Pulled pork?
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Loprraine
Executive Chef
I'm no Chef, but I think you need the fat content in there. I've used shoulder or butt. And, I can get those two way cheaper than loin.
DaCook
Senior Cook
Yep you need the fat to keep the meat nice and juicy during the slow cooking process. Using a loin would result in a really dry product.
Boston butt(Shoulder) is THE best way to go. as mentioned, you really need the fat content in the cut to keep things moist.
Barb L.
Master Chef
About the pulled pork, I put a boston butt in the crockpot, with a dry rub on it (your choice) and let it cook at least 8hr.s. It is so tender and flavorful ! Then just dicard the fat, shred or chop your meat, - with or without BBQ sauce it is great.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i agree that leaner cuts of meat will not make for good pulled pork.
besides shoulder and rump cuts o' the piggie, about the only other part that can be used that has enough fat are the lower rib/belly sections.
besides shoulder and rump cuts o' the piggie, about the only other part that can be used that has enough fat are the lower rib/belly sections.
"Rump cuts" of the pig are the ham and they are not very good for pulled pork either. Belly is awfully expensive to use--at least where I am, and not very large. Definitely not the loin or tenderloin. Former is 'way too lean and latter is too small and too expensive.
Put it in the oven for 8 hours at 250* uncovered instead of the crockpot. You get wonderful char and melting meat.
Put it in the oven for 8 hours at 250* uncovered instead of the crockpot. You get wonderful char and melting meat.
sparrowgrass
Head Chef
Here is how I do mine. Sam's club, in my area anyhow, has whole pork butts for a reasonable price--two large pieces, 20 pounds or so total.
Start this recipe the night before you plan to serve it.
I mix up a cup of brown sugar, a tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of chili powder. Rub this all over the roasts. Feel free to add or subtract ingredients--sometimes I use packaged steak rub or sate seasoning instead of the chili powder, but IMHO, the sugar is a must. Add cayenne for some heat, if you like. (The crust on the roast will not be very sweet--most of the sugar caramelizes.)
Put both roasts on a rack in a big pan--line it with foil to make cleanup easier.
Preheat your oven to 400, put the roasts in and immediately turn the oven down to 200.
Wash the dishes, watch some TV, go to bed. Wake up in the morning to the most wonderful smell, but don't eat it yet. (Well, you can pull off a few shreds--no-one will know.)
An hour or so before you are ready to eat, take the roasts out and pull them apart with two forks. You will be cooking this roast for 16-20 hours, depending on whether you are making it for lunch or dinner.
I make two because it freezes very well, and works in lots of recipes--enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches.
Start this recipe the night before you plan to serve it.
I mix up a cup of brown sugar, a tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of chili powder. Rub this all over the roasts. Feel free to add or subtract ingredients--sometimes I use packaged steak rub or sate seasoning instead of the chili powder, but IMHO, the sugar is a must. Add cayenne for some heat, if you like. (The crust on the roast will not be very sweet--most of the sugar caramelizes.)
Put both roasts on a rack in a big pan--line it with foil to make cleanup easier.
Preheat your oven to 400, put the roasts in and immediately turn the oven down to 200.
Wash the dishes, watch some TV, go to bed. Wake up in the morning to the most wonderful smell, but don't eat it yet. (Well, you can pull off a few shreds--no-one will know.)
An hour or so before you are ready to eat, take the roasts out and pull them apart with two forks. You will be cooking this roast for 16-20 hours, depending on whether you are making it for lunch or dinner.
I make two because it freezes very well, and works in lots of recipes--enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches.
Hopz
Senior Cook
The answer to your question is, yes, some other cuts can be made tender enough to pull.
Out here in the West we see a lot of the Mexican dish Carnitas. Thats pork that has been cooked low and slow- but usually in a liquid. We also see a lot of posole which is exactly like a chile con carne, but made with pork not beef, (then has an addition of posole/hominy).
In both cases the pork comes out really tender (if you do it right). The point being; if you cook it in a liquid you can simulate the low and slow of smoking a butt.
You can cook any cut you like in a crock pot- keep a lot of liquid in there- preferably something like a vinegar based bbq sauce-. Cook all night and you will wake up to a great smell, and you might have to have pork for breakfast.
