I love good BBQ, but one of the downsides of living in an apartment in the middle of a temperate rain forest is that I don’t have the ability to spend 10-12 hours outside slow-smoking pork. And, unfortunately, you can’t get much further away than the epicenter of good BBQ than the pacific Northwest, so the area is lacking decent BBQ joints.
Thus, enter the Cheater’s BBQ Pulled Pork. It’s got that nice, smokey flavor, and is pull-apart tender, but it’s made in the crock pot. I was skeptical of this recipe, but it’s pretty darn good. It’s not the same as real BBQ pulled pork, but it’s pretty darn close…at least, it’s as close as you’re going to get without an oil drum, a stack of hickory firewood, and a WHOLE lot of time.
I found this recipe on the Splendid Table web site, and altered it a little to make it better! (I can never just make the recipe as is). The measurements of the spices are approximate, this is really forgiving, so you don’t have to measure the amounts. Just make sure that the Paprika, Brown Sugar, and Salt are the largest amounts
6-7 lbs of Pork Shoulder Roast
1/4 C Paprika
1/4 C Brown Sugar
2 T Salt
1 T Dry Ground Mustard Seed
1 T Onion Powder
1 T Garlic Powder
1 t Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 C Liquid Smoke
Cut the pork shoulder in the 2-3 inch chunks. (They don’t have to be perfect. This will be pulled pork, after all). In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry spices. Coat each chunk of the pork on all sides with the dry mixture and massage it into the meat. (Dry Rub). Place all the meat into the crock pot. Pour the liquid smoke into the crock pot and place on the lid. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.
After 10 hours or so, the pork should have given up a lot of its juices. You can tell if the pork is ready to eat by sticking a fork into one of the chunks, and twisting it slightly. If the pork falls apart, it’s done. Remove the meat from the juices using thongs or a slotted spoon. (Trying to use a fork will result in a massive comedy of errors…).
Using two forks, shred the pork. You can then use it however you’d like. Toss it with BBQ sauce of your choosing and serve on hamburger buns with pickles and corn chip. Heat some black-eyed peas with some butter and garlic, toss in some of the BBQ pork, and serve over a bed of lettuce with scallions. Heat the pork in a skillet with some canned green chilies, cumin, chili powder, and a couple of splashes of your favorite cola, and you have pork barbacoa which you can use in tacos, burritos, or salads with pinto beans or black beans. You can even eat is straight up with no sauce. It’s pretty darn good.
This makes a TON of usable meat, so it’s great to make one night, then use the leftovers for another night. I made this last night for myself, and I still have a gallon-sized zip-top bag full of meat to last me the remainder of the week.
Enjoy!
Recent Comments