BBQ Pulled Pork>a southern calssic

BBQ pulled pork is the King of Southern BBQ! Rich, tender, flavorful and smoky, for me at least it is a draw between Beef Brisket and Pork Butt I love them both. There are as many ways to prepare and smoke a Boston Butt as there are BBQ Pit Masters everybody seams to put their own little twist on it. I have tried many variations through the years some where fantastic and mediocre(There is no such thing as bad BBQ some may be better than others but it is all good!) I took what I liked from various recipes and added it to what I was doing and tweaked it here and there along the way to come up with what I feel is a very good product with well balanced flavors of sweet & heat, spicy and savory.
This is Low & Slow cooking done over many hours, although labor intensive the pay off is worth the price of admission. The Rub is key to quality BBQ in not only creating the "Bark" (dark crusty exterior) it carries the flavors that are associated with BBQ that when combined with the smokiness that is imparted from cooking with wood that make this so special. Enjoy!

Note: I know that some folks do not have access to a BBQ pit or may be living in an apt. in a concrete jungle. You can prepare this in your oven it will be good but will be lacking the smokiness that come form cooking over wood. Included here you will find a few pointers to help you over come this at the bottom of the page.


Prep time: 15 min                                           Cooking time: Varies depending on the weight of the meat.


Ingredients:

1 Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder (I look for about 8 lb bone in Butts)
 Worcestershire Sauce

The Rub

 4 oz Paprika
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbl lemon pepper                                             
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp powdered ginger
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tbl kosher salt

( Combine the above spices in a 1 gal Zip bag seal and agitate to mix it can be stored in the bag  or transferred to an air tight container with a shaker top)

Directions:
Remove the meat from the packaging rinse under cold running water pat dry with paper towels.

Position the Butt with the fat cap up and score the Butt with diagonal cuts first one direction then the opposite direction.  You should end up with a diamond pattern. This opens up the top of the Butt allowing the fat to render and baste the meat as it cooks and all so holds more Rub thereby creating more flavorful Bark.

Slather the Butt with Worcestershire sauce then liberally apply the rub to the outside. 

Build the fire in your Pit and bring the temp to 230 - 240 º F place the Butt in the pit Fat Cap up and put the probe of your digital thermometer in a meatiest part of closest to the center of the Butt. Close up the pit and no peeking;If your looking you aint cooking!

Maintain the temperature in your Pit until the internal temp of the Butt reaches 190 º F. At this point you need to preform what I call the poke test.; using a wooden skewer press into the meat if it slides in with no resistance ( Hot Knife through Butter feel) it is done. if it offers any resistance continue to cook and check it again when the internal temp has increased by 5 º F. most will yield between 200 - 205 º F.

Remove the Butt from the pit and double wrap it in  aluminum foil.. Line the Bottom of an empty cooler with news paper and place the wrapped Butt in the cooler.
Cover the Butt with folded bath towels filling up the space in the cooler allow to rest for at least 1 hour. I have left them like this for up to 8 hours.

After a rest remove the Butt from the cooler the bone will pull out cleanly. remove what little is left of the fat cap and pull the pork while it is warm. 

This is purely optional but I usually apply a little rub over the top then toss it through.
Traditional BBQ sauce for this is a Western N.C. vinegar sauce, however my DR. Pepper BBQ sauce works well too.







As promised this can be prepared in your oven if you do not a BBQ pit. with some simple changes.

To the rub add a tsp of *cumin(adds some smokiness)
Inject the Butt with 1 cup of apple juice mixed with 1 tsp liquid smoke
Lower the rack in the oven to the lowest point and put the prepared Butt in a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
Set the oven temperature to 230º F and follow the above instructions.

Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce

Texas is synonymous with BBQ it is a food group unto its self. Whether your idea of BBQ is Ribs, Chicken, Sausage, Pork or the undisputed "King of Texas BBQ" Brisket. All  BBQ needs a great sauce. Now let me say here really good BBQ should not need any sauce to be good, the meat will speak for it's self. This is not to say that great BBQ can not be enhanced with a touch of a quality sauce served on the side.
Two of the largest growing condiment lines are BBQ sauce and Hot sauce, look around the next time you are at the Market to many choices for this Cowboy to deal with. I decided to make my own based on what I consider the flavors of Texas. Something unique that will go nicely with all BBQ. As a base I chose my favorite beverage Dr. Pepper not only for its complex flavors but because it tastes so good with BBQ I have lots of experience here trust me. The resulting sauce has a sweet start that really elevates the BBQ's sweetness with a spicy finish and a little back heat, with the undercurrents of the Dr. Pepper in the back ground rounding out the experience. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 min                                   Cook time: 40 min


Dr.Pepper BBQ sauce


Ingredients:


2 cans Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup veg oil
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Basil
1 cup Hunts ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp New Mexico Chili powder
1/3 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Black Strap molasses


Place everything in the blender except 1 can of Dr. pepper and blend for 1 min. Transfer to a sauce pan stir in the remaining Dr pepper. bring to a low boil reduce heat to a simmer and reduce by 1/2. Cool and bottle.

BBQ Meatballs

I Know what your thinking "these are those little gut bombs that I had at the last what ever party from the wholesale place." WHOA not so fast! I promise you these are not even close to those dreaded frozen in the bag ho hum marbles. These are are the food of the BBQ gods. Tender and  moist packing big time flavor. I think of them as BBQ Crack, one bite and your hooked . This is big time comfort food that at home on the plate with some mashed potatoes or Mac & Cheese that will chase the Blues away.

The thing I like about these is their versatility, I have baked them in the oven, smoked them in my wood fired BBQ Pit, and slow cooked in the Crock pot. What ever route you decide to go you will be richly rewarded.
The first time I had these was at a potluck supper. I passed on them at first but my date that night was adventurous and insisted I have a taste, to say I was pleasantly surprised is to understate the Happy Dance my taste buds where preforming. I was on a mission and left that evening with the recipe. I was amazed by it's simplicity and surprisingly few ingredients. Over time I Tried a few things, small changes here and there and have developed this into a real show stopper. Enjoy!

Perp time: 40 min                        cook time : 2 1/2 hrs             Yield 2 dzn

Tools: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, small bowl, wax paper

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 1/2 lb Ground chuck 80/20
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon pepper
3 tbl finely diced onion
2 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp powdered mustard
2 tbl lt brown sugar
1tsp ground ginger

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water.
2 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tbl lemon pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp onion powder
2 good dashes Louisiana hot sauce
2 tbl grape jam
1/3 cup water

Directions:

Break up the ground chuck in a mixing bowl  add the dry spices, Worcestershire, oats and milk mix to combine. place the meat in the freezer for 15 min to firm up.

In a sauce pan over medium heat combine the ingredients for the BBQ sauce except for the water and simmer for 15-20 min. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat the largest skillet you have over med low heat with 2 tbl of vegetable oil.
Remove the meat from the freezer roll approximately 2 tbl spoons of the meat into a ball ( the mix will be tacky a light touch is required) and drop into the small bowl of all-purpose flour  to coat then place on the wax paper.

Brown the meatballs on all sides to firm the exterior.

If you are going to cook these in the oven place then in a 13x 9" baking dish  add the 1/2 cup water to the BBQ sauce give it a quick stir and pour over the meatballs, place the meatballs in your oven and set it to 225 deg and bake uncovered 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

If you will be using a Crock Pot put the browned meatballs in the crock, prepare the sauce like above cook on low 4 hrs or high for 2-1/2 hrs lay a wooden spoon across the crock at 1 end raising the lid to allow the sauce to thicken.

If you are going to do these in a smoker put the meatballs in a disposable aluminum pan NO sauce! Run the smoker at 225- 240 for 1 1/2 hours then add the sauce with only 1/4 cup of water. Continue to smoke
for 45 min to an hour.

