They cook with an Eastern sauce. If you want extra sauce they'll gladly provide it--but it's entirely unnecessary,
as the pork has steeped in that sauce throughout the cook and doesn't need any. Danny's, on the other hand--you're gonna need that sauce because without it the pork is just not complete.
The way I see it, Eastern sauce is a
cooking sauce. Used correctly you don't need to smother the flavor of the pork with anything else.
Hi Glumpy,Can you elaborate on how the pork is steeped in sauce throughout the cook? You're losing me here.
And also what a "cooking sauce" is.
Thanks.
J
I'm more or less using that term to differentiate from a 'table sauce', which I would consider to be one to either enhance or add to the flavor afterwards. The way I do whole hog is rib side down for the first few hours to sear the meat some, and then skin side down for the remainder. Once it's turned I'll slice some small incisions in the ribcage and sauce it. Throughout the cook, then, I'll add sauce as needed and ladle it from the ribcage over the backstraps, into the jowls, and into additional incisions in the hams and shoulders. Best way I could think of to describe that process is "steeped", because to me "mopping" the meat doesn't get into the meat as much without the incisions. When I'm doing cuts, such as shoulders or butts, I'll do it a little differently according to the meal. If it's a large scale event such as a street fair and we're doing sandwiches, then I will generally inject the cuts in order to add the sauce and give it more time to soak in throughout the cook, and then add while chopping as needed for moisture. If I'm doing a cooker full of chicken quarters then I'm just mopping after the first turn to add flavor and make a nice skin.
If I'm smoking, on the other hand, then I'm probably
not using an Eastern NC sauce, because a sauce with more body makes a better crust and allows for more variety of flavors. I wouldn't use the same sauce for a brisket either, I think, but most of my experience is with pork and chicken.
Gosh--we might have to look at venue--there's others on the boards I'd love to see again after a few years--had a fantasy league just built around pig pickins. I've got a wonderful setup at the house but not enough parking at the new place any more for 80... BnB? Anything still your way? Duke? Gosh those were good times....yeah, I'm up for it. There's a few others I'd think to invite as well. I have done 30 here but many carpooled.
Some times are better than others, and I'm not entirely sure why. I've had folks come to the street fairs just for the crispins--and make sandwiches out of them--but for myself I find them to be perfectly crispy or hard and unchewable at times and haven't quite nailed it down yet.eta--What might be the trick is frying afterwards. I've got a deep fryer; will try it.
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Prep... cooking process... final product....restaurant/customers. DO IT! 
