be-musings

This recipe is one of the family favorites. It is similar to Embers here in town, which is deeeeee-licious. Although a pork roast seems like an expensive idea, because the meat is shredded and served in a bun, the meat extends further than when sliced regularly in a meal. Try it and you'll probably like it a lot. I would recommend doing the dry rub the night before; you could also cook it in a crock pot as long as you extend the cooking time to ensure it is fall apart tender.

Use a 5 to 7 pound pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt. Watch for sales and get a couple, then you're set and the cost is fabulous. A roast this size will serve 10-12 people. You can also buy one this size and half it before freezing.

12 hamburger buns
1 recipe Spicy Slaw, recipe follows

Dry Rub:
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse salt

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Put the pork in a roasting pan with a bit of water in the bottom (no lid) and bake for about 6 hours. If the roast is halved, cook for about 4 to 5 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.

Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.

I don't use the following barbecue sauce recipe because we use a bit of Bullseye instead, mixed with a bit of water to thin it slightly. You can determine what is the right amount for you. I like it plentiful enough to soak into the shredded pork, but not so much that it drips.

Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy slaw, or just some caramelized onions. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side, if you like to dip.

Spicy Slaw
1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1 red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrot, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar; stirring to incorporate. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Chill for 2 hours in refrigerator before serving.