Pulled Pork Recipes

[natejj]

How do you guys make your pulled pork? Here's a recipe I use, featuring Root Beer, in a slow cooker.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

It's very simple, only 2-3 ingredients and taste's decent. I spice it up by rubbing the pork with spices ahead of time. I find 8 hours is a good cooking time. I serve on fresh bakery buns with a light layer of Cole Slaw.

Anyone else? I'd love to try some new techniques. Wish I had a smoker.

[hurrdurr]

That one sounds pretty good, I'll have to try it out thanks!

[spikerS]

Never tried to make one in a slow cooker, but I will give you my recipe.

BTW, you can by an El Cheapo Brinkman (ECB) bullet smoker from bass pro for under $60 and does great for pulled pork, even in the winter.

~8-9lbs pork butt
2-3 cups of apple juice
Liquid honey
Cumin
brown sugar
paprika
powdered black pepper
cayenne
salt

put the apple juice in a small sauce pan and reduce it

in a bowl, mix the dry ingredients to taste

Take a injection syringe and pump as much of the apple juice reduction into the pork butt as possible

Take the liquid honey, and slather the outside of the pork butt, and then rub the dry ingredients into the shoulder, creating a dry crust.

In the ECB, put some lump charcoal in the bottom pan, and mix some apple juice and water to put in the water / drip pan. Place the prepared pork butt on the top wire rack. put some of the apple juice / water mixture into a spray bottle as well.

Let the smoking process begin, and mist the pork shoulder every 45mins to an hour. cooking time should be about 8 -9 hours. Keep the temp in the smoker between 200-235 degrees F, and you can stop when you get an internal temp on the shoulder of 180 to 190 F, you can remove it from the smoker.

At this point, I like to wrap the shoulder in tinfoil and plastic wrap, and then in a couple towels for about an hour to let it rest. I like to wrap it tightly so the meat relaxes a bit.

Unwrap, shred with a couple forks, and enjoy the best pulled pork you have ever had.

[JRSC00LUDE]

spikers, I hear baygirl has a good pork pulling technique?

But on a serious note, I've done this recipe you posted and thought it was pretty good:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/


I quite like that website.

[natejj]

Spikers, my gawd, that sounds amazing. Smoker is officially at the top of my WANTS.

[DeeK]

The slow cooker root beer one is awesome. Just make sure you use a slow cooker with a low temp setting (not keep warm). The first time I tried it, we did it in a slow cooker with only an on/off setting. While it was decent, it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. The low temp setting is crucial.

Also, put a rub on the pork. then put it in the root beer low temp slow cooker. MUCH MUCH better.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by natejj
Spikers, my gawd, that sounds amazing. Smoker is officially at the top of my WANTS.

Here is a Pic of an ECB that you can get at bass pro for like $55
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/December2009141.jpg

and here is a pork butt I did in the middle of winter

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/148.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/151.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/152.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/007.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/December2009147.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/December2009143.jpg

and after letting it rest, just before I shredded it.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/002-1.jpg

[ricosuave]

I hereby post my slow-cooker pulled pork recipe, to which I have had great success:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using about a 3 - 4lb pork shoulder or boston butt roast, (rule of thumb is ¾ - 1lb per person), trimmed of bone and fat, if present.

Basic marinade and breakdown sauce:

* 250ml of apple cider vinegar
* 200ml worcestershire sauce
* 1 tblspoon of paprika
* 1 tblspoon of mustard powder or seeds
* 1 tblspoon of garlic powder
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 large, diced onion (red is the variety I use)
* 1/3 small can of tomato paste
* 1/2c brown sugar

To the above, add whatever ‘flavour’ to it, as examples:

* 2 cups of ketchup, bbq sauce, honey mustard, chilli sauce, etc.
* Chilli flakes, turmeric, chilli powder, etc., to taste.

Mix well and put aside.

Stab roast with knife multiple times to create small pockets. If desired, fill some pockets with garlic cloves and peppercorns. If you have the time, you can dry-rub the powder ingredients, and sear the sides of the roast on a frying pan prior to slow cooking.

Place roast in large ziplock bag and pour marinade over top. Seal bag and allow to sit for a day or so in the refrigerator. Turn roast every so often so that all the meat is exposed to the marinade.

Place in slow cooker. Pour about ½ of the marinade over top of the roast, and cover with lid and aluminum foil or dish towel. Keep the remaining marinade for later.

Allow 8 hours slow cooker time, turn roast in cooker and baste every 2-3 hours. The longer it goes, the better it is. Add additional marinade if desired after the first 3-4 hours. (A frozen roast will yield more moisture than a fresh one).

