Ultimate Cheater BBQ Pork

We're never sure what to do with our slow cookers. 

Yes, I said slow cookers -- we have two of them, a small 1.5 quart and a larger 5 quart one. 

They largely sit in our cupboard, unused, until we pull them out about once a year, to make a chili or perhaps a coq a vin.  And the food is always fine -- not terrible, not amazing, very middle of the road. 

Thanks to The Splendid Table podcast, we'll never again want for a quality slow cooker recipe.

Meet Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork -- a phenomenal slow cooker recipe that makes some of the best pulled pork we've ever had.

Back in May, we made Pulled Pork Tacos from Cook's Illustrated.  They were great tacos, but it's the only time we've ever made pulled pork. That said, being from Kentucky and Tennessee, we've eaten our fair share of pulled pork over the years. We know from barbecue.

This pulled pork is among the best we've ever had.  The secret is in the rub -- a delicious mix of paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt & pepper -- and the addition of bottled smoke.

When added to cut up pork shoulder, these simple ingredients, left to simmer in the slow cooker for a day, produce succulent, flavorful pulled pork sandwiches. 

We topped ours with Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.  Next time, though, we'll top it with this barbecue sauce, which we've made many times.  We think it's better than any store-bought sauce we've ever had. 

Give this pulled pork a try -- you won't regret it.

Have a favorite slow cooker recipe?  Please share it!

Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork
As heard on The Spendid Table Podcast
Reprinted from Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, In Any Weather

Makes 12 to 14 servings

    * One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs
    * 1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe follows)
    * 1/2 cup bottled smoke
    * Barbecue sauce of your choice

1. Cut the pork butt into medium (2- to 3-inch) chunks (the ribs don't need to be cut up).

2. Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the bottled smoke.

3. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 F.

4. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.

5. To serve the barbecue later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled. Pour the meat juice into a separate container and refrigerate. Before reheating the juice, skim and discard the congealed fat layer on the top.

6. To reheat the barbecue, place it in a saucepan moistened with some of the reserved juice. Gently heat the meat on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Or, place it in a covered casserole with some of the reserved juice and heat in a 350 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

7. While the meat warms, combine the barbecue sauce and some of the additional reserved meat juice in a saucepan. Heat through and serve with the barbecue.

Cheater Basic Dry Rub
Makes about 2/3 cup

    * 1/4 cup paprika
    * 2 tablespoons kosher salt
    * 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
    * 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    * 1 tablespoon dry mustard

1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.

Comments

[heather]

mmmmmmmmm. cheating has never looked so tempting! i love pulled pork, this looks delish!

[Mrs. L]

We have some boneless pork ribs in the freezer (somewhere, gasp, you guys may make me clean that thing out yet!). Anything that I can throw in the crock pot in the morning and have dinner ready for me when I get home works for me.

[Sarah]

I've seen pork butt onsale but never actually known what to do with it... This looks delicious, can't wait to try it sometime soon. Also love the premise of your blog - I'll be back for more!

[laura k]

I did something very similar to this two summers ago and still dream about it. I didn't cut up the pork shoulder, though, and it turned out fine: incredibly tender and easy to pull apart with a fork. I think I might have to do this again, soon, perhaps with your bottled smoke idea...

[Nicole from : Rezimo.com]

I wish I had a slow cooked - they don't seem to sell them in Germany. Maybe I could just use my oven...

The recipe sounds really mouth-watering! And, thanks for the bbq sauce tip! I always make my own, but it'd be great to try a new one.

[maggie]

How funny, I tried my slow cooker for the first time last night. I'm a little weirded out by liquid smoke, though.

[Tiffany]

First of all, I love the Splendid Table. Every recipe I've tried has been delicious.
Second, this sounds great! My husband and I do something similar-- we basically pour the bbq sauce into the slow cooker with the pork roast and let it cook all day. It's about the easiest thing in the world, and it ends up delicious and falling off the bone.

[Katie]

I love my slow cooker and use it all the time! Of course, you guys are much better cooks than I am. :) Basically I use it anytime I want meat to be really, really tender and the appearance doesn't really matter: beef stew, the pork from your taco recipe (which was broiled afterwards anyway), beef for burritos... I've already told Tolsun that we need to make the Irish Beef and Stout Stew you featured last week.

There's something really appealing to me about throwing a bunch of stuff in the cooker in the morning and having it magically turn into a delicious meal by dinnertime. Plus, only one pot to clean!

[peabody]

I never know what to do with my cooker either. Thanks for the recipe, looks nice and easy.

[MindyM]

If you think the cheater pulled pork is great, you need to do a cheater brisket in the oven. Yes, we thought the liquid smoke thing thing was weird until we started playing around with it and realized that it's an all-natural product. They even sell it at Whole Foods! And you need to be making your own bbq sauce while the meat is in the slow cooker or the oven. Here's my secret to a great sauce--I like an equal balance of ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar. All you need to add is a little sauteed onion, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. We appreciate the plug for our goofy little book Cheater BBQ!

[brich]

You seriously need to try this one! It completely exceeded my expectations. I didn't cut it into chunks, just had to cut the pork butt into pieces to fit it into the crock pot. Ah-mazing stuff. Literally fell off the bone when I pulled it out of the crock pot. I was weirded out a little by the Liquid Smoke addition, but it really takes the recipe to another dimension. Thanks Bitten Word!

[Andy W.]

I just wanted to say I made this tonight. I found a recipe for eastern NC style bbq sauce to have with it. The pork was awesome and will definitely be making it again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/southpaw20/3178729954/