A Sin? You Tell Me

[mudbug]

HH and I went to a graduation party on Saturday, where the hosts had hired a guy to do barbecue for the occasion.

He had a nice-looking cooker, but was using propane instead of charcoal or wood, which I decided to overlook since he was getting a nice smoke ring on the ribs. chickens, and Boston butts he was cooking.

But we had never seen someone take a nice piece of barbecued pork and run it thru a grinder, turning it into something resembling the texture of some kinds of cole slaw I have seen.

HH said he wanted to cry, but he is too polite to do such a thing in front of a man who was obviously working hard to make us all some nice barbecue --- but, but MINCED pork??????

I have to admit to a prejudice to the tomato-based sauces for barbecue, and this guy was serving the vinegar-based east NC type of sauce. My question is, is this another technique typical of that kind of cooking? I had never seen it before, and our hosts gave us at least a couple of pounds of this stuff to take home. I have no idea what to do with it, except make some kind of sloppy joes out of it.

Pulled pork and ribs I can deal with jes' fine. But this was a new one on us, and it just ain't right!

 

[ErikC]

Maybe not a sin...but hard to call it barbecue for sure!

 

[Andy M.]

On some Food Network shows, I have seen folks serving chopped pork in place of pulled pork. They used two cleavers to chop up the cooked Boston Butt. I suppose once you put it on a bun and add some BBQ sauce it should taste OK.

Call me a 'sinner' but I see no problem with a gas smoker as long as there is plenty of wood to make smoke and provide flavor.

 

[Robo410]

pulled pork is fork or finger pulled. ground up? that's potted meat spread.

And I do like the NC vinegar bbq with a good wood smoke pork! Also love the tomato based and the peppery James River sauce too.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Pulled....Pulled and Chopped? (A La the method Andy referred to)...Yes! --- Ground??....... Ahmmm no thank you.

 

[jabbur]

I have had the ground stuff and while the taste is the good the texture leaves a lot to be desired. I find it to be too soft and mushy to really make a good sandwich out of it. It is a technique that gets used in some areas but I'm not a fan.

 

[Hoot]

I reckon that fellow was either
A. Short handed and resorted to mechanical help.
B. Seen it done before and thought it was ok or "cool".
C. Too lazy to chop it up properly.

Having prepared several hundred pounds of barbecue in my time, it does take some work to chop it up properly. I have had barbecue that was treated in such a manner and it is entirely too soft and lacking the texture to make it palatable. IMHO.

 

[MJK]

Okay folks I didn't realize you all were the food police. I say to each their own and if you don't want toeat something please don't but don't insult my methods of cooking. with that I will take my leave of this wretched and vile bulletin board for elitists.

 

[katybar22]

Okay folks I didn't realize you all were the food police. I say to each their own and if you don't want toeat something please don't but don't insult my methods of cooking. with that I will take my leave of this wretched and vile bulletin board for elitists.

huh?

 

[mudbug]

Hey, Andy, I know the difference between chopped and minced. Chopped is good - minced, not so much.

Turns out that HH thought up a good way to use it: he spread some BBQ sauce (tomato-based) on a couple of tortillas, then sprinkled them with this minced meat and some shredded pepper jack cheese. After 15 minutes in the oven at 350, we had us a couple of little BBQ pizzas with a nice, thin crispy crust.

Have to admit also that the grinder the guy was using was a cool old Hobart model (he said it weighed a ton). However, I would never put barbecue through one.

 

[Andy M.]

Hey, Andy, I know the difference between chopped and minced. Chopped is good - minced, not so much...

We were at a cookout a couple of weeks ago where someone brought pulled pork made in a crock pot. It was pot of meat mush. I guess it was overcooked because there wasn't a recognizable piece of pork in the whole pot.

 

[mudbug]

That would not be pulled pork in my book. After it's cooked, you take it (a) off the cooker, (b) out of the oven, (c) out of the crockpot, and THEN pull it and let people build their sandwiches, add sauce, etc. Same with chopped.

But that's just my vile, elitist take on it.

 

[Andy M.]

You forgot wretched.

 

[ellakav]

You forgot wretched.

as for my vile, wretched and elitest take on putting pork thru
a meat-grinder, all I can say is that many of the guests must
have forgotten their teeth that day and preferred bbq pork Gerber-Style.

definitely a sin. remove your meat, pull it apart, let the eaters decide
from there how they want to eat it.

 

[PattY1]

That would not be pulled pork in my book. After it's cooked, you take it (a) off the cooker, (b) out of the oven, (c) out of the crockpot, and THEN pull it and let people build their sandwiches, add sauce, etc. Same with chopped.

But that's just my vile, elitist take on it.

Exactly my opinion! Same goes for feeding a crowd burgers. Cook BURGERS and let the people build their own sandwiches. Don't fill the ground meat with everything in you kitchen to try to make them "special".

 

[Mama]

Excuse me...but why is everyone being so mean to MJK? Personally, I don't like my smoked pork ground up but that is no reason to make fun of him.

 

[PattY1]

Excuse me...but why is everyone being so mean to MJK? Personally, I don't like my smoked pork ground up but that is no reason to make fun of him.

Start reading at beginning of this thread. That will enlighten you as to what is going on.

 

[Alix]

Excuse me...but why is everyone being so mean to MJK? Personally, I don't like my smoked pork ground up but that is no reason to make fun of him.

Mama, I think MJK was being a bit facetious and Mudbug and Andy have known him a long time and are goofing with him a bit. (Just guessing. I know they've all been around an awfully long time.) I'm not getting that they are making fun of him...more some of the stuff thats been said about DC lately I think.

Am I right guys? Post back so Mama doesn't think you all are being meanies.

 

[ellakav]

this whole thread has put a good laugh into what has been a rough
and despair-inducing day. seriously. thanks, guys!

 

[FincaPerlitas]

Living in Central America, I've discovered that leftover pulled pork works very well in many Spanish and Latin American dishes, such as tortas (omelets), burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and even paella.