Family recipes for SC BBQ hash are treasured. That is especially true in the Aull family.
I spend more time than I should on the tigerillustrated.com message board, where I occasionally have an opportunity to discuss SCBBQ.
A poster who goes by the handle Tigerridge shared his family’s hash recipe with the board, and I asked permission to publish it here. He was gracious enough to allow us to do so.
“I’m not entirely sure the origin of the recipe,” he said, ‘but it’s been at the Aull family Thanksgiving BBQ in Pomaria for at least 60 years. My aunt gave me the recipe.”
BBQ, as you know, associates itself well with many holidays. The 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day all jump to mind….but Thanksgiving, not so much.
“Thanksgiving BBQ?” I asked.
“My family has been attending Thanksgiving reunions since the thirties. It was always held at a home/farm in Pomaria, SC,” Tigerridge explained.
“The initial events were only a Thursday Thanksgiving dinner, but the family was dominated by seven brothers and a cousin who loved to hunt. They would all spend the night, and get up early Friday morning after Thanksgiving and hunt rabbits, squirrels, dove, and whatever else they came across,” he said.
“They would come back from the woods with their catch, and throw it on a huge BBQ pit loaded with oak and pecan wood that they would light before setting out to hunt.
“Hence, the Friday BBQ was started… “
“Hmm….interesting,” I thought, but what about the hash?
“The traditional Friday foods were smoked rabbit and chicken, and later, pork butts and hot dogs,” he continued. “The cousin (my uncle) also raised and butchered two hogs a year, and one of the by-products of that was the hash.”
“Potato chips also dominated the Friday festivities. The women would wash and slice the potatoes, and the men would fill a large cast-iron kettle with lard, build a fire underneath, and fry the potato chips… They rarely made into the house for the dinner, lol…”
Man, that’s a great Thanksgiving feast if I’ve ever heard of one….and a great family tradition.
And while it is a traditional meal, that doesn’t mean it must always be cooked exactly as written.
When sharing the hash recipe, “I always add the disclaimer that the ingredients can be adjusted slightly for tang and/or consistency.”
South Carolina is historically home to four different sauces (see map), the originator of mustard-based BBQ sauce, arguably the birthplace of BBQ, AND contributed BBQ hash to the American culinary scene.
If you hit the road in search of SCBBQ restaurants, you will find hash in most of them…and use our online SC BBQ Trail Locator map or download the official SC BBQ Trail map when you do.
But if you prefer to make your South Carolina BBQ hash at home, here ladies and gentlemen is the Aull family hash recipe as enjoyed in Pomaria for generations:
Aull Family Thanksgiving BBQ Hash Recipe
A generations-old family recipe for a classic SC BBQ hash using just pork butts and a handful of seasonings.
Ingredients
- 2 Boston butts, about 8 lbs each
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 16 tbsp butter, two sticks
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp malt vinegar
- 16 oz yellow mustard
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Cook the pork until the meat falls off the bone. This can be done by smoking at 225 for 10 hours, in the oven at 225 for 8-10 hours, or in a large crockpot on low for 8-10 hours.
- Allow the pork to cool for an hour, then remove the bone(s) and shred the meat very finely, removing any fat or gristle.
- Place the shredded pork in a large saucepot, add remaining ingredients, and heat on stove at a medium temperature for about 45 minutes, constantly stirring.
- The hash should have the consistency of a thick gravy. Add a little more water if needed.
- Remove from stove and serve over white rice.
- It can also be frozen in quart size freezer bags for up to 6 months.
Notes
From Tigerridge: "Normally, 2- 8 lb Boston butts cook down to produce 5 lbs each or a total of 10 lbs cooked pork. If you cook 2 butts, you will end up with 10 lbs of pulled pork for the hash."
Nutrition Information
Yield 36 Serving Size 1 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 73Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 18mgSodium 415mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 2g
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Check out these other SCBBQ Hash recipes we’ve published on destination-bbq:
Olin R. Phillips’ Upstate Beef Hash recipe
And we’ve published the following hash recipes in the SCBBQ Recipes: Going Whole Hog cookbook (read more about that here):
Hash
- Dukes BBQ-Style Hash Recipe
- Aull Family Thanksgiving Hash Recipe
- Andy Jumper’s SCBBQ Hash Recipe
- Carolina Outdoor Cooking’s Easy Hash Recipe
- Jason’s Red Hash Recipe
- Olin R. Phillips’s Upstate Beef Hash Recipe
Don’t know much about SC BBQ hash, check out this primer.
Joyce Davis
Tuesday 8th of March 2022
My grandmother was an Aull from Pomeria, South Carolina. This recipe has been in our family and passed down the generations. In fact, I made half the recipe last night. It is easy to make and delicious.
James Roller
Tuesday 8th of March 2022
@Joyce Davis, this was one of the very first hash recipes anyone shared with me for the site. Such a great family recipe and story.
Mike Lancaster
Sunday 6th of February 2022
James Roller. Where did you get this picture?
James Roller
Sunday 6th of February 2022
@Mike Lancaster, honestly, I don’t recall it’s been so long. I have changed the image and offer my apologies for the error.