On Tuesday we held a Pulled Pork lunch for everyone at Worldline – and it was a huge success as we raise hundreds of dollars for our in-house charity, “backpacks for kids” which will help get a bunch of children in school – which is awesome. What was also awesome was the Pulled Pork that was served, so after about a dozen requests, here’s the recipe.
“backpack for kids” Roasted & Pulled Pork Recipe
Makes enough to fill 6 to 8 sandwiches. This isn’t a single day recipe as you have to marinate the pork overnight.
Ingredients:
3-1/2 pounds pork shoulder
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dried oregano
1/2 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
Directions:
Day 1: Pork Shoulder usually comes with a thick layer of skin. You have to cut this off. If it has already been removed, make sure you trim the remaining fat from the pork, leaving a ½-inch fat cap.
Combine the brown sugar, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a bowl. Rub the entire roast with the mixture, and massage it into the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2: BBQ method: Heat your Q to high. When the grill is as hot as possible, place the roast in the center and sear the outside of the roast, but don’t burn it. (The sugar in the rub tends to make this likely.) Cook each side of the roast just long enough to grill it until well browned, moving the meat to a new spot each time you turn it. (10 to 15 minutes.)
Smoker method: If you have a smoker this recipe just got a lot more yummy. Smoke the roast for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes using a stronger wood like hickory. Turn once to ensure giving it a nice even smoke rind.
Remove the roast and immediately place in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Cover the pot and place it in a pre-heated to 325-degree oven. The pork is done when you jab it with a fork and it easily pulls apart with a fork.
Should take about 3 hours in total.
Once it’s done, pull it out of the pot and “pull” the pork apart using two forks. It should be easy to do. If it’s not, it’s not quite done.
We served our pork two ways – traditional with a spicy vinegar sauce or mixed with barbecue sauce. The BBQ sauce was the No.1 choice by far, but wasn’t as good as the Spicy sauce method.
Spicy Sauce:
Once you have removed your pork from the pot, what’s left is all the fat that you’ve melted away, and the natural juices from the roast. Pour this mixture through a strainer and separate the oil from the fluid. Pour that flavour fluid into a small pot and add white vinegar that measures about 1/3 the total volume and heat to a boil, and then turn it off.
Once cooled, pour it into a squeeze bottle and give your pork a squirt when you load it into a fresh bun.
Then enjoy.
The beautiful thing about Pulled Pork, besides it’s amazing flavour is it uses the least expensive cut of meat there is, the pork shoulder, or a pork picnic roast. You can feed a whole lot of folks for very little money, which in a fundraiser for charity like Backpacks for Kids is more important than anything.