Pulled Pork, a Tradition

Traditions come in all forms, sizes, degrees of formality, and frequency. They are a way of proclaiming who we are, of acknowledging special events, of defining our relationships. They are affirmative by nature and even sad traditions, such as funerals, remind us that life is a continuum and circular -- however that circle is defined.

For quite a few years I fixed a birthday feast for each of my parents on their birthdays. Then I left Knoxville (yet again) and since I've returned (yet again) I've enjoyed renewing these special meals. They affirm my love, and even sense of duty, to my mother and father. They are something I make myself (remember how, as a child, you were told that the gifts you made were the best ones?) and I spend a lot of time thinking about what to fix.

It must be something I think the parent who's having the birthday will particularly enjoy. It must be something (at least mostly) I haven't fixed for a prior birthday, and ideally it should include something I invent just for the occasion. The occasion that prompted my most recent efforts was my father's birthday, which we celebrated today. My parents have reached an age (pretty-damned-old) where they don't like driving at night and so the dinner was a lunch.

As befits a man born and raised in the South, Dad is a barbeque lover. In the South, barbeque is also a tradition.

Dad didn't barbeque (in the proper sense of the word) when I was a child, but he did do a good bit of grilling, on a grill he built himself, over real wood -- none of this briquette business. He taught me how to build a "proper" fire starting with a tiny tepee of twigs and fluff gathered from the woods and building out to a substantial tepee of small logs. Done "properly" this could then be lit with a single match without benefit of newspaper or starter fluid.

Those days were long ago and these days he doesn't have a grill at all, much less any kind of a smoker. So for barbeque he's had to rely on a local chain. Their 'Q is good (slow-roasted in smoke as it should be) but I thought for this event I'd smoke a pork roast myself and shred it to make pulled-pork. In these parts pulled-pork is served on a hamburger bun with a sauce that falls somewhere between Memphis and North Carolina in character -- which just happens to be Knoxville's location.

Not content with supermarket buns I came up with a recipe of my own (to be posted later). I also made barbequed beans (also to be posted later), a sort-of succotash of fresh corn, tomatoes, and squash, and a dessert (again, to be posted later).

I bought a shoulder blade roast, known as Boston Butt, 2 days ago, applied the following spice rub, and wrapped it up tight to marinate until yesterday morning.

Pork Dry Rub

1/4 c paprika
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed (dried) sage
1 tsp dried, ground lemon peel
1/2 tsp ground chipotle

I mix this up and store it in a small mayonnaise jar with large holes poked in the lid. The holes make it easy to apply to meat. To seal the jar I use a couple of pieces of plastic wrap between the lid and jar.

Yesterday morning I piled about six pounds of briquettes in a starter chimney and lit it. when the fire was ready, I dumped it into the fire basket, added a bit more charcoal, and tossed on some chunks of hickory I soaked in water. seven and a half hours later I had barbeque.

Then it was a matter of letting it cool enough to handle and then pulling it apart into shreds of meat. My fingers are still stiff. As for the sauce, you can find the recipe here.

 

Kevin Weeks is a Gather food correspondent (Paisano), personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" is a column focused on peasant dishes from around the world. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month and in addition he writes a weekly column for Spot-On.