Pulled Pork Question?

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abjcooking

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I want to make some pulled pork, but I don't have a smoker or grill. I was thinking that the best way to cook it with maintaining the best flavor would be to cook it in the oven slow (like around 250) through the day. Is this the best way?
 
a smoker uses dry low heat and smoke
in your oven I would use low moist heat ... I would use a covered pot (dutch oven) and some liquid (like a pot roast) so some broth with seasonings, liquid smoke, etc.
if you want it sweet, add some sliced apples , they will melt away but flavor the pork really well.
 
Stupid question for you. What is pulled pork? I ahve seen so much stuff about it, especially by AllenMI and I have no idea what it is. I've never eaten it.
 
It is a pork roast that is slowly cooked until on low until it usually fall's apart (shredded). Then usually people will but BBQ sauce on it and eat it as is, or put it on a hamburger bun for a pulled pork sandwich.
 
okay. I've seem pictures of AllenMI's pork butt on his grill and it looked soooo good. I wouldn't want bbq, I like meat with just seasoning or original tastes to them.
 
abjcooking said:
I want to make some pulled pork, but I don't have a smoker or grill. I was thinking that the best way to cook it with maintaining the best flavor would be to cook it in the oven slow (like around 250) through the day. Is this the best way?

I've done pulled pork in the oven using a dry rub and a mop during cooking. It was delicious! The main thing that's missing from the oven method is the smoke flavor. I tried smoking in my oven once and found I don;t have the venting necessary to do it.

You can use Liquid Smoke to add smoke flavor. It's worth doing in the oven.

Here's a recipe from Emeril that tastes very good.

Two tips: First, you have to cook the butt to around 205-210 F internal temperature, not the 160 F that the recipe calls for.

Second, don't make the BBQ sauce, use your own.

The dry rub and the mop sauce are good.
 
Andy M. said:
I tried smoking in my oven once and found I don;t have the venting necessary to do it.

Sssoooo, what led you to the conclusion that you don't have the necessary venting, there AndyM, hhhmmmm???

Well, here is my input for the pulled pork. I am currently in love w/ Alton Brown's no bbq bbq ribs, and I'm sure you can modify the recipe for pork shoulder, or butt.

Use a rub, or not, let sit w/ rub for 6-8 hours, or not. Wrap the butt or shoulder in HD tinfoil, where it is at least 4" larger than the meat. Fold it in such a way that you can unfold it on the side and add your liquid. Now, he suggests marguerita mix, and OJ. I have used OJ alone, or beer, or tea too. A large rack of ribs calls for 1C liquid. Pour it into the side of the foil that you have opened, refold so no liquid can escape, and then cook it for 1 hour on 350, then reduce heat to 250 & cook for 2 hours. Mind you, the actual cooking time may vary, but other foodies can help you gauge that. Once the meat is falling off the bone, or itself, take the juices and pour them into a sauce pan, and add (I don't do this part, so I don't know what he calls for, but whatever it is, it thickens the sauce and makes it like a bbq sauce). What I do do, is refrigerate the juices, whereby it makes a sort of demiglace, which I thin out for stock use in risotto, or use as a thickening agent in sauces.

You all really must try ribs this way. The recipe is in Alton Brown's, I'm just here for the food, cookbook.
Hope this can lend some insight.
B.
 
yankeefan...
let's just say I was dreaming about the smell of smoked foods for a couple of days afterwards.
 
texasgirl said:
okay. I've seem pictures of AllenMI's pork butt on his grill and it looked soooo good. I wouldn't want bbq, I like meat with just seasoning or original tastes to them.

Awww....gee! You're going to make me blush!

In most BBQ restaurants, the sauce is a condiment, and is to be used sparingly. Someplaces may not even offer a sauce upfront, you have to ask for it. And, depending on what part of the country you're from, "BBQ Sauce" differs. Eastern North Carolina uses a vinegar-based sauce. Some areas of the country, the sauce is hot and spicy, in others, it's sweet. I prefer a sweet, tomato-based sauce, although I'm quickly becoming addicted to Cattlemen's Texas Gold sauce (currently only available to restaurants).

When I make my pulled pork, I do the typical Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich, using cheap, nutritionally worthless white buns (white bread will work in a pinch). I squirt just a little sauce over the meat, slap the top bun on, and down a few. Cold beer optional
buds1rv.gif
 
When I do pulled pork or Kahlua pig in the oven, I set the roast on a rack in a roasting pan, season w/salt, pepper, garlic, then put a little water in the bottom of the pan, and season the water with a few drops of liquid smoke. Then cover the whole thing with foil, put in a 300 degree oven, and cook for 4-5 hours, depending on how big it is. Then - if you want 'burnt ends' - uncover the pan, crank the heat to 450, and roast for another 15 minutes or so.

Let the roast cool a bit before you 'pull' it, and be sure to add back all the juices after you've pulled; otherwise the meat will be veeery dry!

PS - This is a totally basic way to do this - of course you could season with whatever rub you like instead of just plain salt/pepper.
 
So just to clarify, if I use liquids the roast can either cook in the little bit of liquid at the bottom or you can put the liquid under the roast that is on a rack and let the liquid steam around the roast?
 
AllenMI said:
I'm quickly becoming addicted to Cattlemen's Texas Gold sauce (currently only available to restaurants).
Allen, do you know if that is the same Cattlemen's gold sauce that the 99 restaurant chain (do you have the 99's by you?) uses for their Gold Fever Wings?

My wife is addicted to Gold Fever Wings and I tried to duplicate them at home, but couldn't. I called the 99's and through some deep digging (I was a bit deceitful to get the info :angel: ) was able to find out that all they use on those wings is Cattlemens Gold. I tried to find some way of buying it, but like you I found it is only available to restaurants. My local supermarket just started carrying 3 other varieties of Cattlemens, but not the gold :(

OK sorry that I got off topic. Back to discussing pulled pork :)
 
abjcooking said:
I want to make some pulled pork, but I don't have a smoker or grill. I was thinking that the best way to cook it with maintaining the best flavor would be to cook it in the oven slow (like around 250) through the day. Is this the best way?

I have found I like to fix mine in the crockpot. It works for me.
 
GB, and they are possible mixing the cattlemen's with something. Cattlemens' markets it that way, a base sauce to mix with other ingredients to create your own special sauce. You can get it thru US Foods or Sysco, you may have to pay a little more tha a restaurant would. We got a gallon from US Foods to expirement with.

Just glad y'all didn't call it BBQ! :mrgreen:
 
Raine said:
Just glad y'all didn't call it BBQ! :mrgreen:
LOL I know better than that :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

No they do not mix it with anything. The manager I spoke with was very willing to tell me exactly how they made thier wings. He said all they use it cattlemans right from the bottle and nothing else.
 
abjcooking said:
So just to clarify, if I use liquids the roast can either cook in the little bit of liquid at the bottom or you can put the liquid under the roast that is on a rack and let the liquid steam around the roast?

Yepper - and I highly recommend using some type of rack, so you can get the 'crispies' from the bottom, too.

Just did a shoulder yesterday - a local store had whole shoulders on sale for $4 APIECE!! I got one that was 9 1/2 pounds!!!!
 
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