Whole Hog with Mustard Sauce

Make the Carolina Gold sauce: In a large saucepan, combine yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Let cool - it will thicken as it cools.

Prep the hog: Order a whole dressed hog (80-120 lbs) from a local butcher. Have it butterflied (split down the spine). Season inside and out with salt, pepper, and paprika. Let come to room temperature.

Build the fire: In your pit, burn hickory or oak down to coals in a separate burn barrel. SC tradition uses more heat than Eastern NC - aim for 275-300°F pit temperature.

Position the hog: Place hog skin-side up on the pit grate, spread open. In South Carolina, cooking skin-side up allows the meat to baste in its own juices.

Manage the fire: Shovel coals from the burn barrel under the hog, placing more under the thicker shoulders and hams. Maintain 275-300°F throughout the cook. This requires constant attention for 12-16 hours.

Mop with sauce: Unlike Eastern NC, South Carolina tradition mops the hog with thinned mustard sauce during the last few hours of cooking. Thin some sauce with vinegar and mop every 30 minutes.

Check for doneness: After 12-16 hours, check internal temp in shoulders and hams - should be 195-205°F. The meat should pull easily from the bone and the skin should be deeply browned.

Pull the hog: Remove from pit and let rest 20-30 minutes. Pull all the meat, mixing the darker outside meat ("Mr. Brown") with the lighter inside meat ("Miss White"). Chop coarsely.

Sauce the meat: Add Carolina Gold mustard sauce to the pulled pork - enough to coat but not drown. Toss to combine. The golden color should be visible throughout.

Serve South Carolina style: Pile the golden-sauced pork on white bread or soft buns. Serve with coleslaw (vinegar-based, not mayo), hash and rice (a SC tradition), and sweet tea. Extra sauce on the side is mandatory.