We certainly eat this chicken with a knife and fork at the dinner table, but all bets are off at midnight in the glow of the open fridge light, fingers gripping the succulent thighs until there’s nothing left but the short bone picked clean.

It’s that time of year to crank up the grill and smoker, and nothing in the world is as satisfying as slow smoked pork shoulder. Buttery, smoky, and utterly delicious, we love pulled pork in a myriad ways: nestled against scrambled eggs for breakfast, thrown into corn tortillas with fresh pickles for lunch, or piled high with potato salad and grilled bread for dinner.

Our recipe is classic, simple, and fantastic as a side to fried chicken and bbq pork; in fact, my 15 year old (mostly vegetarian daughter) had seconds, then thirds at dinner last night. We use the base recipe first brought to the United States by German immigrants of onions, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and bacon that together create a flavor and experience unlike any other potato salad on the planet.

Our High South BBQ Sauce is super easy, because honestly, why over complicate or mess with a good thing. The history of BBQ sauce can be traced back to 17th century settlers who used the simple ingredients of vinegar, salt, and pepper; and it really wasn’t until the 1920s that Americans started adding ketchup, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. There are many different variations of BBQ sauce, but ours is closest to the Western Carolina style, sweet and tangy profiles that work well with our “peppery” High South rub.