Homemade pulled pork BBQ

quote:

Originally posted by MilwFoodlovers

I just got this recipe from Campbell's today and thought I'd reprint it for you. If I did this (like say during a blizzard in winter), I can see quite a bit of doctoring:

Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwiches
from Campbell's Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 min. - Cook Time: About 9 hr. - Stand Time: 10 min.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's® French Onion Soup
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
12 sandwich rolls

Directions:
HEAT oil in medium skillet. Add pork and cook until browned. Place pork in 5-qt. slow cooker. Mix soup, ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hr.* or until done.
REMOVE pork from cooker and let stand 10 min. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to cooker. Divide pork and sauce among rolls. Makes 12 sandwiches.
*Or on HIGH 4 to 5 hr.

Pork shoulder roast is also called pork "butt". If you don't find pork butt roast in the meat case, substitute pork blade steak (remove the bones).

DANG!! thats just what I was gonna do! I thought it kinda ironic to get this from campbells today

quote:

Originally posted by BuddyRoadhouse

Um...thanks.

Sorry, thought you were serious. In my line of work, details are everything; sorry if I got a little carried away with the advice.

BuddyRoadHouse,
Buddy, a heart attack can actually radiate to either arm, though commonly held belief is the left arm. It can also radiate to the jaw and is sometimes accompanied by sweating and/or nausea and/or chest pain, tightness, pressure, or just a heaviness. Sometimes a heart attack mimicks the feeling you get when you have heartburn. For women, the symptoms can be even more vague, sometimes just a feeling of extreme fatigue or weakness. Any of these symptoms can occur in either men or women, and any one of these symptoms should have you calling your doctor--at the very least--and if I was having any of these symptoms, I would not hesitate to have my husband either call 911 or drive me to the emergency room of my local hospital.

as a former paramedic I have to agree, and its not just radiating pain. Ive heard it descriped as crawling worms and crinkly paper, sometimes just an urge to cough AND P.O.I. coughing can shock a mildly arrhythmic heart back to normal.

Boy you people!
1) BuddyRoadHouse was playing with you'al about the heart attack, he was eating too much pork at one time and soaring his chlosterol level. But the information provided was thoughtful and well spelled out. I've been an EMT for 30 years and have seen more then my share of heart attacks.

2) Real pulled Pork BBQ can't be done in an oven or a crock pot. It gets done in a fire breathing wood burning contraption of some sort. At a tempurature of about 225 degrees F. Over a period of 8 - 12 hours.

I personally have used a Weber style grill for 25 years using a combo of briquettes and hickory chunks. I can control the heat for 4 - 5 hours w/o touching the BBQ, keeping the cooking grate temp at 225.

I would NEVER resort to using an oven after 3 or 4 hours of smoking

Real BBQ takes time and practice but I've eaten plenty of crockpot pork sandwiches and oven cooked pork sandwiches and enjoyed them plenty. I hope you do too.

MikeS.

I'm learning to use an offset charcoal/wood smoker and enjoying it immensely. The temperature question is interesting: I've been given to understand that if one gets the outside of a solid piece of meat up to temp pretty quickly all will be well. That's because the inside of the meat hasn't been exposed to harmful bacteria. I do know that I've never had any problems cooking with a water smoker or charcoal smoker/grill.

Incidentally, it has never occurred to me to use a gas grill or a crockpot or other indoor device to smoke anything. It just "don't seem right."

quote:

Originally posted by MikeSh

Boy you people!
1) BuddyRoadHouse was playing with you'al about the heart attack, he was eating too much pork at one time and soaring his chlosterol level. But the information provided was thoughtful and well spelled out. I've been an EMT for 30 years and have seen more then my share of heart attacks.

MikeS.

Yeah, with these forums, sometimes things get "lost in the translation." I'm glad he was only kidding. I guess we medical folk tend to take reference to things like heart attacks pretty seriously. But, hey, you never know. Maybe someone will read this thread, and our comments will help somebody.

I know at the very least I am learning a lot of things about BBQ!

quote:

Originally posted by brightcopperkettles

quote:

Originally posted by MikeSh

Boy you people!
1) BuddyRoadHouse was playing with you'al about the heart attack, he was eating too much pork at one time and soaring his chlosterol level. But the information provided was thoughtful and well spelled out. I've been an EMT for 30 years and have seen more then my share of heart attacks.

MikeS.

