Pulled Pork

Pulled pork - a wonderful dish when you are feeding a crowd for a family event or a picnic. It can be prepared ahead, frozen and is relatively inexpensive. What more could you ask from a recipe?

For my demonstration, I used a smaller half shoulder, but it's worth making a full shoulder if you have the freezer space.

1 5 to 7 lb. bone-in pork shoulder, skin and excess fat removed

For the rub:

3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix all ingredients and rub well into pork. (Leftover rub may be stored in a jar and is great on ribs or chicken.)

Prepare a roasting pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to enclose roast. Place roast in pan and seal securely. Place in a 210f degree oven and cook for 12 hours.

NOTE: I usually put this in about 7 pm, take it out in the morning and, by the time we have breakfast, it's cool enough to proceed.

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a simmer,stirring occasionally. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove pork from roasting pan, reserving juices. Drain juices into a measuring jug and allow to settle for a few minutes to allow fat to rise to the surface. Remove as much of the fat as you can and strain the juices into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, don a pair of disposable gloves and shred the pork - much faster than trying to use two forks! Discard any bits of fat you may find. If you want a finer product, just turn the pork out onto a large chopping board and give it a few chops with a large knife.

When pan juices have reduced, add them to the sauce and mix well. Add about half of the sauce to the shredded pork and mix well.

To serve, simply pile onto a roll, add a little more sauce, if desired and enjoy. Or......you might like to add little cole slaw on top - a winning combination in my humble opinion.

The pork will keep in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days or may be frozen for a month.

Watch my video demonstration:

auntnancy777 has made a comment on Betty's pulled pork (a picnic favorite) .mpg:

'This pulled pork looks wonderful for the 4th of July! I just happened upon your videos and I have been having fun viewing them. You have great recipes and such a fabulous way of presenting them. You're a good teacher! Thanks!"