Pulled pork barbecue plate
Photo: Gatorfan252525 · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Pork shoulder is upland South barbecue orthodoxy, and Chattanooga sits on the seam between Memphis-style sandwiches, Georgia sauces and Alabama picnic plates. The city's version is unfussy: smoked shoulder pulled to order, a vinegar-edged tomato sauce, slaw that goes on the sandwich as often as beside it. St. Elmo's picnic cafes have served the format for decades to Incline Railway crowds, which is why the plate still comes with the feel of a church picnic.

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Make it at home

Yield Serves 8Hands-on 45 minTotal 9 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2.5kg boneless pork shoulder
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp cayenne
  • 250ml cider vinegar
  • 250ml tomato ketchup
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • White bread and slaw to serve

Method

  1. Rub the shoulder with the sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne and rest it overnight in the fridge.
  2. Smoke or oven-roast at 130C, fat side up, until the internal temperature reaches 92C and a fork twists freely, 7 to 9 hours.
  3. Rest the meat an hour in its wrap, then pull into shreds, discarding hard fat and folding the bark back through.
  4. Simmer the vinegar, ketchup and Worcestershire with a spoon of the rub for 10 minutes into a thin sauce.
  5. Dress the pork lightly with sauce and serve with slaw, beans and white bread, extra sauce on the side.

Tip from the editors. Pull with forks while the meat is hot; once shoulder cools it sets, and reheating never quite restores the first pull's texture.

Where to eat pulled pork barbecue plate

Pulled pork barbecue plate in Chattanooga

The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe ★ 4.2

$ American BBQSt Elmo

The Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe plates barbecue and picnic fare at the base of Lookout Mountain in St. Elmo, Chattanooga, next to the Incline Railway.

OrderThe BBQ plate, or the Rainbow sandwich if you want the local cult order.

TipClosed Sunday. Order at the counter and take the side garden; it is the natural lunch stop after riding the Incline down.

Directions

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