Michael Carr, the owner of Barbeque Shine, in Ridgeland, Mississippi, began catering in 2017 with a food truck, initially juggling it with his job at Nissan. However, when the pandemic hit in 2020, and indoor dining was restricted, his food truck business took off and customers were pleasantly surprised by the quality of his food. His food trucks quick rise in popularity led him to make the pivotal decision to leave Nissan and focus on his business full-time.
Carr expanded his business to include a building and two food trucks. He attributes his success to faith, hard work and the support of his community. Carr also believes there is another key factor that blesses his business and that’s his willingness to help others and never keep secrets about what went into its creation. He emphasizes that anyone with a dream should pursue it relentlessly and not let anything or anyone deter them.
Carr’s commitment to his craft is evident in his barbecue preparation. In addition to spending hours smoking pork and other meats, he also takes the time to make smoked corn and other traditional barbecue side dishes to represent Mississippi and its culinary traditions.
Carr shared his recipes for Mississippi smoke pulled pork sliders and Cajun smoked corn at Mississippi Chef Jam during the 2023 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Carr meticulously smokes his pork for eight hours and the corn for two hours to ensure its packed with flavor and cooked to perfection.
Cook Like Chef Michael Carr: Pulled Pork Sliders and Smoked Corn
recipe 
yields
Serves 30-40
2 5-pound Boston butts
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mustard
1 cup creole seasoning
4 packs Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (36 total) for serving
24 ears sweet corn
Olive oil spray
½ cup creole seasoning
½ cup lemon pepper
½ cup garlic parmesan seasoning
2 cups butter, cut into pieces
½ cup sweet basil, chiffonade
For the Mississippi smoke pulled pork:
For the Cajun smoked corn on the cob:
steps
- Make the sliders: In a large pan, soak Boston butts in vinegar for 1 hour (flipping halfway through). Use a syringe to inject pork with Worcestershire sauce and rub mustard over entire outside. Season with top and sides of meat with creole seasoning.
- In a grill or smoker heated to 250 degrees, smoke meat for 4 hours. Wrap in foil and smoke for an additional 4 hours more. Remove meat from smoker and rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Use forks or cleavers to pull apart pork. Serve on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls or buns.
- Make smoked corn: Shuck corn ears and arrange in a large pan ; spray with olive oil and season with creole seasoning, lemon pepper, and garlic parmesan. Flip cobs and season the opposite side. Evenly divide butter pieces over corn and top with basil. Wrap pan in aluminum foil and smoke at 250 to 300 degrees for 2 hours.
Video and edit by: Ed Foose
Production by: Maggie Ward
Location: Kimpton Shane Hotel
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