North Carolina Pulled Turkey Barbecue

[Mommom]

North Carolina Pulled Turkey Barbecue
Recipe from: A Guy's Guide to Great Eating
by Don Mauer
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com


There's a good reason that North Carolina barbecue is so famous; it tastes great! And central North Carolina barbecue sauce is different from all other barbecue sauces; it's based on vinegar instead of tomatoes or molasses, so it is tangy, sweet and hot at the same time.

Most barbecues start with a fatty pig. Instead, I created a turkey barbecue. I slowly cook a bone-in turkey breast in the barbecue sauce, then shred the meat and simmer it until it falls apart. Every North Carolinian who tastes this dish is astounded to discover that it isn't made with pork.

Since it takes a long time to make, save this dish for a large group. A word of warning, though: it will disappear fast, and you'll never have any leftovers.
Makes 16 servings
•   2 large onions, finely chopped
•   2 cups cider vinegar
•   1/2 cup tomato ketchup
•   3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•   2 tablespoon butter
•   2 tablespoon Tobasco sauce (or more, if you can stand the heat)
•   2 tablespoon light brown sugar
•   1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
•   1 1/2-ounce packet Butter Buds
•   1 large garlic clove, minced
•   2 teaspoons salt
•   1 4 1/2-to-5-pound skinless, bone-in turkey breast, rinsed under cold water
•   1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
•   16 hearty sandwich rolls
•   About 1 cup low-fat cabbage slaw

1.   In a heavy 8-quart pot, combine the onions, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, butter, Tobasco sauce, brown sugar, pepper, Butter Buds, garlic and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

2.   Add the turkey breast to the pot, skinned side up, and simmer, covered for 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 155 degrees. (Do not let the thermometer touch the bone.)

3.   Transfer the breast to a cutting board and set aside until it is cool enough to handle. Following the grain, pull off long, thin shreds of meat from the breast. Discard the bone.

4.   Stir the shredded turkey and Liquid Smoke in the sauce. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat almost falls apart. Taste and adjust the seasonings with additional salt, pepper or Tobasco sauce.

5.   Place 3/4 cup of the turkey mixture on each of the sandwich rolls.

6.   Top with a tablespoon of slaw and serve.


Nutritional information per serving (with 1 tablespoon slaw): 311 calories (12.3% from fat), 4.6 g fat (1.1. g saturated fat), 32.8 g protein, 31.8 g carbohydrate, 75 mg cholesterol, 780 mg sodium