Let’s talk pulled-pork, shall we?
You can order pulled pork in a lot of restaurants, buy pre-made pulled pork at the market, or make your own. But the fact remains, there are so many recipes available…and quite frankly, I think most of them are terrible. Laden with sugar or BBQ sauce, you can’t even taste the pork.
But this one from EveryDay Food is a true find. Simple, but tasty. It has just enough vinegar to give it that tanginess, and just the right amount of brown sugar for the sweet.
Pork shoulder is available at most markets. After slow cooking, it turns fork-tender and can easily be pulled apart (thus the name.)
You can serve it on buns or on it’s own. The BBQ sauce is a must, but in this version, it’s not mixed in with the other ingredients. Instead, it’s on the side, letting you decide how much or how little works for your taste buds.
Pulled Pork
Serves 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons prepared minced garlic
• 8 soft sandwich rolls, split
• Best quality store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; pour over pork. Cover pot, and place in oven on lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with pan juices to moisten (about 1/4-1/2 cup of the juices). Pile pork on rolls, and top with barbecue sauce, if desired.
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This is delicious and easy. I have even frozen leftovers for future dinners or lunch and was delightfully surprised at the results. Nothing is as good as fresh, but I kept some of the cooking liquid for added flavor and moistness for the defrosted pork.
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