I love to help underdogs rise and help the hopeless find strength. And I love a little romance, but the unexpected kind where people get caught being naughty in the wrong place. I especially love to bring characters together to fall in love when they are older and not looking.
I hope there’s always something in my books that maybe you didn’t know before. For example, you might not have known that Edgar Allan Poe lived on Sullivan’s Island before the Civil War (Porch Lights). Or maybe you didn’t know about the summer when George Gershwin lived on Folly Beach and wrote the libretto for Porgy and Bess with Dorothy and DuBose Heyward (Folly Beach).
Mostly my stories take place in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Sometimes they travel to other climes for a while. But to tell you the truth, there’s so much wonderful history to discover in and around Charleston that I don’t need to wander too far to bring you new and interesting fun facts. My job, as I see it, is to entertain and inform. I like to think of my readers laughing in the passages where I laugh. And maybe shedding a tear or two when I’m writing about something more emotional. And because I believe in the power of stories to bring people together to find common ground and understand each other more fully, my sincere hope is that my stories will deliver that satisfaction for you.
Please let me know if you’ve enjoyed this story and please come out to say hello if my summer tour is bringing me to somewhere nearby.
Wishing you all every good thing,
Dorothea Benton Frank
Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Slaw
Serves 12 to 16
In spite of my indelible memories of the incredible Thanksgiving pork we had at my sister and brother-in-law’s place when I was a kid, I haven’t ever found a good enough excuse to dig a pit and roast a whole hog myself. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t prepared plenty of silky, smoky pulled pork in my suburban backyard. Far from it, thanks to my trusty charcoal grill and this method (with a tip of the hat to the wildly informative website www.amazingribs.com). For best results, season the pork shoulder with salt at least eight hours before smoking it.
One 5-to 7-pound bone-in pork shoulder
2½–3½ teaspoons kosher salt
FOR THE DRY RUB
2 tablespoons mild chili powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
FOR THE SLAW
1½ pounds red and/or green cabbage, shredded (about 12 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
½ cup mayonnaise
½ sweet onion, grated
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 to 2 cups barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
Small slider or brioche buns, for serving
Special equipment: Charcoal grill; 1 to 1½ pounds smoking wood chunks or chips, such as hickory, oak, or pecan; leave-in meat thermometer
The day or night before smoking, sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt per pound of pork all over the shoulder and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, make the rub: Mix together all the spices in a bowl or jar. Cover and set aside until needed. (You’ll have about 1¼ cups spice rub and will use about half of it for the pork; store the remainder in a tightly closed jar in a cabinet for up to 2 months.)
Early the next morning, start a fire in a charcoal grill with a lid. When the coals are covered with gray ash, rake them to one side of the grill, creating a cooler zone on the other side to use for indirect cooking. Let the grill cool to 250°F. Scatter some wood over the coals. Place the cover on the grill until the wood begins to smoke. Adjust the vents on the bottom of the grill and in the lid so that there is sufficient airflow to keep the wood smoldering, but not so much that it ignites or flares.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator, brush it all over with water or apple juice (or bourbon—up to you!) and generously coat it all over with spice rub.
Place the shoulder fat side down on the grate on the cooler side of the grill, not directly over the coals. Insert a leave-in meat thermometer, ensuring that the probe is at least 1 inch from the bone and is hitting the middle of the meat. Cover the grill, arranging the lid so that the vent is directly over the meat. The temperature on the cooler side of the grill should stay between 225°F and 250°F while the meat cooks, so regulate the temperature by opening the vents wider to increase temperature and closing them slightly to reduce temperature; add more charcoal as necessary. For the first 2 to 3 hours, add more dry wood every 30 minutes, or as often as necessary to maintain the smoke. (The meat will only absorb the smoke during the first few hours of cooking, so you can stop adding the wood after that.)
Cook the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 203°F, 8 to 12 hours. When it reaches about 150°F, it may stall there for a long time. At this point, you may either let it stay on the grill (it will eventually move up) or you can remove the shoulder from the grill, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil, and return it to the cooler side of the grill; this will speed up the cooking while still giving you excellent results—the outer “bark” may be somewhat softer than it would be otherwise, but the flavor and tenderness will be the same.
Meanwhile, prepare the slaw: In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage and carrots. In a small bowl,