My kids always say I overreact especially since they got their driving licenses, always stressing to buckle up and drive defensivally, stopping rough housing in the pool and clearing the pool at the first sound of thunder. Probably so but there are images engraved in my mind that are best not shared.. Ive never used a crockpot for BBQ but I have made pot roast in one and something I call rags, A pot roast, can of beef broth, can of tomatoes, couple quartered onioins and half a bottle of barbq sauce, cook till meat falls apart and served on toasted burgerbuns....

Yeah, with these forums, sometimes things get "lost in the translation." I'm glad he was only kidding. I guess we medical folk tend to take reference to things like heart attacks pretty seriously. But, hey, you never know. Maybe someone will read this thread, and our comments will help somebody.

I know at the very least I am learning a lot of things about BBQ!

Y'know, as the words were leaving my fingertips and appearing on the screen, I thought, "Jumpin' geewhillikers, I sure hope there isn't anyone out there who's recently suffered a heart attack, 'cause they probably won't share my dark sense of humor regarding this subject." Little did I suspect there would be a gang of EMTs waiting in the wings to deliver a literary defibrilation on me. Thank you all for your concern and thank you MikeSh for pulling my slightly embarrassed behind out of the fire.

As for the purists out there who reject my method of finishing in the oven, I understand your revulsion. Please understand that this method was born of necessity and practicality. If there was any way I could stay up and tend the fire a full 18 hours, I would. On the other hand, my method has produced pulled pork that is as smoky, moist, and tender as anything I've ever tasted at the best Kansas City joints (and I've eaten at many). And although my method would disqualify it from competition, I would also say it's as good as anything I've ever tasted from literally dozens of entries at the American Royal.

As for the health issues, let me reiterate and clarify: The smoking process should be done at between 225 and 250 degrees. When I pull it out of the smoker, The internal temperature is just shy of being done. The oven finish is just to get it up those last few degrees and then hold it there in order to further break down the collagens insuring moist tender pork.

By the way, my heart is just fine, but thanks for the prompt reply.

you never know where your gonna find an EMT (or former EMT)

Yeah! What if Jane Stern had happened to be reading?

RE: pressure cooker pulled pork. ( Sorry, I don't know how to quote previous posts)RibDog, you are absolutely right. The pressure cooker has none of the subtlety that can only be accomplished by true Q'ing. The smoke flavor, changing from wood to wood and so forth. I've not the skill, the equipment, or, sad but true, the time to ever become a good BBQ man. The pressure cooker does however do a pretty good job of breaking down the tissue of that pork shoulder, and the cider vinegar does seem to add some tang, for lack of a better word. Not to mention stink up my whole house of vinegar when I release the pressure on the cooker. True Q, by no means, but tasty eating, nonetheless. Respectfully, JAMESB

This next winter when I'm buried under 3 inches* of snow I'm going to try the crock-pot method and the oven method for pulled pork.

*Us Calif. boys don't handle snow too very well at all

MikeS.

Well, they're calling for rain on the Fourth (why does that not surprise me), so I guess I'll be trying out the old crockpot method myself.

quote:

Originally posted by brightcopperkettles

Good advice, everybody. Thank you! I asked here first because I KNEW y'all would know the best way to do it; with a google'd recipe, you're never quite sure which one is best. Sounds like I need to invest in a small smoker to get the best results. That's do-able. My birthday is July 3; think I'll ask my hubby to make a trip to Home Depot for a smoker as my BD present, and then he and I can give this a try on the fourth.

BTW, what is your favorite rub (assume most of you make it yourselves). Would appreciate your favorite recipe if you're willing to share!

Thanks again! Cheryl

Happy early birthday!!

I have a friend that lives in a new apartment complex that allows no grills, open fires or even electric grills. Due to that, my friend is putting a pork butte on at 225F this evening at 8:00PM smothered with BBQ sauce and it will stay there until tomorrow morning.

I recoginize that it is not the same but you gotta do what you gotta do under the circumstances.

It probably will be decent with some good cole salw and some buns tomorrow at lunch????

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I have a friend that lives in a new apartment complex that allows no grills, open fires or even electric grills. Due to that, my friend is putting a pork butte on at 225F this evening at 8:00PM smothered with BBQ sauce and it will stay there until tomorrow morning.

I recoginize that it is not the same but you gotta do what you gotta do under the circumstances.

It probably will be decent with some good cole salw and some buns tomorrow at lunch????

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Absolutely!!!

Okay, I was just reading through all these great ideas, and thought I'd offer my advice and questions.

