- Pulled Pork

PULLED PORK

Pork:

1 c plus 2 tsp table salt
½ c plus 2 T sugar
3 T plus 2 tsp liquid smoke
1 boneless pork butt roast (about 5 lbs), cut in half horizontally
¼ c mustard
2 T ground black pepper
2 T paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Barbeque Sauce

1½ c ketchup
¼ c light or mild molasses
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T hot sauce
½ tsp table salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Dissolve 1 c salt, ½ c sugar and 3 T liquid smoke in 4 quarts of cold water in a large container. Submerge pork in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining 2 tsp liquid smoke in small bowl; set aside. Combine black pepper, paprika, remaining 2 T sugar, remaining 2 tsp salt and cayenne pepper in second small bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325°.

Remove pork from brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub mustard mixture over entire surface of each piece of pork. Sprinkle entire surface of each piece with spice mixture. Place pork on a wire rack in a shallow roaster that has been sprayed with Pam and lined with tin foil (see Note 2). Place a piece of parchment paper over the pork then cover with a sheet of aluminum foil, sealing edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast pork for 3 hours.

Remove pork from oven; remove and discard foil and parchment. If, unlike me, you have any extra liquid in the bottom of the roaster, carefully pour off the liquid into a fat separator and reserve for the sauce. Return the pork to the oven and cook, uncovered, until well browned, tender and internal temperature registers 200° on thermometer (approximately 1½ hrs). Transfer pork to serving dish, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 mins.

While the pork rests, heat the sauce in a saucepan and add ½ c of defatted liquid from the roast (I didn’t have any liquid at all) into the sauce.

Remove the tin foil lining from the roaster. Using 2 forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1/2 or all of the sauce (I used it all) and serve on buns of your choice.

Serves 8 - 10.

Notes:

1. Everyone enjoyed this but it was a bit spicy for me. I would make the same recipe again but if I was making it for people with “delicate” tastebuds, I would reduce the amount of black pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce.
2. Originally I could not figure out why the pan had to be lined with tin foil and the meat cooked on a wire rack. My racks took quite a beating and I then realized that the wire rack had some kind of reaction with the rubs and that would have happened to the roaster if the meat was placed directly on the bottom of the pan. My racks took quite a beating but the final result was worth it.