Pulled Pork

Pulled PorkI like barbecue.  Beef Brisket, Smoked Chicken, Baby back Ribs, and most definitely Pulled Pork.  When done right, it is moist, fall apart tender, without being mush.  It should have the pink smoke ring, a great seasoning rub, and make you want to over eat.  Not that I ever over eat.  That would be silly.  Ok, maybe just once or twice.

What I am not really keen on is stoking a fire every half hour for thirteen hours.  And a good Pulled pork takes about thirteen hours to become excellent.  Then a friend of mine introduced me to the Traeger pellet smoker.  Basically, load it with pellets, prep your meat, put it on, and forget it.  I added a barbecue thermometer to it (the Maverick is the one I got).  This will let you monitor the smoker temperature as well as the internet temperature of the food, from anywhere in your home, and alarm when it gets to where you set it.

My desire for Pulled Pork and my laziness could finally co-exist!

And yes, some barbecue purists tell me that a pellet smoker isn’t true barbecue.  it looses some of the art, the love, or the expression.  And do you know what?  Those same people are usually the ones eating all my pulled pork!  I’ll let the results speak for themselves.

And one last product that made my Pulled pork life complete:  The Pork Puller.  It revolutionized the pulling.  No longer do I spend 15 minutes per pork shoulder (Boston Butt) pulling it by hand with a couple of forks.  Now I get to use power tools!  Just be careful, as you can turn the meat to mush if you get too enthusiastic and go too far.  Honestly, I only did that once.  Meat paste is not what we are after here, though it was still tasty.

 

Ok., so the first step is to mix up a bag of rub (recipe below).  The Pulled Pork rub is enough for two butts (pork shoulders), roughly 14 – 16 pounds each.

Once the rub is ready, get the butts out of their packaging, and rinse them off to make sure to remove any bits of bone or unwanted packaging sludge.  Pat them dry, then put on a pair of food gloves, and slather them with yellow mustard (if you don’t use gloves, your hands will be yellow and smell of mustard for days).  And yes, the kind of mustard that goes on hot dogs and broccoli. (OK, so most people don’t put it on broccoli; if you don’t, you should try it.)  Prepared yellow mustard is mostly water with a little vinegar and ground mustard seed.  It mostly will hold the rub on well, but it also adds just a little something to the rub.

Once the mustard is on there, evenly spread the rub all over it.  It should look something like this.

boston butt with rubOnce that is done, get the smoker ready using whatever instructions came with your smoker.  Then (if you are using a barbecue thermometer) stick the meat thermometer into the meat in the thickest part (avoid fat deposits for the probe, they will read improperly) and the grill probe on a smoker section next to the meat (but not in a hot spot).  If you don’t have a barbecue thermometer then first go order one.  I’ll wait.  For today you’ll have to time it and use a hand held meat probe to test occasionally.

Close up the smoker and let it do it’s thing.  On the Traeger, set it to “smoke”, everyone else aim for 160 degrees.  Leave it for three hours to get that joyful pink smoke ring.  Then go turn up the smoker to 225 degrees.  Set the food alert to 190 degrees, internal temperature.

Also, one quick note about stalls.  You will think the meat is increasing in temperature really quickly for a bit, then it will stop and stay there for an hour.  This is normal; it is when the water in the meat is boiling and we all know that boiling water stays the same temperature until it’s done boiling.

Now you have a choice to make.  You can leave it on the smoker until it gets to the 190 degrees.  It will turn out well, and have a slightly hard, crunchy bark (the dark, smoked exterior).  After you pull it, it will mix in and you will get a really good Pulled Pork.

I personally like it to be more moist, so it comes off the smoker at 150 degrees internal temperature.  I then wrap it in aluminum foil (heavy duty, extra wide), and put it in my oven at 225 degrees until it gets to the 190 degrees internal temperature.  Why, you ask.  Why bother with it and sidetrack all that wonderful laziness when I could just leave it alone?  Three reasons.  1) I am a little cheap (frugal?) and pellets cost more than natural gas.  2) The Pulled pork doesn’t take much more smoke after that point.  and 3) wrapping it makes the juices redistribute rather than cook off, so it ends up more moist.  The disadvantage is that it has a soft bark.  I can live with that, especially since it softens on it’s own after it’s pulled and sits with the rest of the meat.

smoked boston buttsmoked boston butt

If you went the route of keeping it on the smoker the entire time, then once it’s done, pull it off the smoker, bring it inside, put a little aluminum foil over the top (tent it) and let it sit 20 minutes before pulling.