When the roast flakes apart easily with a fork, it is done.

Remove roast and place in a large bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the meat until it is all apart. Remove fat and bone if it is there.

Add additional flavouring (as above) and a small amount of the marinade sauce and mix with meat to moisten.

Marinade sauce alone can also be used as dipping sauce. Serve with potato salad or cole slaw and a cold beer.

Enjoy!

[spikerS]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE
spikers, I hear baygirl has a good pork pulling technique?



How did I miss this?




I wouldn't know, yet...

But she has various other techniques in the kitchen that are delightful...:hitit:

[Despair*]

Spikers, how long have you been smoking for? And was it hard to learn how to do it? I've been wanting to pick up a smoker for a while now so I can learn how to do some recipes like pulled pork, briskets, ribs. But it seems like it would take a while to learn and become proficient at. That pulled pork looks amazing! What else besides the pork do you smoke?

[spikerS]

been doing it for a couple years now, and honestly it is quite easy to do, it is just time intensive. I smoke everything from pulled pork, to ribs, to briskets to whole chickens and turkeys. Basically, anything you could do on a LP or NG grille, you can do on a smoker, and with better results.

as for the smokers, they can be as cheap as the ECB I was talking about earlier for about $55, to Big Green Eggs (ceramic) at $1200+ to full trailers in the $10,000+ range.

I would recommend to start with an ECB, just to get the fundamentals down, and decide if you like doing it. If you do, then I would say invest a bit of money in a good smoker. The webber smokey mountain Link (z.about.com/d/bbq/1/0/i/U/Weber_Smokey_Mountain_smokers.jpg) is a good bullet smoker and is very good quality and produces very good results and can maintain a pretty consistent temperature. The webber runs around the $600-$900 mark, depending on the model you want. The whole mantra of smoking is "Low and slow", referring to low temperature and slow cooking times.

If you want, an offset smoker can be a good compromise, letting you combine a traditional grille with a smoker box. Using one of these can allow you do ditch your current LP and NG grille, and use the offset smoker setup to cook everything. Char Griller Pro (http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/46/c/AAAADMUEey4AAAAAAEbOhA.jpg?v=1240853007000) I have one of these, and it is pretty good. I just put an aluminum pan inside when I am smoking as a water tray, and raise up the opposite side from the firebox so that heat will flow into the smoking chamber easier. The Char griller pro that I use was under $300.

The big green egg is a pretty big favorite among the smoking crowd. Big Green Egg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Xl_big_green_egg.jpg/200px-Xl_big_green_egg.jpg) It does a fantastic job due to the insulation qualities of the ceramic shell, but it does not lend itself to being moved much, as the ceramic shell can crack quite easily. An alternate to the big green egg is the Big steel keg. Big steel keg (http://www.bbqs.com/images/BigSteelKeg.jpg) Same qualities of the Egg, but more robust, and can be moved with out having to worry about damaging it as much. The egg usually runs around the $1200 mark, and the Keg around $800.

I always like to use lump charcoal, it burns much cleaner, but at times can be hard to maintain a constant temperature. Others like to use charcoal briquettes, They burn at a pretty constant temperature, but have all kinds of additives in them to keep their shape.

After that, you need your smoking wood. you can either get it is chips, disks or logs, and it comes down to your preference. I like to completely submerge my smoking wood in water for at least an hour before putting it onto the hot coals. Doing so allows the wood to smoke without burning for awhile, and the whole idea of adding this, is for the wood smoke to penetrate your meat, adding flavor. The more smoke you can get your meat to absorb, the better it will taste. Pretty much any hard wood will do for smoking wood, but fruit trees are a big favorite, as is misquite, and hickory.

If you want to know more, let me know.

[CanmoreOrLess]

I am a Pulled Pork slow cooker kind of guy, well until my spring purchase of a Big Green Egg or maybe the Big Stell Keg (thanks spikers.... I did not know it existed).

I have had this version of Pulled Pork, it might be my top three death row (final meal) meals:

http://barbecuesecrets.libsyn.com/webpage/recipe_of_the_week_classic_pulled_pork_sandwiches_with_tidewater_coleslaw

I find the buns and coleslaw to be as important as the meat really.

[JRSC00LUDE]

That looks amazing spikers, I've been wanting to get into a smoker for a long time. One of my buddies does it all summer long and his stuff is always amazing. :thumbsup:

[Despair*]

Originally posted by spikers
been doing it for a couple years now, and honestly it is quite easy to do, it is just time intensive. I smoke everything from pulled pork, to ribs, to briskets to whole chickens and turkeys. Basically, anything you could do on a LP or NG grille, you can do on a smoker, and with better results.

as for the smokers, they can be as cheap as the ECB I was talking about earlier for about $55, to Big Green Eggs (ceramic) at $1200+ to full trailers in the $10,000+ range.

