My dad was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  He loves to cook and has been feeling like one of the joys of his life is over since he is sticking to a diabetic diet.  I wanted to come up with a menu he could help me prepare that would emphasize his days of preparing delicious food wasn't over...just different.

I decided to introduce one of my favorite recipes using an adapted version of  North Caroline Pulled Pork from Recipe Goldmine.  He could pour his heart into the preparation of this recipe and feel like he was indulging, all while sticking to his diet.

The secret to this recipe is indirect heat.  See how we have built up the coals on one side of the grill next to a drip pan?  Grilling the meat long and slow produces tender melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork.

Here is the recipe along with the changes we made:

North Carolina Pulled Pork

Rub:

1 tablespoon mild paprika
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (8 pound) pork butt roast

Vinegar Sauce:

2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups water
5/8 cup ketchup
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper

In a small bowl, mix mild paprika, light brown sugar, paprika, celery salt, garlic salt, dry mustard, ground black pepper, onion powder and salt.

Rub the pork butt roast vigorously on all sides with the paprika mixture. Wrap in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.

Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect heat. Lightly oil the grate. Place a few hickory chunks (that have been soaked in water for 1 hour) on the hot coals. Place pork butt roast over drip pan. Cover grill and cook pork at least 6 hours adding 8 briquettes and a few hickory chunks each hour, until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 160 degrees F (75 degrees C).  The best way to pass the time during this process is with a cold supply of beer!

Remove pork from heat and place on a cutting board. Allow the meat to cool approximately 15 minutes, then shred into bite-size pieces with a fork.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cider vinegar, water, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and white pepper. Continue to whisk until brown sugar and salt have dissolved completely.

In a large saucepan, place shredded pork and vinegar sauce. Cover and place on the grill over low heat for approximately 1 hour.



We gobbled little sliders made from this roast along with grilled zucchini and summer squash,  lickety split!  Too fast to even get a photo!