. Run the grill on high until you see smoke, reduce the heat to medium-low, then return the ham to the grate. 

4. Transfer the cooked ham to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, let it rest for 20 minutes, then pull off any skin and finely chop it up with a cleaver. Pull the pork into large pieces, discarding any bones or lumps of fat (you'll probably want to wear latex gloves or even heavy-duty insulated rubber gloves to do this). Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of ham into thin shreds. Or use a cleaver to finely chop it. Transfer the ham to a large aluminum foil pan and stir in 3 cups of the vinegar sauce - enough to keep the meat moist, If you are not quite ready to serve, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on a warm - not hot - grill or in an oven turned on low to keep warm. 

5. To serve, have your guests mound the ham onto hamburger buns. Top the coleslaw and let everyone add additional vinegar sauce to taste.

Variations: 
If the prospect of cooking a 15- to 18-pound chunk of ham intimidates you, a 5-pound pork shoulder or Boston butt is equally tasty fixed this way. It will feed up to a dozen people. If you use one of these, it will take 4-6 hrs to grill. 

Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce
Ingredients:
5 cups distilled white vinegar
3 tblsp salt, or more to taste
3 tblsp sugar
3 tblsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tblsp hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste 
3 tblsp hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Texas Pete

Put the vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, hot red pepper  flakes, and hot sauce in a large nonreactive bowl, add 1 cup of water, and whisk until the salt and sugar dissolve. Or, place the ingredients in a large jar and shake to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or hot red pepper flakes as necessary. The sauce can be refrigerated for several weeks. Bring it to room temperature before using. 

North Carolina-Style Coleslaw
Makes 6-8 cups.
Ingredients:
1 large head green or savoy cabbage (2-1/2 to 3 lbs)
1-1/2 cups Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce (at left), more to taste
Salt (optional) 

1. Remove the core from the cabbage and discard it. Cut the cabbage into 8 chunks. Finely chop the cabbage in a food processor using the metal blade and pulsing the motor (this is a chopped, not sliced or slivered, slaw). Work in several batches so as not to overcrowd the processor bowl. 

2. Place the cabbage in a large non-reactive bowl and stir in the vinegar sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar as necessary. Let stand for 10 minutes, then taste again, adding more vinegar sauce and/or salt as necessary. The coleslaw can be made up to 4 hrs ahead. Store it in the refrigerator, covered.