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Ribs > Pork-a-licious Pigcickels

When most folks hear the word BBQ or Bar-Ba- Que; how ever you spell it, ribs are probably what comes to mind first. Slow smoked for hours rubbed with a blend spices, sweet and succulent these pork ribs take it to the next level with an extra layer of flavor from a glazing rub.
Whether Baby Backs or Spares they are all good. My personal preference is for Spare ribs trimmed to a ST. Louis cut. Spare ribs have more delicious pork and cost about 1/3 less per pound on average and give you a little extra meat for other uses after trimming, like a treat for the PitMaster or added to a pot of beans.
These ribs are best cooked  low and slow on a smoker with indirect heat, however for those who for what ever reason don't have access to this equipment you can still enjoy these Pork-a-licious Pigcickels. You probably did not notice the BBQ pit that is in your kitchen, "SHhhh!!" "Don't tell anyone!" "They call it....... an oven." 
Preparing these in the house requires 1 additional ingredient so stay tuned I will cover that  in a little while.
First lets define what a properly cooked done to perfection Rib is: Cooked through when bitten, the meat should pull cleanly from the bone yielding at with a little tug. If they are falling off the bone they are over cooked!
How to tell when the ribs are done: The meat will have pulled back exposing the bone, when picked up with a set of tongs the rack should bend almost 90 deg if  it bends to about 60 deg you need to cook them about another hour. Remember you can't rush perfection their done when their done.
Never BOIL ribs!!! They get mushy.
I hope you come to love these as much as I do they are truly one of best things I ever ate. Enjoy!

Prep time: 45 min                                        Cook time: 5- 6 hrs.

Tools: Tea spoon, "really" sharp knife, small mixing bowl, cutting board, wax paper, measuring spoons. sheet pans, spray bottle(NEW), paper towels, BBQ grill, Smoker, or oven.

  

Ingredients:

1 Rack of Pork ribs
Worcestershire sauce
**Liquid Smoke**

(pork rub)
1 4oz bottle paprika
2 oz sugaur
2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp mustard powder

(Cherry Chipotle glazing rub)
1 package sugarfree Cherry Jello
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chiolte pepper
1 tbl brown sugar
1 tsp Basil


Directions:

In a small bow combine the ingredients for your rubs and mix well. Transfer each one to a zip bag or an old spice bottle with a shaker top. Set these aside.
Remove the ribs from their packaging and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and discard them. Place the ribs on your cutting board bones down.

*[This section applies to spare ribs only, if cooking Baby Backs skip down]
When you are looking at the rack you will notice there is what is referred to as the tail follow it along the outside edge to the bottom of the rack find the first long rib bone and cut the tail off close to the long bone and set aside.
The rack should be square on the ends with the breast bone still attached.
Feel along the a rib bones length until you feel the end of the bone, holding a finger on that spot lay the blade of your knife along this line across the bottom of the rib bones slice through the cartilage that connects the the breast bone to the ribs and remove the breast bone and the belly section, set this aside your rack should be a rectangular shape. [this rack already had the breast bone removed at the packing house it would have been in the lower left corner of this rack]

 Now turn the rack over, bones up. There will be a flap of meat attached to the back of the rack ( reminds me of a piece of skirt steak) that must be removed. Lay your knife on the rack at the point of this piece and slide it along the rack removing this piece and set it aside.

Next you will remove the membrane ( if left on it is like chewing a rubber band). Insert the end of a teaspoon s handle between the membrane and a bone working slowly and carefully loosen the membrane until you can grasp it between your thumb and fingers. Pull using steady pressure use a paper towel it will give you a better grip.

 

Congratulations, you have just created a St.Louis cut rack of pork spare ribs. I knew you could do it.
*Ok, finally we can get these ready to cook. Flip the rack bones down.
First a little sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce ** if you are roasting these in the oven use the liquid smoke instead** and rub it in to distribute evenly across the surface.
Apply the Pork Rub very generously in a heavy even coat.

Even though it is called a rub do not rub it in. Allow it to adsorb the Worcestershire or liquid smoke while you go build the fire in your pit and get it up to temp or preheat the oven to 225º F.
If you are cooking these in your oven place them on a sheet pan and on the center rack of your oven. Set your timer for 4 hours. If they will be cooked in a BBQ pit 4 hrs at 225º F. For all you Gas grill folks indirect 225º F 4 hrs.
After 4 hrs of  unmolested cooking check for to see how far they will bend, if they go about 60deg you are ready to apply the Glazing rub. Apply in an even coat totally covering the ribs. Spray with water so they look shinny and moist and back in the Smoke 1 more hour. Check again in an hour with another bend test. If they bend close to 90deg they are done if not spray them again and check in 30 min.