Urban Domestic “Divas” can be men as well as women (but I guess you can’t call them Divas…I will have to come up with another name…). Case in point is my husband who is amazing when it comes to grilling and smoking anything (and a darn good all around cook, too). He smoked this pork butt for 13 hours then cooked it in the slow cooker for about another three. He made his vinegar BBQ sauce from scratch, too. My point is, all genders can be amazing in the kitchen, home and garden, especially SOME OF YOU DADS OUT THERE! Happy Belated Father’s Day!
Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
4-5 lb. pork butt
Rub:
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
(if you wish you can just use McCormick Grill Mates Applewood Rub)
Sauce:
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. BBQ
2-3 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
1/2 tsp. ground garlic
2 Tbsp. molasses
Directions:
Make the rub by combining all rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Rub over all surfaces of pork. Allow to sit at room temp for a half hour. Meanwhile start your smoker and get it up to 350˚ F and add 3 large Applewood chips approx. 3″ x 3″ each (soak wood in water for 1/2 hour). Put pork on grill away from hot coals and wood (you want indirect heat). Add a metal pan of water somewhere in the smoker. Cook for 8-13 hrs. During smoking process you may want to baste the meat. Don’t use anything with sugar as it will burn. We sometimes use a mix of olive oil and lime juice and baste every 2 hrs. There should be a fatty part of the pork which you put face down on the grill. Smoke that side for 4 hrs. Then, flip the pork over so the fat side is up for the last half of the smoking process.The fat will naturally drip over and baste the meat.
Remove pork from smoker and put in a slow cooker with 1 cup water and cook on high for 2-2 1/2 hours. This will break down the pork further. Remove from slow cooker and let sit until cool and doesn’t burn you when pulling it apart. Use to forks to aid you in ripping the pork into small pieces.
Make the sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients in a large 8 quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer 10 min. Pour sauce into a bowl and return pan to stove. Add the shredded pork to the pan. Add 1/2 the sauce to the pork, mix well. Taste and decide whether to add more sauce or add a bit more BBQ sauce. It’s your call if you like the vinegar tang strong or soft. Serve on your choice of bread or rolls.
(you can also make this in the slow cooker for 8 hrs. on low. You won’t get the smokey flavor but the pulled pork will still be fork tender and shreddable!)
Flora is an award-winning creative director in Chicago turned food and lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. She is also author to the popular BEE NATIVE! gardening book series and various children's books that celebrate the wonder and hard work of bees and butterflies. Her blog and social spaces inspire thousands to create, learn, cook, grow, and craft, making their world lovelier one pixel/petal/seed/bite/stitch/brushstroke at a time. Follow her on all the social spaces, YouTube, and Amazon, and get creative!
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