Author Topic: Pulled Pork  (Read 11292 times)

Offline Darren

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Pulled Pork
« on: June 16, 2011, 03:48:04 pm »
Ingredients:

  • 5-6 lb pork butt (shoulder) bone in, or out, but if it's out, you should probably tie it.

Brine:
  • 1 gallon cold water
  • 2 quarts apple cider
  • 4 oranges, sliced
  • 8 key limes, halved
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 pound brown sugar

Dry Rub: (Make your own, here's mine)
  • Chili powder
  • brown sugar
  • kosher salt
  • cumin
  • white pepper
  • onion flakes
  • garlic

Preparation:

Put the brine ingredients in a non-reactive container (something plastic preferably). For mine, I got a new white plastic garbage sack, and put it inside of a stock pot, and mixed the brine in there. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. (Many recipes say to boil it first and then cool it, but I don't like how long that takes, and if you are patient enough, it will dissolve!)

Submerge the pork butt into the brine, cover, and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours (I let mine sit at least overnight, 24 hours is even better.)

As you light up your coals and wait for them to be ready, take the pork out of the brine, rinse, and pat it dry. Discard the brine.

Once the pork is dry, apply the dry rub LIBERALLY.

Once your coals are ready, place the pork into a 12-inch dutch oven, and cook at 225 degrees, for 5 hours. This is truly low and slow, people. In the immortal words of AB, "Your patience will be rewarded!"

So for 225 degrees, I used 12 coals top heat, and 5 bottom heat.

As you cook, make sure to replenish the coals often enough that the water in the oven stays at a VERY low boil.

And YES, there will be liquid. LOTS AND LOTS of liquid. The shoulder will release a significant amount of liquid that it sucked up during the brine.

If it is boiling hard, reduce heat. If it stops, increase. This one is a bit more of a feel than anything.

To check if it is done, grab the bone and wiggle. When it is loose, and the pork is falling apart, it is done! (For pork without a bone, just check how tender the meat is. As for being done, it will be technically cooked, but tough. It is the long, slow process that makes this so very good.

Serve the pork on rolls, with some homemade coleslaw, and bbq sauce, if desired.

Note also that I used a larger pork butt, and a 14 inch oven. Works just as well.

Enjoy!

-Darren
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.