Pulled Pork?

[mlucas1]

Hi everyone,
I am a long time subscriber to Cusine at Home but this is my very first post to this forum!

My son's birthday is coming up and besides hamburgers and hotdogs I'd like to make some pulled pork. Does anyone have a good recipe for me? I would like to make it ahead so a recipe that I could make in my oven or crockpot would be terrific!
Thanks!

[bjcotton]

Here's one I've tried and it is excellent...


* Exported from MasterCook *

Carolina Pulled Pork

Recipe By :Mike Rodman - C2C
Serving Size : 15 Preparation Time :0:25
Categories : Pork-Ham

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 3 lb pork butts, can sub shoulders -- (3 to 4)
SAUCE
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1 head garlic, broken into unpeeled cloves
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
3 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
8 small dried red chiles
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 quart distilled white vinegar
4 cups water
1/4 cup salt

1. Combine the honey, molasses, garlic, cumin, coriander, peppercorns, chiles and bay leaves in a large stockpot, over medium-low heat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic will darken, the mixture will be very thick and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes; cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the vinegar, water and salt. The sauce should be thin. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Set aside half the sauce for marinating the pork. Let the remaining sauce cool and fish out any large pieces of garlic peel. Puree the remaining sauce in a blender (some spices will remain whole). The sauce should be rather watery and look like a brothy tomato soup.
3. One or two days before cooking (much preferably two), put the pork in a container just large enought to hold it and deep enough for the reserved sauce to cover it. Cover the container and refrigerate, turning the pork half-way through the marinating period.
4. At this point, you're finally ready to cook the pork. I have tried this in a number of methods and variations, but have settled on a two-step process that works great. I cook half-way in the oven (before basting is necessary and saving propane) and half-way on a grill using indirect heat (making it easier to baste and adding the barbecue flavor you need). The formula is 2 hours per pound (or cooked to an internal temperature between 150 to 160F).
5. Preheat the oven to 200F. Put the pork, fat side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Leave it in the oven three ours (for 6 pounds) or four hours (for 8 pounds). Remove to preheated grill, but with low, indirect heat (should be about the same 200F as your oven). Base with the pureed sauce every 30 minutes, until done, turning once (this second half of cooking will take as long as the first, if your grill is correctly regulated). Let the pork cool.
6. Chop and shred the pork. You can either slice it or pull it apart with your fingers (thus the name, "pulled pork"). For slicing, cut the pork across the grain, in half-inch slices. For pulling, start pulling at the meat with a fork, then attack with your fingers. Discard any unrendered fat.
7. With a large knife, roughly chop the pork coarse. Put the chopped pork in a large bowl with some more pureed sauce; the amount is up to you (I'd go a little at a time, and test along the way). Serve the pork warm (no problem with a microwave; it's plenty juicy -- if you cooked it right) with a little more sauce on the side, for your bolder eaters.
8. I'm tellin' ya folks: This is a summertime treat that can't be beat. It's a lot of work and that's why I usually go 8 pounds, so I can freeze half and eat it a few months from now. I figure if I'm going to this much trouble, I might as well make as much as the sauce can handle (8 pounds being the top end).

[cjs]

Welcome to the forums, Meg! and here's another option for you - very tasty!!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Carolina-Style Pulled Pork Shoulder

Serves 12

5 pounds boneless pork butt (shoulder) -- tied or netted

RUB
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne

BASTE
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
2 chopped chipotle peppers (rehydrated if dried) -- (2 to 4 peppers)
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Hardwood chips -- soaked in water for 1 hour

To make Rub: mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

To make Baste: mix all ingredients together in saucepan, simmer for 5 minutes

Rub pork shoulder on all surfaces with rub mixture; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Prepare a medium fire in smoker (or covered grill with banked coals). Smoke pork shoulder with soaked hardwood chips; adding more charcoal and wood chips to maintain a medium-low heat — between 250 and 300ºF —and smoke until internal temperature of pork shoulder is between 170 and 180ºF. This slow cooking process should take between 5 and 6 hours.

Baste the shoulder every 20 to 30 minutes during the last couple of hours of cooking.

Boil any leftover basting sauce for 5 minutes, shred ("pull") the meat and sauce it; serve on sandwich buns with cole slaw.

You can make this a day or two ahead and put in crockpot before hand to heat it up - it will only taste better!!

And a happy Birthday to your son!!

[Roxanne 21]

Well---what took you sooooo long, Meg??? Nice to see you on board and hope you will join us more frequently!!!

We have a great time here--hope you have fun too!!!

Roxanne

[mlucas1]

Thanks, Bill! It looks like a great recipe!!

[mlucas1]

Thanks for the welcome, Roxanne! I think I will stick around!

[mlucas1]

Thanks for the birthday wishes and for the yummy recipe! Unfortunately, I don't have a smoker.

[farnfam]

You probably saw this already, but there's a big write up on Pulled Pork in issue 39. There are some yummy looking recipes for sides too.
oh and Happy Birfday to your son

[mlucas1]

Thanks for the tip. I started reciving CAH at issue 40!! And thanks for the birthday wishes!

[Lorraine]

I've made BJ's, and it has become a family summer favourite. I didn't start it in the oven, and I don't have a smoker. I did it on the BBQ, over indirect heat. Took me about 7 - 8 hours, but well worth it.

Jean, yours sounds great also.