Lilly serves the pulled pork topped with a
simple vinegar coleslaw on a burger bun,
and customers slather on the sauce of
their choice. Of the four sauce options,
the most popular is a white BBQ sauce
of mayonnaise, vinegar, black pepper and
a bit of lemon juice for a tangy, peppery
hit. A close second is the traditional North
Carolina vinegar-based sauce. Both are
the original Big Bob Gibson choices since
1925, with two more created by Lilly since
he signed on in 1991: a traditional sweet
tomato-based sauce and a spicy mustard
barbecue sauce featuring either prepared
yellow mustard or a coarse ground variety.
Beer-Basted Pulled Pork Sliders
Chris Lilly, Vice President/Pitmaster
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Decatur, Ala.
Yield: 12 servings
DOUBLE WHAMMY
What Lilly describes as “the double
whammy of pork” is menued as Pit Smoked
Ham and Sweet Bacon Sandwich with
honey mustard dressing on a fresh baked-in-house kaiser roll ($5.39). He slices up a
whole ham that’s been smoked overnight
and layers several slices on a roll with
homemade honey mustard, lettuce, tomato
and provolone cheese. “In addition, we
take whole pork belly that we’ve slathered
with mustard and smoked—low and
slow—cutting it into thick strips of bacon,”
Lilly explains. “We season both sides with
sugar, chili powder, cumin and cayenne
pepper, then finish off on direct hot heat to
caramelize the sugar rub.” No surprise, this
oversized, hungry-man filler is a huge seller.
Today, a growing number of locations,
including corporate dining and healthcare
facilities, aim to feature al fresco barbecue
during the warmer months; usually,
there’s a grill, but not a pit. That shouldn’t
be a problem, Lilly says. “Typically, the
1 T. dark brown sugar
3 T. granulated sugar, divided
1 T. + 2 t. paprika
4 t. kosher salt
3½ t. garlic salt
3 T. + ¾ t. chili powder
¼ t. oregano
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1¼ t. ground cumin, divided
2¼ t. black pepper, divided
1 ( 7-8 lb.) pork butt
1 bottle (12-oz.) dark beer
1¼ cups cider vinegar
1¼ cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup ( 2 sticks) butter
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1½ T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. salt
2 t. dry mustard
24 slider buns
1 bottle barbecue sauce
1) Build charcoal fire for indirect
cooking by situating coals on only one
side of grill, leaving other side void. Add
small aluminum pan to void side of grill;
fill halfway with water. 2) In small bowl,
combine brown sugar, 2 T. granulated
sugar, 1 T. paprika, kosher salt, garlic
salt, ¾ t. chili powder, oregano, cayenne
pepper, ¼ t. cumin and ¼ t. black
pepper. Coat pork butt evenly with dry
rub; pat gently until mixture adheres
to meat. 3) When grill reaches 250°F,
place pork on void side of grill over
water pan; close lid. Cook over indirect
heat for 4 hours. 4) While pork is
cooking, in medium saucepan combine
beer, cider vinegar, white vinegar, butter,
Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce,
lemon juice, 3 T. chili powder, salt,
remaining granulated sugar, remaining
black pepper, dry mustard, 2 t. paprika
and remaining cumin; mix well. Put on
medium-low heat; simmer until butter
melts. Keep on low heat until ready
to use. 5) Cook pork an additional
3 hours, basting every hour, until
internal temperature is 190°F.
Continually monitor grill temperature;
add hot charcoal, as needed, to
maintain temperature at 250°F.
6) Remove pork from grill; let rest for
15 minutes. Pull cooked meat from
bone. Serve mounded high on slider
buns, topped with barbecue sauce.