Out here in the West we see a lot of the Mexican dish Carnitas. Thats pork that has been cooked low and slow- but usually in a liquid. We also see a lot of posole which is exactly like a chile con carne, but made with pork not beef, (then has an addition of posole/hominy).
In both cases the pork comes out really tender (if you do it right). The point being; if you cook it in a liquid you can simulate the low and slow of smoking a butt.
You can cook any cut you like in a crock pot- keep a lot of liquid in there- preferably something like a vinegar based bbq sauce-. Cook all night and you will wake up to a great smell, and you might have to have pork for breakfast.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
Gretchen said:
the question was what else can be used. rump when cured is called ham, otherwise, it's still pork.
but i've had it, as hopz mentioned, cooked in a crock pot and made into pulled pork, and it worked out ok. not as good as shoulder, but tasty nonetheless.
an old friend used to have a 3 day, 2 or 3 animal spit roast every year on his birthday. i was in charge of picking up the dressed beasts and getting them on the mechanized spit on friday morning. then a few of us took shifts basting the carcass and adding/adjusting the coals as it cooked over a mix of hardwood lump and briquette charcoal.
we usually started with a lamb (and sometimes a small pig) on friday, and a fairly large 100 lb. plus pig on saturday. by sunday, there was a lot of leftover animal parts, so we often "pulled" or forked them to shreds, adding a sauce as we shredded. the most delicious by far was the leftover bellies and rib portions. so most cuts, except the very lean can be used if cooked properly.
In a crockpot I suppose the rump (also known as a fresh ham) will be OK. Having made my pulled pork for about 40 years and tried fresh ham, I prefer the butt/shoulder/picnic cut of the pig.
And yes, we have whole hog BBQs (the noun--not the grill) where the whole pig is cooked overnight at a low temp--ribs, shoulder, hams, etc. It is delicious as well.
This is a definition of the rear leg. The front leg=shoulder/butt
pork leg = ham The meat from this part of the pig is usually made into hams, but fresh leg meat is lean and makes a terrific roast.
Cuts:
fresh pork leg = fresh ham = fresh leg of pork Notes: This makes a great roast for a large crowd. It's usually cured as ham, so you might have to special-order it to get it fresh. It's sold either boneless or bone-in, and either whole or halved. The bottom half is called the shank portion = shank roast = leg roast, while the upper is called a top leg roast = inside roast = butt portion = pork leg butt = fresh ham butt = pork leg roast sirloin portion. A steak cut from the leg is called a fresh pork leg steak. Substitutes: pork center loin roast OR pork sirloin roast OR Boston butt
And yes, we have whole hog BBQs (the noun--not the grill) where the whole pig is cooked overnight at a low temp--ribs, shoulder, hams, etc. It is delicious as well.
This is a definition of the rear leg. The front leg=shoulder/butt
pork leg = ham The meat from this part of the pig is usually made into hams, but fresh leg meat is lean and makes a terrific roast.
Cuts:
fresh pork leg = fresh ham = fresh leg of pork Notes: This makes a great roast for a large crowd. It's usually cured as ham, so you might have to special-order it to get it fresh. It's sold either boneless or bone-in, and either whole or halved. The bottom half is called the shank portion = shank roast = leg roast, while the upper is called a top leg roast = inside roast = butt portion = pork leg butt = fresh ham butt = pork leg roast sirloin portion. A steak cut from the leg is called a fresh pork leg steak. Substitutes: pork center loin roast OR pork sirloin roast OR Boston butt
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buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
lol,
i came back to add to my post "having said all of this, i still think that this: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/gretchens-carolina-pulled-pork-18946.html?highlight=gretchen%27s+pulled+pork is the best way to do it, using a shoulder.
that darn term "ham" can get a little confusing, that's why i like to seperate the definitions by anything fresh is pork, the cured leg parts being a ham.
i came back to add to my post "having said all of this, i still think that this: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/gretchens-carolina-pulled-pork-18946.html?highlight=gretchen%27s+pulled+pork is the best way to do it, using a shoulder.
that darn term "ham" can get a little confusing, that's why i like to seperate the definitions by anything fresh is pork, the cured leg parts being a ham.
Loprraine
Executive Chef
Gretchen said:
I'd love to have your recipe.
Several threads with it have come up now. Here it is again.
Carolina Pulled pork I posted it a long time ago. It is truly easy and delicious.
