I've made pulled pork in a crockpot earlier this year, but was keen to try baking it in the oven in order to get that crispy surface area that makes pulled pork so noteworthy. Even with a dry rub, the pork retained quite a bit of moisture. It looks like a lump a charred turd once cooked, but should fall apart easily with a little prodding from your fork and knife and I can assure you, this will be the best turd you've ever prepared! Our first meal with it was a simple sandwich with plum chutney as a sauce. If you have soft buns (lunges will help!) and barbecue sauce, I can only assume you would moan at the pulled pork sandwich combo Paula Deen puts together on her recipe available through the coleslaw link below.
Pulled Pork: http://thewholekitchen.blogspot.com
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs. pork shoulder (bone in)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1 T chili powder
- 1 T cumin
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 1 T smoked paprika
- To make the rub, thoroughly mix together the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and cayenne.
- Pat dry the pork shoulder and then liberally apply the rub to all sides. Place in a leak-proof container. Cover and refrigerate for as long as 24 hours, or as little as overnight. It will give up a cup or more of liquid so make sure your container is big enough to prevent spillage.
- Remove the shoulder from refrigerator, brush off any excess or caked on rub. Move to a clean roasting pan with the fat side up.
- Heat the oven to 275F. Place in the oven and let roast for 9 hours. Yes, I’m serious about it taking that long. After about 3 hours, there will be enough fat rendered to allow you to baste the shoulder every 1 to 2 hours. With a large spoon simply pour the rendered fat over the shoulder.
- You will know it’s ready because the outside of the shoulder is extremely dark, nearly burned looking. The pork should pull easily from the bone and the fat/skin on the top should be nearly crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 min. Using a pair of forks or very clean hands pull the pork away from the bone. This should be very easy to do.
- Serve on a bun with bbq sauce, on tortillas..this list goes on!
Buttermilk Coleslaw Recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com
Serves 6
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1½ T Dijon mustard
- 2 T light brown sugar
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 T buttermilk
- ½ t celery salt
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1 t freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about ½ head)
- 4 cups finely shredded purple cabbage (about ½ head)
- 2 large carrots, grated
Whisk together the mayo, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cabbages and carrots and toss to combine. Cover and chill until serving time.
The following night, we made carnitas with the pork. I opted for tortillas from the Argyll Foods on 63 Avenue. Their little corn tortillas are made with masa flour and make all the difference as far as flavour is concerned. With tomatillo salsa, avocado slices, cilantro and a little sour cream, these were delicious little meals.
Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 tomatillos, finely chopped
- Juice of one lime
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 large red onion, diced
- 2 T chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Simply combine the ingredients and serve. Tomatillos are firm in texture and not as juicy as a tomato, so don't be surprised when you slice them open. I remove the seeds from one half of the pepper and leave the seeds from the other half in. This gives me a medium salsa.
Carnitas
As far as the carnitas are concerned, heat your tortilla shells in a dry frying pan on high heat for a minute on each side. Pile as much sour cream, avocado, pork, salsa and other treats that you can handle on top and eat carefully: These babies are messy.
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