I would recommend to start with an ECB, just to get the fundamentals down, and decide if you like doing it. If you do, then I would say invest a bit of money in a good smoker. The webber smokey mountain Link (z.about.com/d/bbq/1/0/i/U/Weber_Smokey_Mountain_smokers.jpg) is a good bullet smoker and is very good quality and produces very good results and can maintain a pretty consistent temperature. The webber runs around the $600-$900 mark, depending on the model you want. The whole mantra of smoking is "Low and slow", referring to low temperature and slow cooking times.

If you want, an offset smoker can be a good compromise, letting you combine a traditional grille with a smoker box. Using one of these can allow you do ditch your current LP and NG grille, and use the offset smoker setup to cook everything. Char Griller Pro (http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/46/c/AAAADMUEey4AAAAAAEbOhA.jpg?v=1240853007000) I have one of these, and it is pretty good. I just put an aluminum pan inside when I am smoking as a water tray, and raise up the opposite side from the firebox so that heat will flow into the smoking chamber easier. The Char griller pro that I use was under $300.

The big green egg is a pretty big favorite among the smoking crowd. Big Green Egg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Xl_big_green_egg.jpg/200px-Xl_big_green_egg.jpg) It does a fantastic job due to the insulation qualities of the ceramic shell, but it does not lend itself to being moved much, as the ceramic shell can crack quite easily. An alternate to the big green egg is the Big steel keg. Big steel keg (http://www.bbqs.com/images/BigSteelKeg.jpg) Same qualities of the Egg, but more robust, and can be moved with out having to worry about damaging it as much. The egg usually runs around the $1200 mark, and the Keg around $800.

I always like to use lump charcoal, it burns much cleaner, but at times can be hard to maintain a constant temperature. Others like to use charcoal briquettes, They burn at a pretty constant temperature, but have all kinds of additives in them to keep their shape.

After that, you need your smoking wood. you can either get it is chips, disks or logs, and it comes down to your preference. I like to completely submerge my smoking wood in water for at least an hour before putting it onto the hot coals. Doing so allows the wood to smoke without burning for awhile, and the whole idea of adding this, is for the wood smoke to penetrate your meat, adding flavor. The more smoke you can get your meat to absorb, the better it will taste. Pretty much any hard wood will do for smoking wood, but fruit trees are a big favorite, as is misquite, and hickory.

If you want to know more, let me know.

Good info Spikers, If I do end up getting a smoker at some point I'm sure I'll have some more questions. Maybe when the Spring hits and beyond starts breaking out the smokers we can form a dedicated thread for it!

[nonofyobiz]

I started smoking last summer as well. I picked up the Brinkman smoke king deluxe (http://www.brinkmann.net/products/outdoor_cooking/charcoal_smokers_and_grills/details.aspx?item=805-2500-1).

I don't really like this style. I had to do a few mods to it to make it work decent. One of them was build a charcoal box to hold more charcoal and hold it up away from the bottom so the ash doesn't choke off the fire. I use a TON of charcoal with this thing and have trouble getting the temp up to where it needs to be. I also have to 'babysit' the thing all day, so I love to smoke and sit in my yard all day and drink beers but it's rather time consuming.

I want the Weber Smokey Mountain bullet smoker, I've heard it is really good and being the bullet style heat shouldn't be a problem.

For pulled pork, I've done shoulder 'roasts' from superstore (about 3 to 4 lbs maybe) and i found they didn't have much smoke flavor. I think maybe because the smaller roast is in the smoker for less time. I smoke until internal temp is 160 then foil it, add apple juice and put in oven until internal temp is 205. Doing this is like brazing it and it is pretty tender after.

Could go on and on about smoking lol If you want to learn then check out this site SmokingMeatForums.com (http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/)

Spikers, Where do you get the full boston butts from?? Like I said I've only seen the shoulder roasts but I'd like to try and full shoulder and cook it 100% in the smoker. I also want to try a brisket this year.
Also, do you have a source for hardwood logs?

btw, Lowes had a propane smoker for about $150 last summer that would prob work pretty good

[spikerS]

I get my meats from a couple of places, but my favorite place for a good full sized pork shoulder is from Regina's in the croosroads flea market. She has the best meats at the best prices, bar NONE! She also has briskets and whole chickens, and the quality is top notch, and the price is reasonable.

