Making Pulled Pork

[Quercus]

For any decent sized pork shoulder you want eight hours+. If the meat doesn't try to fall apart as you take it out of the heat, it needs more time.

When we make pulled pork, we actually mince it rather than pull it.

We use a cleaver and a clean wooden chopping block. Before taking the meat out, take some sort of jar with a top that can have holes poked in it (a lot of juices come this way). Clean the jar, fill it with about an inch of black pepper, an inch of salt, and fill the rest up with vinegar.

Put a small dish next to the chopping block and fill it with finely crushed red pepper.

While chopping the meat, liberally douse it with the vinegar/salt/pepper combination and sprinkle with red pepper to taste.

Mmmm mmm. I think I'll make some this weekend.

[daryljobe777]

This piece of piggy is only 4.5 lbs, as opposed to many recipies which discuss 7-8 lb. roasts.

[daryljobe777]

Well, more than 4 hours would have been fine enough to wait for me, but my guests grew impatient, so I ended up throwing the meat in a 350 degree oven (with the potato wedges I was already baking) for about an hour and a half.

After about a total of 5 and a half hour baking time, the temp reached somewhere between 170 and 180 degees, and I pulled it out out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes, then pulled it apart (and like good ribs, it fell right off the bone).

So here's the verdict.

Skinny hot chick roommate who sucks (not litterally): she was negative about "smoked" food, so I prepared for her a hamburger..on the same coals (with hickory) that I was cooking the pork on. She thought the hamburger (despite being thawd grossly quickly, against any food handler reccomendation), was GOOD. I DEMANDED that she took a pinchful of the pork, which she thought would taste like ass all along, and she said "mmm, its okay...mmmm." It is suprising how much negative thoughts can truely affect you're psych, but that's for another topic, draw your own conclusions...

Me: I thought the rub had too much paprika in it, which caused the "spice" to outway the "natural" taste of the meat. Overall though, it was a better taste then if I had just cooked it in the oven exclusively. I was very satisfied.

Guest #1: Thought it was good. His idea of "great cuisine" is his roommate (aka his sister) cooking alfredo sauce out of a jar with noodles and chicken. Thought it was spicy and unique. (he had two sandwiches). Thought it was too salty, and I agree, due to the fact that hormel (the folks from MN who make spam) pump their pork with a sodium phosphate based solution to increase shelf life.)

Guest #2: He is a member of the WSU (Winona State University, shameless name drop...I'm a classmate of WSUChica..oh..hey Katie) tennis team, that lives in a house with other tennis players, and his diet consists mostly of canned food. He had three LARGE sandwiches of pulled pork, in addition to consuming most of the potato wedges I had baked in the oved (don't worry, he will get me back in cans of Old Milwaukee). The fact that he LOVED the food that I had prepared made me truely pleased, almost to tears. He disagreed with me about the paprika content, as he likes food to have that "very very spicy kick" to it.

Overall, I consider this project to be a success, and will do it again. If only I had the money to purcahse a large stand alone smoker....

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

[slamdunkpro]

Try this for a side next time

Buffalo Mozzarella:

Slice some Sourdough Baguettes, hit them with a half spoon of buffalo wing sauce then a piece of fresh mozzarella. Season them with Creole, parsley, basil, pepper and kosher salt and toss them on the grill using indirect heat until the bread is nice and toasty and the mozzarella just starts to break into a melt.

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
Try this for a side next time

Buffalo Mozzarella:

Slice some Sourdough Baguettes, hit them with a half spoon of buffalo wing sauce then a piece of fresh mozzarella. Season them with Creole, parsley, basil, pepper and kosher salt and toss them on the grill using indirect heat until the bread is nice and toasty and the mozzarella just starts to break into a melt.

[/ QUOTE ]


This is so happening next time I grill out. Sounds delish.