so i prepped the meat (it seems like there are a lot of steps, but it is easy - you know i don't cook things that aren't easy) and got it all ready to go.
we soaked the woodchips to throw onto the grill. we uncovered the grill (no grilling this winter, for once, alas...you'll see why in a minute), threw some woodchips onto the lava rocks, and started the grill.
VOILA. in the grill, mouse scrambling feverishly to escape the heat. ARGH!!! all three of us run away from the grill. finally saner heads prevailed and i screamed at ed to TURN OFF THE GRILL!! i just could NOT fathom purposefully killing that mouse. once the heat was off, she came weaseling out, with babies attached to her legs. ICK. DOUBLE ICK. TRIPLE ICK.
we looked in the grill. underneath the non-removable bottom grill thingy was at least one visible baby mouse corpse. ICK. DOUBLE ICK....well, you know the drill. what to do? ed refused my pleas for a new grill - after all, meijer's is only 20 minutes away. i know why - he has his eye on a jumbo manly grill, sold at costco, an hour's drive away. but i digress. no new grill. baby mouse corpse. huge chunk of prepared meat, ready to be grilled. sigh. we turned the grill on high and left it for an hour, an impromptu crematorium. ICK.
i wasn't sure i could eat this pork...but the tastebuds overcame the revulsion of the incident, and the meat was placed on the grill in due time.
hours later (yes, it takes all day), when i was eating the pulled pork sandwiches, the incident was relegated to a great story to write about for gather. the recipe looks long, and there are a lot of steps...but it is very easy to make, and worth the effort. the only problem? no leftovers. you'll see why:
firehouse pulled pork
one huge chunk of pork, shoulder, bone-in - 3-4#. if you are serving more than a few people, double the whole recipe, including the meat, of course. if you can get an organic pork shoulder from a local farmer, you've just doubled your eating pleasure.
brine:
3/4 c molasses
12 oz kosher salt (or pickling salt)
2 Qt. water
rub:
1 t cumin seed, ground
1 t fennel seed, ground
1 t coriander seed, ground
(or use ground already, if needs must)
1 T chili powder
1 T onion powder
1 T paprika
vinegar sauce:
2 c cider vinegar
1.5 c water
1/2 c + 2 T ketchup
1/4 c packed brown sugar
5 T salt
4 t red pepper flakes or 1-2 red peppers, chopped (i didn't put any in, i am a no flames kind of eater)
1 t each ground black and white pepper (ditto, none for me)
honey mustard sauce, for serving:
1/2 c yellow mustard
1/2 c honey
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c white vinegar
ok, here goes:
the night before, soak your meat in the brine. the next day, drain the meat and then pat/sprinkle on the rub. make sure you get the rub on all sides.
prepare your grill: you'll want to cook the meat on low, for about 6 hrs. we have a gas grill, but if you have a charcoal grill, ben said it'll taste even better (hard to imagine). you want one side for the meat to cook - which will have no heat, and one side with heat and soaked wood chips. i bought apple wood chips, he used jack daniels wood chips. whatever floats your boat. so light one side of your grill, watch for mice. throw some soaked wood chips onto the fire part. put the meat, fat side up, on the unheated grill side, so that it is cooking with indirect heat. never flip the meat. you'll need to come back every hour or so, and throw on more soaked wood chips, to get that good smoked flavor. remember, though: every time you open the grill, you add 15 min to the cooking time. you want your heat to be about 225-250 degrees. for us, that was the lowest choice we had on the grill dial.
it is done when your meat thermometer reads between 190-205 degrees. i prefer 205. you'll see the meat starting to come off the bone, and the bone may look chalky. all good. take your meat off the grill and put it in a metal 9x13 cake pan. put some foil on top, cover it with a few towels, and let it sit for 20 min. this helps with the tender meat part. then pull the meat off the bone, and you can discard any fat you see (i do, it is pretty gross). tear the meat with forks, so that you have striated (pulled) pork pieces. the burnt bits are NOT to be discarded - they are called brownies, and are super yummy. you may even fight over them. keep all the meat in the pan.
pour some of the vinegar sauce over the meat, just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. let it soak in for a few minutes. if it isn't hot enough for you (temperature hot), put the pan under the broiler for a minute. if you can't eat it right away (or it is done too early or late), just cover it and reheat in the oven. good for firehouses, where you never know when you'll be able to sit down and eat.
serve on those super-soft fluffy potato rolls you can get at the grocery store, the ones with flour dusted on top. scoop your meat on, ladle a little bit of honey mustard sauce on top, and off you go. you'll see why we keep making it....yum!
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Comments: 23
Have tried several pulled pork recipes, all good. Can also be cooked in a crock pot and finished in the oven.
it was so good!!
wil - it is called pulled bc you pull it apart with a fork. that part of the recipe is the most work.
oh, my. can you imagine if you did this all the time, and fedexed them to people? the world would be a happier place.
sally - you're right, w/o the woodchips, it is entirely different. they should share the recipe - the more for everyone! watch out for those mouse babies....ick!!
jonathan - thanks!