LOW and SLOW

It’s hot.

It’s saucy.

And come September, it’s a match made in heaven – hog heaven, that is.

ECU and BBQ.

“Any game that’s three or later, we’re going to have a pig on the grill,” said Mark Alexander of Greenville, a 2004 East Carolina University graduate and part of the “Pirates of Elmhurst” tailgating group. “For us, it’s a family thing. We have our kids come out here. It’s a great social environment.”

They don’t always do a whole pig; sometimes, it’s Boston butts. But it’s always something good.

“Cook with care,” said fellow tailgater and 1990 ECU graduate Scott Snead of Greenville. “You have to constantly monitor your temperature, and we have a sauce people love.”

Unfortunately, the components of the sauce remain a secret. But the prime cooking method is well-known.

“Low and slow,” said Pete Balent of Winterville, a 1999 graduate and member of the “Pork-N-Pirates” tailgating crew. He’s missed only one home game since 1994: the 1999 “Hurricane Floyd game” against Miami that was played in Raleigh. About 10-12 hours on the grill is what his group aims for.

Even though she lives in Georgia now, ECU alumna Mary Lindsey is secretary of the N.C. Barbecue Society, an organization founded by her father, Jim Early. Its mission is “to preserve North Carolina’s barbecue history and culture and to secure North Carolina’s rightful place as the Barbecue Capital of the World.”

“I don’t get back nearly as much as I would like, but when I am able to attend an ECU game, barbecue HAS to be part of the tailgating experience because Greenville has some of the best around, and you definitely can’t get that kind of barbecue in Georgia,” Lindsey said.

Diana Saum, a dietitian and teaching instructor in the ECU nutrition science department, said barbecue can be a healthy way to tailgate.

“The number one thing I would have to say … is it’s healthier if you make it yourself and don’t have to buy it,” Saum said. “It’s going to be lower in salt. You can control things if you make it yourself.”

She also said the vinegar-based eastern North Carolina sauce has less sugar than red sauces and less salt than mustard-based sauces.

And she suggests sides of vegetable trays and fruits to help fill up.

Watch portion sizes, and drink plenty of water. “Drinking your calories … is something you really have to be careful about,” Saum said.

But most of all make it fun.

“Our tailgate’s a 10,” Snead said.

The self-named Pirates of Elmhurst pose for a photo before the Sept. 2 Pirate home-opener against James Madison University.

Crock-pot BBQ

Don’t have a pig-cooker or the time to spend next to it preparing pork? ECU dietitian Diana Saum recommends this crock-pot BBQ recipe from allrecipes.com. She adds that she has used pork loin, which is leaner than pork shoulder.

Ingredients

1 5-pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
1 tablespoon salt
Ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Place the pork shoulder into a slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Pour the vinegar around the pork. Cover and cook on low for 12 hours. Pork should easily pull apart into strands.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker, and discard any bones. Strain out the liquid, and save 2 cups. Discard any extra. Shred the pork using tongs or two forks, and return to the slow cooker. Stir the brown sugar, hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes into the reserved sauce. Mix into the pork in the slow cooker. Cover and keep on low setting until serving.