For years I have enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches all over the eastern USA but now I can make mine at
home with this recipe. It takes time, but is pretty easy once you know how.
So here is how you can make an
inexpensive cut of meat turn out to be absolutely
tender and delicious. I subscribe to the low and
slow method of cooking, at a low temperature for many hours. There is no smoker equipment in my kitchen
and I am afraid that a crock pot would not give me the crusty outside goodness on the finished roast, so I use
my oven. Try this method and you may agree!
The meat:
4 to 8 lb pork shoulder or butt roast, sometimes called a Boston butt
For the dry rub:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup paprika
⅓ cup garlic salt
2 tablespoons onion salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne or ground red pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well
- OR-
1 bottle of Big Bob Gibson’s Seasoning & Dry Rub or your favorite bottled rub
¼ cup French’s or other yellow mustard
The Sauce:
1 ½ cup of Bib Bob Gibson’s Championship Red Sauce or your favorite bottled sauce
A 4 pound Boston butt will cook much faster than an 8 or 10 pounder. I like the bone-in kind because I
think the bone adds extra flavor, but there are boneless butts available from your butcher tied up with string.
If there is a large fat cap left on your roast you may trim some of it before you start. Rinse the meat and
pat it dry then rub a little French’s or other plain yellow mustard all over the roast so that the dry rub that comes
next will stick better. You will be surprised at how the mustard taste diminishes and after hours
of cooking imparts just a hint of mustard tang to the meat. Then give it a good coating of the dry
rub, patting it down slightly to get it to stick.
Set the roast in your refrigerator for a few
hours, or overnight.
When ready to cook, place the meat in
a roasting pan which is about 2 inches deep
(to catch drippings) in a 250 degree oven.
There is no need to baste or mop the roast
while it is cooking.
Cook the roast at 250 degrees for about
1 to 1 ½ hours per pound. There are too
many variables to be able to dictate a
specific cooking time: Bone or boneless
(less time), the heat of your oven, fat content of the roast, etc., make it hard to estimate exact
cooking times for your oven. Try 1 to 1½ hours per pound and record your results. The last time
I cooked an 8 pound roast I cooked it for 10 hours and it was perfect.
You are shooting for an internal temperature of about 190 degrees, but that is only half of
the story. At the 1 to 1 ½ hour mark you can test to see if it is done. Actually it will most likely be
edible, but for true pulled pork that falls off the bone you need to cook it beyond doneness. But
not too long – there is nothing worse than overcooked and dried out barbecue!
CROCK POT VERSION:
Place the butt in an 8 quart crock pot cooker on low for 8 hours. Add about ½ inch of
water to prevent sticking and to accelerate cooking by steaming. You can prepare the
meat as you would for the oven version, with the mustard and dry rub, etc. Then remove
from the pot and continue with the oven instructions. Finish by pulling the meat apart,
spread on 1-2 cookie sheets and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes to develop some
browning & flavor. You might baste the pulled pork with rendered juices from the crock
pot and/or sprinkling on extra dry rub before broiling.
To test to see if it is really pulled pork done, use gloves or an old potholder and see if you can wiggle the
bone or pull it right out. If you can, it is done. Alternatively, stick a fork deep into the meat and give it a twirl. If
you can spin the fork then you have a fall off the bone pork roast. If the fork will not turn easily then give it
another hour and test again, maybe at a reduced heat of 200-225 or lower.
The last roast I made was a little overcooked because the bone would not wiggle yet the fork turned so I
cooked it some more and dried out the meat a little. So I guess the fork method may be more accurate for me.
It may look like a lump of coal since some cookers and some rubs blacken the surface of the meat. But it
will not taste burnt so don’t worry.
Let it sit for 60+ minutes then it is time for the pork pulling part. Use your hands if they can stand the heat
and the roast is tender enough. I use two large meat forks to pull the roast apart so I can make sandwiches.
Chop the crusty exterior up and mix it in with the pulled pork for more flavor.
To serve, take out your portion and mix in a couple of spoonfuls of Bob Gibson’s Championship Red
Sauce or your favorite bottled sauce and serve on a hamburger bun with a dollop of cole slaw on top. Purists
will howl about using an oven to barbecue pulled pork but this is good eating – enjoy!
Barbecued Pulled Pork