I used to like Bon Ton meat market near foothills, but they have jacked the prices horrendously, and so I haven't been there in a very long time. And I try to steer people away from there too. There is also another place I have heard some good things about on Bowness road in Montgomery. Problem is they have some weird hours, and every time I tried to check them out, they were closed...:dunno: I think they are called alberta king of meats or something, can't remember though.

As for smoking logs or chips, i just get them from BBQs galore. There are a few people on Kijiji selling apple wood and others, but they are pretty expensive, and want to sell it by the half cord, which would last me my entire lifetime for smoking purposes...

[phreezee]

Originally posted by spikers


Here is a Pic of an ECB that you can get at bass pro for like $55
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/December2009141.jpg


Just bought this today, can't wait to use it over long weekend. Probably do a beef brisket for the first time.

[nonofyobiz]

Lol I'd suggest starting with a chicken or ribs the first time. U should.also ' season' it. Basically u fire it up and bring it up to 350- 400 and run it like that a couple hrs. The u should try running it at your cook temp @230 deg.F. U need to know how much charcoal and intake vent position to run at that temp stable. Leave u'r exhaust vent fully open usually.

charcoal smoking is alot trickier than u might think.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by nonofyobiz
Lol I'd suggest starting with a chicken or ribs the first time. U should.also ' season' it. Basically u fire it up and bring it up to 350- 400 and run it like that a couple hrs. The u should try running it at your cook temp @230 deg.F. U need to know how much charcoal and intake vent position to run at that temp stable. Leave u'r exhaust vent fully open usually.

charcoal smoking is alot trickier than u might think.

good advise on other smokers, but that ECB does not have any vents. it is pretty much designed for 220-240 on it's own.

I would start with a pork shoulder, as it's size does not lend itself to a brisket. Or try doing a beer can chicken on it.

Once you get good at those 2, then I would move on to briskets, they are pretty expensive, and can be quite large.

[phreezee]

Good advice, start small.

I'll be seasoning it tonight. I already have the basic mods like putting the legs on the outside, handles on the grills and rope around the lid.

Couldn't find a little grill to lift the coals off the bottom of the pan, or a replacement thermometer at Home Depot last night. Maybe check Rona tonight.

[phreezee]

Hey Spikers, did you drill holes into your firepan for more air intake? That's one mod I haven't done yet.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by phreezee
Hey Spikers, did you drill holes into your firepan for more air intake? That's one mod I haven't done yet.

Nope, actually, the only "mod" i did to it was to turn the legs out, and put a pot underneath the firepan to lower it a bit, and make it easier to reload the pan when needed. In all honesty, the ECB is pretty decent on it's own without having to mod it. If you feel the need to have more control, I would say upgrade the whole unit.

Drilling the firepan creates a pretty big fire hazard, and I don't recommend doing it.

[D'z Nutz]

Jesus christ, that looks good. Now I'm thinking of going to pick a smoker up. How big is that thing?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Jesus christ, that looks good. Now I'm thinking of going to pick a smoker up. How big is that thing?

18" or so, not including the handles

[heavyfuel]

Here's one I did yesterday, turned out amazing. Pork butt in the slow cooker for 8 hrs, nothing but salt added.

Saute in olive oil 1/2 chopped onion, 3 freshly chopped chili peppers, salt and pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano and chili flakes, for a few minutes, add the pork and spices, then transfer it into a large mixing bowl.

Add 1 chopped tomato, fresh chopped cilantro, and 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar.

Roll it into tortilla shells with shredded mozza, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. In the oven till the tortilla shells are golden brown. Enjoy.

I used flour tortillas but corn would be much much better.... anyone know where to get large corn tortillas? I can't find em.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by spikers


Nope, actually, the only "mod" i did to it was to turn the legs out, and put a pot underneath the firepan to lower it a bit, and make it easier to reload the pan when needed. In all honesty, the ECB is pretty decent on it's own without having to mod it. If you feel the need to have more control, I would say upgrade the whole unit.

Drilling the firepan creates a pretty big fire hazard, and I don't recommend doing it.

Ok, thanks! I guess it's best to try it first before drilling.

According to this link, the charcoal grate is the most important for air flow anyway. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/109697/q-on-most-important-ecb-mod

I've seen people use cheap stucco lath successfully.

[phreezee]

I feel like such a noob, but it's fun learning. Just picked up a charcoal chimney and using the minion method to season the smoker. We have smoke! Now let's see if I can achieve temp.

[nonofyobiz]

Let me know how it works, maybe I'll pick one up to replace my $400 pos

[phreezee]

You definitely need a grate to put the coals on as the ash smothers the fire. I would also drill the firepan as I was only getting 200F in my first try, otherwise you'd need to add more fuel more often.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by phreezee
You definitely need a grate to put the coals on as the ash smothers the fire. I would also drill the firepan as I was only getting 200F in my first try, otherwise you'd need to add more fuel more often.

