Braised Pulled Pork
Description
I was introduced to pulled pork many years ago by a school chum who used to throw a big party at the end of the summer he called "Porkapalooza!" He used to cook pork up three or four different ways and invited a ton of people over for the festivities. We all rolled home--full, but happy.
Hands down, my favorite dish was always the pulled pork. Mr. Porkapalooza used get up early in the morning and cook the meats all day long. He did give me this recipe for the dry rub, but his cooking method is still a secret.
This version is pretty quick, very easy and most importantly, very tasty.
I make this dish with the intention of having some leftovers for future meals. This meat is beautiful in chili, tamale pie, and other dishes. When I put pulled pork on my weekly menu, assume that I will include the leftovers in meals later in the week and try to plan accordingly for your needs based on the size of your family.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 300*
Cut pork shoulder roast into chunks of about 3-4" in size.
Trim fat if desired. I usually leave the fat cap on the roast, but trim the fat from the interior of the meat.
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Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl large enough in which to roll the chunks of meat. Mix ingredients well.
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Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven (I use a 6.5 quart cast iron oven) on medium-high heat. Add oil. When the oil is hot and shimmery, but not smoking, roll chunks of meat in seasoning mix and carefully place in the pot. Cook long enough to give the meat a good sear--check after a couple of minutes and adjust cooking time as needed. Once seared on one side, turn over and give the other side a good sear. You may need to do this step in a couple of batches.
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Once all meat is seared, add it all back into the pot along with about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and place in the pre-heated oven.
Check meat after a couple of hours of cooking and make sure it still has some liquid in it--you don't want it to have a lot of liquid, but it shouldn't be dry. Add a little more water if necessary.
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You want the meat to melt-in-your-mouth tender, which will take another 1.5-2 hours to cook, so plan accordingly. Check in another hour for tenderness--the meat should be super tender and easily pulled apart with a couple of forks. Cook longer if necessary--plus, make sure to check that the pan is not dry--add a little more water if necessary.
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Pulled pork meat is great for all kinds of meals, but it's amazing on a hamburger bun topped with cherry chutney mixed with your favorite bar-b-cue sauce--YUM!!!