If you went the oven route, then when it is done, pull it from the oven, wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler.  You know the kind, you usually put drinks in it to keep them cold?  Well, this time you are keeping the meat warm.  For one to two hours.  Don’t worry, it will have plenty of heat to keep it above the Danger Zone for that time.  This gives it the chance to tenderize a little more, redistribute the juices, and gives you a time margin of error while waiting for the guests to arrive.  Your patience will be rewarded.

Now comes the fun part.  Unwrap the butt, put it in a large metal pan (and a cloth under it to keep it from spinning), and get your drill out!  The pork puller really does pull the meat effortlessly.  I should have gotten it years earlier.  Oh, and if you don’t have one, you can use two forks to pull apart the meat.

Pulled PorkPulled pork

And let’s not forget the bun, and Cole Slaw (which is another post entirely).

photo 4photo 1(2)

photo 2(2)photo 4(1)

This really is good stuff.  And it will ruin you for other people’s Pulled Pork.  You will never again get it at a barbecue place again without thinking “I can do better!”  It’s that good!

Edit: And I now do better.

Follow the directions above, but at 150 degrees internal temperature, take it off the smoker, and tightly wrap it in extra wide heavy duty aluminum foil.  Put it on a cookie sheet, and into the oven at 225 degrees until the internal temperature it 290 degrees, then wrap them in towels (still in the foil) and put into a cooler chest (“faux Cambro”) for one to two hours.  Once the guests show up, dump the entire contents of the foil into a large pot, juices and all, and pull it in front of them.  This way, it is extra moist and tender, and will keep them returning for more!

Steve's Pulled Pork Rub
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Pulled pork so good you may end up dreaming about it!
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
  • 3 Tablespoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar (granulated)
  • 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • ⅜ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

  • Prepared Yellow Mustard (enough to rub down a Boston Butt)
  • 2 14-16 lbs Boston Butts (Pork Shoulders)
Instructions
  1. Mix all dry seasonings together in a bag.
  2. Rub down butts with yellow mustard. Evenly spread rub across both butts.
  3. smoke at 160 degrees for three hours
  4. smoke at 225 degrees until the Internal Temperature of the meat is 190 degrees.
  5. rest the meat.
  6. Pull (shred) the meat.

 

Mom’s Banana Bread

banana breadMom’s Banana Bread was always a special treat for us as kids.  It didn’t happen very often, so when it did we would all run in and try to get the biggest piece. I think mom never made it often because my brothers liked bananas, and would eat them instead of being patient for them to fully ripen.  Banana Bread requires ripe bananas.  And I mean really ripe.  Dark brown spots, almost black spots, and all over the banana.  You should be able to smell it as ripe before you even peel it.

I, of course, am picky about bananas.  They should be yellowing at the store, but not bruised or mishandled, and once they are home you can keep them in a paper bag to ripen faster to the banana bread stage.

This recipe is simple to make, even for a beginner cook, and when served warm from the oven it has a slightly crisp top crust, and practically melts in your mouth.  Served cold (if it makes it that long), it is a great snack.

I usually mix it all by hand.  You can use a mixer, but try to not over mix the batter.  It turns out well with a few lumps still in it, and the mashed bananas not mixed so much as to be a fully even texture.  As with most foods, a little variation on texture and consistency can bring interest to the palette!

Mom's Banana Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
This is best if served a day after baking. Or right out of the oven while the top crust is slightly crunchy.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter (one stick)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 or 3 bananas, mashed
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (walnut or pecan) – optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour the loaf pan.
  2. Mix together sugar, butter, eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Add the bananas until blended. Stir in the flour until it comes together as a batter, similar in consistency to cake batter.
  3. Bake between 1 hour and 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a knife (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the pan and cool on a wire rack until completely cool.

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

pineapple upside down cakeOne of my daughters birthday came up this week, and one of our family traditions is that I will make them any cake they ask for.  Well, I will attempt, and do an heroic job of trying to make whatever cake they ask for.  point of fact, the strawberry jello cake that is all too popular in the Southern United States was a complete disaster, and I would be ashamed to claim it except for the fact that i think I totally nailed it and got it spot on.  It’s just a terrible cake.  (Ok, to be fair, maybe I missed something that would make it perfect; if so, please leave a comment on whatever you think I am missing).