Really, you don't want it any higher than that.

Remember, these are supposed to be LOW temperature, over a LONG period of time.

Hell, I have smoked pork shoulders at 160F for 16 hours, and then bring them up to temp in an oven real quick.

yes, you might have to add charcoal a bit more often, but if you are looking for efficiency, Go buy a green egg at 3200% of the price you paid for your ECB.

[phreezee]

^^^ your recipe said 200-235F, I felt let down at only 200F and the temp only dropped from there. How often do you add charcoal and remove ash while smoking? I was watching it and I figure I'd have to do this every hour without modding the firepan.

[nonofyobiz]

I disagree, u need 220 to 240 for cook temps.

Unless u'r cold smoking things like bacon, cheeses, jerky, fish etc

[phreezee]

My first attempt resulted in an amazing smoky flavourful "roast" but I guess it wasn't in there long enough to get tender enough to shred so I just sliced it.

I started the smoker at 9am today with lump charcoal for my 2nd attempt.
Was only going at 160F, until I got fed up and added briquettes. Now it's nice and stable at 220F.

Got it loaded up with a whole chicken and big rack of side ribs. Using Applewood chips this time. Can't wait for dinner time :)

[sputnik]

Originally posted by phreezee
My first attempt resulted in an amazing smoky flavourful "roast" but I guess it wasn't in there long enough to get tender enough to shred so I just sliced it.

This also depends on your cut of meat.

You can use meat that is too lean otherwise it will just dry out. When using pork use a shoulder (aka butt).

[phreezee]

I've always used pork shoulder in the slow cooker with great tender results but the flavour doesn't compare to the smoker. A whole new world!
So close to getting the best of both worlds, baby steps.

[phreezee]

Check out my smoke ring:

[nonofyobiz]

looks good. I'm not dedicated enough to get out there yet, too cold lol

FYI Lump charcoal burns hotter, briquettes burn longer. you are also supposed to wait until they are all grey to burn off the additives or chemicals that are in them. I just stick with lump.
Try out the Dragons breath from bbq's galore, it burns hot.

did u use the 2-2-1 method for the ribs?

[nonofyobiz]

Originally posted by phreezee
I've always used pork shoulder in the slow cooker with great tender results but the flavour doesn't compare to the smoker. A whole new world!
So close to getting the best of both worlds, baby steps.

no other ribs will ever come close either lol

[phreezee]

I didn't use 2-2-1, and just left them in there the whole time with the chicken. The bark held the moisture in nicely and I mopped them a few times.

I wrapped the left overs in tin foil, poured in some apple juice and put it in the oven for an hour at 350F for lunch just now.
It might have even tasted better today, so I'll definitely being trying the 2-2-1 method next time.

[phreezee]

Day-dreaming about ceramic smokers today, and this really intrigues me.
Next project? LOL

_Ka2kpzTAL8

[Spoons]

I slow roast a pork roast in a crock pot. I then take the roast and shred it and then divide it into portions. If I make a big one I freeze some of the portions.

I save the juices and what not from the slow roast and mix BBQ sauce with it (home made, store bought, don't matter to me). I usually do about 1/4 bbq sauce. When it comes time to prepare my pulled pork, I throw a portion or 2 into the sauce pan, pour some of the liquid and let it reduce. At the very end when it is near done I throw some BBQ sauce and mix it in and cook it for a little bit longer.

Portions and frozen allow you to cook a bigger roast (which in my books seems to cook better) and you can have a snack whenever.

[dino_martini]

Hey, pulled pork newbie here.

I bought a Pork Loin Shoulder half from Co-op, and I'm planning to do pulled pork for a couple people I have coming over on Saturday. I do not have a smoker, or a decent enough grill to do the smoked version unfortunately. Now I have a few questions,

#1 - should I 'brine' my pork? I have lots of time before the party, so would that help to keep my pork nice and moist? Or will the bbq sauce do that for me?
#2 - should I bother to concoct a rub and put it on my pork? I will be doing this with a slow cooker so I'm not sure if a rub works with that.
#3 - should I sear my roast on all sides before putting it in the slow cooker, or just toss it in as is and let the slow cooker do its thing?

[nonofyobiz]

I haven't done this before but instead of brine maybe just inject some seasoning into it before you throw it in. also when smoking the common practice is to bring the internal temp up to 200 deg F,

[phreezee]

^^ I don't brine or sear.

This is the rub I've been using and it's awesome.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bbq-pork-sandwich-recipe/index.html