Slow-cooker pulled pork: Why not cook in for your cookout?
It looks as though the weather forecast will cooperate this weekend. But if you’re expecting a crowd, why not plan to enjoy the party with your guests rather than spend the day flipping burgers?
This recipe results is a giant pile of tender, subtly smoky, juicy meat and sauce that will leave your guests licking their fingers and their plates. It’s from Cook’s Country, an arm of the America’s Test Kitchen empire, and I must confess, it calls for an ingredient that up until now, I have managed to avoid my entire life: liquid smoke.
I had wrongly assumed that this product was nothing more than a bottle full of chemicals. In fact, it’s made by condensing actual smoke from smoldering wood chips, collecting the liquid that forms as the smoke cools. According to the folks at Cook’s Illustrated, (another branch of the ATK kingdom), the resulting liquid contains only “water-soluble flavor compounds” and none of the smoke’s “carcinogenic tars and resins.” They do offer one cautionary note: You’ll be happier with the result if you choose a brand that lists only smoke and water as its ingredients.
You can use pork shoulder (also called Boston butt) in this recipe, but that’s become quite pricey. Look for shoulder cushion or picnic cushion meat instead. It’s cut from the picnic shoulder and, while more economical, it's every bit as flavorful.
As for the timing, the recipe recommends letting the pork marinate in the spice rub overnight, then cooking it in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours the next day. But if it works better for your schedule, cook the pork overnight, while you sleep. Or, even better, make it up to three days in advance. When the meat is done, before the shredding, store it in its cooking liquid in the refrigerator. You can leave it right in the slow-cooker insert. Just cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
When you’re ready for the final prep, the fat will have risen to the top and hardened, making it easy to remove. Just reheat the meat and liquid in a Dutch oven on top of the stove or in a 300-degree oven. When it’s piping hot, proceed as directed with the shredding and sauce-making.
Enjoy!
Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production editor at The Day. Email her to share comments and recipes.
Slow-cooker North Carolina Pulled Pork
Serves 8-10
For the spice rub:
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (light works, too)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons table salt
For the pork:
3 smoked ham hocks
1 boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt or shoulder cushion or picnic cushion)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water)
For the sauce:
1 cup cider vinegar
¾ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons hickory or mesquite liquid smoke
Salt and pepper
Tabasco or hot sauce for serving
For the spice rub: In a small bowl, combine paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt.
For the pork: Place the ham hocks in the bottom of a slow-cooker insert. On a large tray or baking sheet, thoroughly coat the meat with spice rub, opening all the folds and getting the rub down into all the nooks and crannies. When coated, reshape the roast and place it in the slow cooker on top of the ham hocks, tucking the meat down into the cooker as far as possible. Cover the insert with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, discard the plastic wrap and set the insert into the slow-cooker base. Pour the chicken broth over the pork, cover the insert and cook on low until the pork is very tender, 8-10 hours.
Carefully transfer the cooked meat to a large tray or rimmed baking sheet. Using two forks, separate the meat into large chunks and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred the pork and ham hocks, discarding any bones and large hunks of fat.
For the sauce: While the pork is cooling, pour the cooking liquid through a strainer into either a saucepan or a fat separator. There should be 5-6 cups of liquid. Remove as much fat as possible and bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, cook until it's reduced to 1 cup, 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it. It will become thick and syrupy as it reduces. Next add the vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar and simmer for about 1 minute, until the sugar is dissolved. Off the heat, stir in the liquid smoke.
You should end up with about 3 cups of sauce. Pour half (about 1½ cups) over your shredded meat, tossing to combine, and let stand until meat has absorbed most of the sauce, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing the remaining sauce and Tabasco separately.
Original recipe from Cook's Country.
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