Ok, I got distracted.  Back to the Pineapple Upside Down goodness.

I am an odd duck on some of my food opinions.  And that is ok, everyone has their style.  I like pineapple.  I love Pineapple Upside Down cake.  I absolutely hate, despise, and dislike pineapple on pizza.  Yeah, I’m that guy.

Anyway, my daughter this week said she wanted Pineapple Upside Down Cake for her birthday.  I was willing.  So we made it, and it turned out well.  The only issue was the candles.  We served it warm, because it is wonderful that way, and the candles kept melting.  We ended up having to stuff them in quick, light them, sing fast, and blow them out before they fell over.  Well, before they fell over again.

As for the cake, a few years ago we were looking for a great pineapple upside down cake recipe.  My friends call me a Food Snob, because I like things to be just right.  usually i look up recipes on the Internet and end up combining a few, tweaking a bit, and coming up with what i think would make an excellent recipe.  I then make it, tweak it, make it, tweak it, until I love it.

What I found was a Truly Great Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe.  It was not too sweet, not too dense, and had great flavor.  We have since made it at least a dozen times, and mostly use their recipe (with a few minor tweaks).  It always gets rave reviews, and is good warm from the oven (give it at least 15 minutes or you will burn every last taste bud; it’s really that hot).  It is also good the next day, room temperature, or refrigerated, etc.  It’s just plain good any way you eat it.

 

Get out your 12 inch Cast Iron skillet.Everyone should have a Cast Iron Skillet.  They are really good to work with, and fairly inexpensive, and other than the potential rust thing, you can practically never ruin them (just boil water in them and scrape them out, NEVER use soap, and put a thin layer or Crisco on them before you put them away.  They will last forever).

Make the caramel topping. Put the brown sugar and butter into the skillet on medium heat. Once the butter and sugar begin to melt, gently stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly. Arrange pineapple rings in a single layer on top of the caramel mixture, and half rings along the sides (one can not have too much pineapple in this recipe!).  Feel free to push the rings into the caramel a bit, just don’t burn yourself.

IMG_2213

Preheat the oven. Stir together the flours, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

IMG_2214

Now in your mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light (you want it incorporated well, and a light yellow color, but try not to over mix it or the cake’s texture won’t be as fluffy – aim for a little past where this photo is, when it has all come together).

IMG_2216

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, just until they are mixed in, then beat in the vanilla. It will look like the batter is coming apart a little, but if you keep going it will come back together.

IMG_2217 IMG_2218

This is what it will look like after all the eggs are in. Now add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream (I do flour, sour cream, flour, sour cream, flour), beating just until mixed after each addition.

IMG_2220

Pour cake batter over caramel and pineapple in skillet.

IMG_2221

Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in skillet for 15 minutes. (Who are we kidding?  It won’t be cool in 15 minute, but it will no longer be Napalm either).

IMG_2224

Turn cake out onto a platter. The easiest way is to use good hot pads, put the platter upside down over the skillet, hold them together, and flip away from you).  Serve warm or you can try to wait longer and serve at room temperature, but ours never lasts that long.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Oh, and If you are allergic to almonds, you can try substituting another five tablespoons of all purpose flour instead.  But don’t do it unless you really must.  The almonds give it a hint of nutty goodness.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 slices
 
Truly Great Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pineapple_upside_down_cake/
Ingredients
  • Topping

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1½ cans pineapple rings 20 oz cans

  • Cake

  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons cake flour
  • 6 tablespoons ground almonds or almond flour
  • ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1¾ cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter (two sticks) slightly softened or room temperature
  • 4 eggs
  • ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
Instructions
  1. Get out your 12 inch Cast Iron skillet. Make the caramel topping by putting the brown sugar and butter into the skillet on medium heat. Once the butter and sugar begin to melt, gently stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly. Arrange pineapple rings in a single layer on top of the caramel mixture, and half rings along the sides.
  2. Preheat oven to 325° F. Stir the flours, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. In your mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light. (you want it incorporated well, and a light yellow color, but try not to over mix it or the cake's texture won't be as fluffy)
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. It will look like the batter is coming apart a little, but if you keep going it will come back together.
  5. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating just until mixed after each addition.
  6. Pour cake batter over caramel and pineapple in the skillet.
  7. Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in skillet for 15 minutes.
  8. Turn cake out onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.