pulled pork!

by paul, on 09.15.2010

This sunday I decided to try the "indoor pulled pork" recipe from cook's illustrated. Ever since I started eating meat, I have enjoyed bbq more than anything else, and the prospect of making it at home was too good to pass up. I started by going to Staubitz, the best butcher in NYC if not the world, and getting 6lbs of bone in shoulder, for only $18!

I then brined the meat in salt, sugar and liquid smoke for 2 hours. After it was done brining, I painted it with a wet rub of mustard and liquid smoke, then coated it with a dry rub of salt, sugar, smoked paprika, and cayenne.

After this, I cooked it at 325 for 3 hours on a wire rack, covered in foil. The whole apartment smelled like a bbq joint, which was pretty awesome.

At this point, it was lunchtime, and I was pretty hungry, having boxed in the morning. Unfortunately, the pork still has to cook uncovered for an hour and a half! I decided to not have lunch and hold out. This turned out to be an awesome idea, as an hour and a half later, the pork had browned beautifully and developed a wonderful crust

The only thing left to do was pull and eat! I made the vinegar sauce in cook's illustrated, which is really just 1 part ketchup and 2 parts vinegar. it was alright, but too sweet and I wasn't really a fan. I much prefer salt, pepper and hot sauce on my bbq so you can taste the flavor of the meat as opposed to the sauce. Here's the finished product: All in all, this is one of the most successful cook's illustrated recipes I've tried, and the pulled pork is better than any I've had in NYC. Of course, it's no substitute for my favorite bbq joint, Backyard BBQ in Durham, NC, but then again, what is?