I've been at this for a bit over a year now, smoking with my New Braunfels black diamond. And I will most certainly agree that once you get over about 250 at any point in the smoking, the meat will dry out. I've also tried different rubs, but think most of the flavor is in the meat (I've done pit bbq pork for a long time using only salt and pepper). I'd never use liquid smoke, but that's just me, and the only time I sauce my pulled pork is when I make sandwiches with that ever so tasty sandwich slaw.

As for my questions: skin on or skin off? Remove some fat or no fat? Mop or no mop? Cover with foil after some time, or no?

I've been removing skin, leaving all the fat on, and mopping about once an hour, cover for about the last two or three hours. But I have yet to have that perfect fall apart shoulder at the end of the day, very tasty, but not quite what I see on the competition shows.

thanks,

DT

P.S. I'm also doing pulled pork for the 4th. We're headed to a very large party where each guest brings a picnic type dinner and then we all trade at the party - should be tons of fun, neat idea!

quote:

But I have yet to have that perfect fall apart shoulder at the end of the day

Just purchase a cookshack. You throw the meat in and forget about it, I haven't had a bad butt yet. It's so fall apart it's hard to get if off of the rack in one piece.

Toad-
Welcome to Roadfood.

If you're doing a Picnic then you can remove some of the skin if you want to...but with a Butt don't take off anything. Most of them are trimmed pretty close as it is.

Your rub is whatever you want to make it. Some like the Cajun stuff, others just the Salt and Pepper. Play with some different combinations and see what you think is best.

I don't use a mop until the last hour, and then only lightly.

Thanks for the welcome, Mr. Mayor!

The hunk of meat I have for tomorrow appears to be a boneless shoulder, but not the whole thing. Weighs about 5lbs. and looks plenty trimmed.

As for my rub, I use a recipe from Smoke and Spice (great book) and change it just a bit - less cayenne, bit more sugar, tad less paprika, etc.

But since this piece of meat has been boned, I rubbed it well all around and then tied it up, my concern is that it will dry out, since there isn't a lot of fat and no bone.

So I'm thinking about smoking it for about 4 hours, mopping maybe once an hour, then wrapping it in foil with a little more mop juice for about 3 more.

what does anyone think of this idea?

thanks again,

DT

I just pulled the pork butt out of the oven. It had been in there for 10 hours covered with BBQ sauce and uncovered at 225F. I definately prefer real BBQ that is smoked but I gotta tell you, I have never had pork any more tender. It was so tender, it was like mashed potatoes and the taste was delicious.

Low temp and long time in the oven is the key.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I just caught part of a Bobby should be flayed BbQ show, the meat cooked in a liquid filled dutch oven then put over a smokey fire on a grate.....

I really prefer to 'dry roast' the Pork Butt. I have found that adding liquid to it in the slow-cooker makes it (to me) mushy. Slow, dry cooking gives the outer crust the texture of the BBQ, and the natural fattiness of the meat will keep the interior moist. Cover it with foil if you must, but don't add any liquid !!

Okay, the meat is still on the grill, uncovered with seldom mopping, and no foil. Looking good so far, keep it between 200 and 220. Been 8 hours, probably take one more...

Anyone else smoke some pork this weekend?

DT

Just a quick update.

My 5.5lb boneless shoulder has been on the grill for about 14 hours, so we just ate the pasta salad for dinner. But I'm getting a real vibe that maybe I'm getting the knack for pulled pork.

Sure, it's past midnight and we didn't eat dinner, but there's always lunch tomorrow, and the drinks are still cold.

I'll post an update tomorrow to let you all know how things turned out, but since my family went to bed, you are the only ones left hangin' out with me.....


Happy Fourth of July to all!!!


DT

I have never had more tender pork than this past week end. A pork butt roasted with some BBQ sauce at 225F for 12 hours. It was delicious. If you do not have the time to do it on the smoker or grill, I definately suggest this way.

The pork was mash potato tender and the BBQ sauce was crisp and brown and created some neat bark.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I tried the crockpot method and was disappointed. It was passable but a smoker is definitely in our future.

We did 2 briskets and two pork butts over the weekend. (lots of family around this weekend). The Brinkmann did just fine. I cook them about 10 hours total, and find that wrapping both the brisket and butt in heavy duty foil the last couple hours helps the tenderness factor incredibly. We'll only use the oven as a last resort to finish it off.

My pork shoulder came out great on my New Braunfels BD, even if it did take 14 hours.

I've cooked them before only using the thermometer in the lid for temp, but this time I bought one of the wireless Maverick smoker/meat thermos, found out I've been cooking everything about 25 degrees too hot, very bad for something I only wanted to cook at 220.

And everyone loved the spicy pulled pork sammiches.

Just need to decide what to cook next...

DT