1 pork shoulder or butt, bone in or out--any size--the cooking time is the same for a 3#or 8# piece. BBQ rub of your choice or just rub the meat with a mixture of coarse ground black pepper and brown sugar. Let marinate 8 hours or overnight.
Method 1--IF you have a smoker that can control the temp (I have a sidebox smoker and can keep the temp at 200*-250*) smoke the meat for 4 hours, keeping the temp low. Then place the meat in a 250* oven for 4 hours to finish. It will be meltingly tender and have a wonderful smoky flavor. Method 2 (and this is the one I have really used for 30 years). Place the meat in a 250* oven for 8 hours uncovered . I have often done them overnight. It will still have the melting tenderness. You will have to slap your hands to have any left over as you take it out of the oven.
When ready to serve pull chunks of meat off and then "pull" the meat into shreds by pulling between 2 forks. Do not discard the fat--mix it in. This is not a low fat dish and to really enjoy, use it!!!
For a traditional Carolina serving method very lightly moisten the meat with sweetened vinegar (1 qt. vinegar + 1/4C sugar and 2TBS coarse black pepper). To warm before serving put the vinegared meat in a pan (black iron frying pan is good) and cover tightly. Heat at 250* until heated.
To serve, offer bbq sauces, cole slaw (in the Carolinas, it goes ON the sandwich), baked beans, rolls, and banana pudding. For fall bbq's Brunswick Stew is also offered.
For BBQ sauce here is my tomato based:
1 bottle ketchup (28 or 32 oz.) 1 ketchup bottle of cider vinegar 6 oz. yellow mustard 6 oz. worcestershire sauce 1/2C brown sugar 3 oz. liquid smoke 2-3 TBS coarse black pepper Tabasco to your taste Simmer for 45 minutes.
If you use commercial bbq sauce I suggest diluting them 1/2 with vinegar for this use.
Eastern NC uses vinegar sauces--sweetened vinegar with 1/4C (at least!!) cayenne pepper OR black pepper. It is too hot for me! South Carolina uses a mustard based sauce but don't know the recipe.
Carolina Pulled pork I posted it a long time ago. It is truly easy and delicious.
1 pork shoulder or butt, bone in or out--any size--the cooking time is the same for a 3#or 8# piece. BBQ rub of your choice or just rub the meat with a mixture of coarse ground black pepper and brown sugar. Let marinate 8 hours or overnight.
Method 1--IF you have a smoker that can control the temp (I have a sidebox smoker and can keep the temp at 200*-250*) smoke the meat for 4 hours, keeping the temp low. Then place the meat in a 250* oven for 4 hours to finish. It will be meltingly tender and have a wonderful smoky flavor. Method 2 (and this is the one I have really used for 30 years). Place the meat in a 250* oven for 8 hours uncovered . I have often done them overnight. It will still have the melting tenderness. You will have to slap your hands to have any left over as you take it out of the oven.
When ready to serve pull chunks of meat off and then "pull" the meat into shreds by pulling between 2 forks. Do not discard the fat--mix it in. This is not a low fat dish and to really enjoy, use it!!!
For a traditional Carolina serving method very lightly moisten the meat with sweetened vinegar (1 qt. vinegar + 1/4C sugar and 2TBS coarse black pepper). To warm before serving put the vinegared meat in a pan (black iron frying pan is good) and cover tightly. Heat at 250* until heated.
To serve, offer bbq sauces, cole slaw (in the Carolinas, it goes ON the sandwich), baked beans, rolls, and banana pudding. For fall bbq's Brunswick Stew is also offered.
For BBQ sauce here is my tomato based:
1 bottle ketchup (28 or 32 oz.) 1 ketchup bottle of cider vinegar 6 oz. yellow mustard 6 oz. worcestershire sauce 1/2C brown sugar 3 oz. liquid smoke 2-3 TBS coarse black pepper Tabasco to your taste Simmer for 45 minutes.
If you use commercial bbq sauce I suggest diluting them 1/2 with vinegar for this use.
Eastern NC uses vinegar sauces--sweetened vinegar with 1/4C (at least!!) cayenne pepper OR black pepper. It is too hot for me! South Carolina uses a mustard based sauce but don't know the recipe.
Loprraine
Executive Chef
Thanks, Gretchen!
