BBQ Pulled Pork

Got 12 hours and a desire for a weeks worth of pulled pork? Well then I have a recipe for you. All you really need, is a crock-pot.

Let's start with our software -- you can improvise a bit with the spices. At its core, you're going to want a 7-8 pound pork shoulder (a surprisingly cheap cut of meat, by the way). I also consider the cola (I use a 16 oz. bottle of Cherry Coke, NOT diet - you can sub Pepsi, Ginger-ale, whatever), salt (koshering), and brown sugar to be essential parts of the spice rub / cooking liquid (also don't forget the sauce -- any good quality one you like will do). I also like to add 2 diced onions, 7-8 cloves of minced garlic, and paprika, red pepper and lemon pepper to the rub. The final ingredient is time.
Begin by dicing/mincing your onions and garlic -- add about half of the result to the bottom of your crock pot and set aside the rest.

Next, prepare the pork shoulder. It's going to come with a good amount of fat on it (usually one whole side will be a half inch thick layer of fat) that you're going to want to remove. You don't need to get it all, just get the big obvious pieces (the rest will cook out and/or be removed as you shred it).

Depending on the size of your crock pot you also may need to cut it in half to make it fit (don't try to go through the bone is all). Next cover it in your koshering salt - and I mean really cake it in there. You might think you're overdoing it - trust me, it's hard to over season 8 pounds of meat.

Next is your spice rub - the primary ingredient here is the brown sugar (like 2 cups). To that I add paprika, some red pepper (for heat) and some lemon pepper. Again, hard to overdo it, and you can add almost anything here (think bold). Mix the spices with the sugar and rub it liberally on your salted pork hunks (work it in there), covering all sides.

Now, cram the pork into your crock-pot and dump on the remaining sugar rub and your remaining onions & garlic. Next, pour on your cola - be at least semi mindful that it doesn't overflow with the carbonation.

Action-shot! In my crock pot, the entire 16 ounce bottle is enough to nearly cover the pork -- don't worry that it doesn't - with the crock-pot cover and the shoulder being as fatty as it is, it isn't going to dry out.

I should also note that it is going to turn out a lot better then it currently looks (or smells). Put the lid on the crock-pot, set for 12 hours on LOW, and walk away.

Four hours in and... it still looks a little gross. You can also take this time to assemble your materials for when you're finishing things.

You want a couple forks for shredding, a mesh sieve for shredding in, a container for the shredded pork as you're working, and something to set the pork in after you remove it from the crock pot (that roasting pan, for example). Also pictured is the BBQ sauce - you could make your own, or even skip it.

Here it is after the full 12 hours - it makes a hell of a lot of difference! Use some big spoons or something and unload it into your roasting pan (I like using it since the grate lets loose pieces of the vegitables or fat to fall through). Be careful removing it, it's going to be hella tender.

The bone, for example, just slipped right out - o my. To shred, take a good size chunk off, knock off the chunks of garlic/onions and chunks of fat and connective tissue that may remain, then drop the meat into your sieve and pull apart with the forks. Some like to have a roughly shredded/pulled pork (which you could do with your hands) - I prefer mine more finely done.

As you complete a chunk of meat, set it aside in your other container. When you're done, use the sieve to strain the juices remaining in the crock pot into a container of some kind (we'll be adding some back to the meat at the end). Also use this time to clean out obvious debris from the crock-pot.

Toss your meat, a cup or two of the juices, and a couple cups of your BBQ sauce. If you're skipping BBQ sauce, add more juice to make up for it (mix this all together). Cover it and cook on low for another 2-3 hours on LOW (to get the sauces to sort of set into the meat - if you skipped the sauce, lower this time). Lower the crock-pot to WARM an hour before serving. If it looks like its drying out, add some more liquid and/or sauce. Serve on rolls or by itself.

All in all, this is one of my favorites to make - perfect for pot-lucks or for hosting gatherings. And while there is a lot of cooking time, you're only looking at 20-30 minutes prep and another 30 minutes to shred the pork - and pork shoulders are so cheap (~$1 a pound) that you're looking at maybe $12 for a meal large enough for 10-12 people.

Time: 16 Hours (1 Hour Active)
Difficulty: 3/5
Cleanup: 4/5
Taste: 5/5