Pulled Pork

Rev 0.23, last revised:  06-Jan-10

Pulled Pork is a traditional southern dish that is perfect for most any less-than-fully-formal occasion.  This recipe will allow you to make great REAL homemade pork BBQ.  Now, before you jump into this, keep some things in mind:
1)  The word "barbeque" has special connotation in the American south.  This recipe, done on a slow, outdoor grill with real smoke, is for a real barbeque, southern style.
2)  There are literally 'jillions' of recipes for doing this.  None is either all-wrong or all-right.  They just vary.  This recipe is no exception to that rule.  While I've left in the "dry rub" and "Hog mopping" instructions as separate elements, in actual practice, I can't tell the results apart whether I dry rub first, make a marinade of the whole shebang, or just pour it all over the meat after I've roasted it sans spices and just pulled it apart.  So, have at it and enjoy the process!

FWIW; I usually roast it after the dry rub, and hog-mop it as I go.  Weather permitting, I usually cook it real slow on my outside grill.  That's probably because we all like going by it and reaching in to snag a bite or two as the day goes on and we get slowly driven crazy by the heavenly aromas this process creates...

Main ingredients:

Dry rub consisting of:

Hog mop consisting of:

Directions:

At this point you have these options:

  1. Coat the meat with the dry rub and roast it or smoke it, basting with the Hog mop.
  2. Mix about half the dry-rub and the Hog mop, marinate the meat, and then roast or smoke it.
  3. Roast or smoke the pork neat (no spices), adding them before reheating and serving.

In each case, cook the pork; allow it to cool; pull it apart; add the rest of the spices and Hog mop; reheat to serve.  I've tried them all, and can't taste the difference.  For the purposes of this recipe, I'm going to outline the traditional way of making it below.

If you have it and can do so, use a real, flame based, barbeque with wood-chips for smoke.  This is obviously, usually done outdoors.  In any event, preheat the barbeque or oven to 325F [bake for 3 to 3-1/2 hours].  Rub the meat with the dry rub.

Heat the lard, coconut, or olive oil in a large skillet, pan, or pot.  Brown the meat on all sides in the oil.

Add the onions, about half the Hog mop, and bake for 3 to 3-1/2 hours for pork butt, or about 2 hours for pork tenderloins.
Alternatively, after 1-hour, turn the heat down to 225F and slow-bake for 5-8 hours.
NB: This can also be done in a suitable pot on the stove top or even in a slow cooker.

Remove pork and allow to cool.  Shred using fingers or two forks.  The meat should shred very easily.  If not, put it back in the oven until it's done.

Add any leftover juices, spices, or Hog mop.  Mix/stir.  Reheat and and serve.

Enjoy!  Serve over Kaiser rolls with my Boston Baked Beans, this simple quick Coleslaw or this more typical Coleslaw.  For LC eating, lose the Kaiser rolls and ease up on the beans...

-> Currently working on adding/using brining with this recipe...