Serves 10-12 with leftovers

Injection
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
Mix all ingredients together and stir until salt and sugar dissolve.

1 5-6 pound bone in pasture perfect Boston butt
Kosher salt and crushed black pepper
Cheap hamburger buns or slider rolls
natural chunked charcoal
hickory chunks

Get one bag of chips soaking in water for at least an hour.
Inject the pork with the marinate.
Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.  Rub the pork down with salt and pepper generously.
Once the coals are mostly white put them into your side box smoker or set a grill up for indirect heating.
Put some of the wood chips on top of the coals set the Boston butt on the cooker away from the flame and close the lid.  Make sure to constantly keep a watch on your fire and temperature.  Smoke for about 4 hours at 200 to 210° F.
Then remove from the smoker and wrap the Boston butt in aluminum foil and move to a preheated 300° F oven and cook for 5 to 6 more hours, or until the bone slides from the pork butt easily. Pull or chop and serve with your favorite sauce and always slaw. Take finely chopped cabbage and douse with the Lexington dip that follows for an iconic North Carolina experience.

Lexington Style “Dip”
Yields about 1 quart
1 quart cider vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 1 1/2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup water

1.    Pour the vinegar in a large pot.  Stir in the salt, both sugars, red pepper, cayenne, black pepper, and ketchup.  Rinse the measuring cup for your ketchup with the water and add all the water into the pot.
2.    Place the pot over medium heat.  Never let the “dip” come to a boil.  Cooking it slowly is as important as its ingredients.  Stir often.  After 30 minutes, increase the heat to medium high.  A red foam will begin to build on top.  When the foam completely covers the surface, the “dip” is done.  Immediately remove from the heat and let cool.  Pour into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

From Fred Thompson’s Grillmaster, Grilling with Gas, Barbecue Nation, and Kamado Grill Cookbooks.

For more Carolina recipes, visit Edible Piedmont.