Pork Shoulder with North Carolina Slaw and Cornbread

On Sunday night, we got the craving for some good ole southern food. So, I bought a pork shoulder which was bigger than my head and braised it in a dutch oven for 3 hours, until it was falling off the bone. This cut of meat is basically like the pork version of brisket, so you need to cook it low and slow. It has a lot of fat running through out the meat as well which gives it a lot of flavor! We served this with a big slice of home made cornbread and North Carolina Cole Slaw. For those of you who aren't familiar with North Carolina Slaw, it is not mayonnaise based. It is a more vinegar and ketchup based sauce which makes this slaw very tangy and great with pork. This is a great meal for a big group of people or you will have a lot of pulled pork left over for at least a couple more meals. Which is what we did!

Here is what you need for the pork shoulder:
1 bone in pork shoulder
John Henry's Pecan Rub
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 beer (any beer will work)
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Rub the John Henry's Pecan Rub all over the meat, very generously. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat, add the pork shoulder and cook until browned on all sides. Take the meat out and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the chicken stock, beer and half the water. Bring up to a boil. Put the meat back in the pot and add the rest of the water and the bay leaf. Cover and transfer to the oven; cook for 3 hours. Making sure to turn the meat over half way through the cooking time. It is done when the meat is falling away from the bone and can be shredded easily.

For the North Carolina Slaw:
1/4 cup onion grated or chopped very fine
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 celery stalk, chopped small
1 bag of coleslaw mix
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add cabbage and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

For the Cornbread:
1 1/4 cups stone ground cornmeal
3/4 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup milk (i used lactose free milk)
3 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a large cast iron skillet or a 9x9 pan. Put the skillet in the oven to keep warm while you prepare everything. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fold in melted butter. Scrape the batter into the skillet and spread evenly. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; 20 minutes. Serve hot.