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I saw the other thread about SoFlaqers finishing sauce and thought I'd throw this out there. This was originally posted on SMF years ago, mayby 5 years ago. I don't know that "Johnny" is an active member or not, anyway, this is a pretty detailed version of how he does pulled pork. I have tried both his "pulled sauce" and his finishing sauce and found both to be wonderful. I haven't tried to do the pork from beginning to end like he does but for someone who is just starting out it's a very detailed recipe. I don't brine my pork so I would skip that part...it's a long recipe, sorry for the length!
Johnny's Pulled PorkThis is the absolutely best pulled pork recipe my family, friends or I have ever tasted. It takes 2 full days
to complete, but it is soooo worth it.
You may say...another pulled pork recipe.....perhaps...but I offer you this:
I have been smoking as a pure amateur for about 9 years. It all started with the whole smoked tuna filet that my boss made on his Brinkman special with Cherry wood. For those who are not familiar with a whole tuna, it quartered lengthwise...think of it as piece of fish that looks just like a beef tenderloin but 3x the size. We caught it fresh the day before out on the Atlantic shelf (1,000 fathoms). He served it on a nice cutting board with crackers and a mayo/Tabasco helper (and some nice draught beer). That was a huge 20 lb piece of tuna. I was hooked. I have spent the past nine years trying to perfect various meats.
I have never entered a competition nor will I. I cook for my friends and family and have a passion for food. I do enjoy the food, but BBQ is a social event. Everyone can get involved, the kids and even those who know nothing bout BBQ, etc. Everyone can come away with a feeling of satisfaction and
participation. If it's one thing that everyone enjoys...it is feel-good food. That is BBQ. When a fantastic result comes along, I have to share it. After all, I cannot cook for all of you...but you can cook for your loved ones.
This recipe has come not only from my own experiences but from reading your recipes and experiences.....it is a culmination of all your recipes and hints. Thanks to everyone for contributing to the final result. I decided to keep track of what I did. In all my readings on the net, books etc., I have not
read a comprehensive guide to making perfect pulled pork, so here goes......
The meat:I prefer meat from my local butcher. If you do not have that luxury, make friends with your local
supermarket meat cutter. Try the Boston Butt for your first piece; it is a very forgiving piece of meat and sooooo full of flavor. Make sure that the fat cap is left on the pork...you can always trim.
This recipe is coming hard out of the "slow and low" school of BBQ, if there is one truth to BBQ across all cultures, generations and techniques......slow and low is King!!
If it ain't slow, it's gotta go.
Yes it takes time but ... oh hell....try it for yourself......
I started on a Thursday night. So let's say 6:00 pm
Brine:INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces or 3/4 cup molasses
12 ounces pickling salt
2 quarts bottled water
IMPORTANT:
You have to use weight for measurements. If you want to, Kosher Salt is a perfectly acceptable substitute, just make sure that it is totally dissolved before adding the pork. (This is why weight is most important, kosher salt is larger than Pickling salt, i.e. Less Kosher salt occupies the same area as Pickling salts)
PREPARATION:Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in container, I used a new and/or totally clean little cooler.
Add all ingredients, dissolve totally and then add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine.
Cover and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal. If it does not fit in the fridge, use a Ziploc or two filled with ice on top of the pork. Friday Morning before work at 6:00 AM (elapsed time: 12 hours)
After brining, take out of cooler, rinse and wrap (Saran and foil). Let set in the fridge for about 10 hours or until you come home from work.
Friday Evening: Approx 4:00 - 6:00 PM (elapsed time: 24 hours)
Rub:INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dry mustard
PREPARATION:Mix all ingredients. Work 1/2 half the mixture into meat.
Regarding the "Fat Cap" ....here is what I do.
Make sure that the fat cap is no more than approx 3/8 inch thick. If you had to error, leave it a bit more than 3/8. Less does not leave you the luxury of the fat basting. Take a sharp knife and score the fat cap
in a criss-cross pattern. The cross pattern is about 1 inch apart down to the meat but try not to go into the meat.
Make sure to rub every part of the butt with French's Yellow Mustard (including in the criss cross pattern of the fat cap). Rub only half the butt at a time.
TIP:
After rubbing half the pork with mustard and applying the rub, let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The rub will turn darker in color as it is absorbed into the mustard. Before turning over to the other side, lightly coat the same side again with Rub. Let sit again then flip, smear mustard and rub. Let sit some more, rub again. Wrap in plastic wrap, really good, then in a foil wrap or two. Set in fridge until the next morning.
Saturday Morning: Approx 6:30-7:00 AM (elapsed time: 36 hours)
Stoke the coals and get our smoker dialed in at 225°. I used a combination of Apple, Cherry and hickory
woods.
Rub:
Use the remaining rub from the night before to coat one side of the butt. Let is rest again. Grab a coffee.
Butt is best smoked closest to room temp rather than fresh from the icebox. Flip over and rub again. Start smoking......yummmies have started......(Fat Cap UP) Leave it smoke for two hours, do not touch it. Don’t open the lid to look. This is very important. The bark is starting to form. OK....the mop.....
You have a lot of flavors and layers working in this piece of pork. A glamorous mop is not necessary.
Use equal parts apple juice and water.....that's it...(spray bottle please....don’t disturb the impending bark).
Sometimes Less is More.
At two hours do the following: (as FAST as possible)
generously spray the butt with the mop. turn the pork fat cap side down and generously spray again. At 1 hour intervals until the end, repeat the process (FAST). Remember to spray, then flip, spray again. Fat cap alternates being up then down every hour Cook until the butt is 198°. At 165° the pork is cooked but it is shoe leather tough. Be patient, the pork will get there. Somewhere between 155-180°, the pork will appear to be stuck. It will not rise in temp. This is called the “plateau”. After a while, usually several hours, it will magically start to rise in temp. This is actually where the collagen is breaking down between the meat fibers and what allows the pork to fall apart.
NOTE:
I use a remote probe thermometer. It is ABSOLUTELY the best device to determine the internal temp of the pork. It is inserted into the pork before it goes on the smoker and is not removed until the pork is done.
Every time you open the lid and poke a thermometer into the meat to check the temp, two bad things happen - 1) you loose heat....throws your cook times all to hell. 2) you hurt the piggy, it make holes...holes leak juice...leaking juice leads to less moisture...i.e. One mad, tough butt.
Saturday Afternoon: Sometime between 4:00 - 6:00 PM (elapsed time: 48 hours) Pulled Pork at 198° is done....Well kinda...it really wants to hang out for a while...take it off the smoker.
Carefully take the butt off of the smoker.....and wrap in two wraps of heavy duty foil. (try not to use the generic heavy duty foil. It stinks, Reynolds is nice) Let it sit for at least 45 mins.
Prepare the pulled sauce (not finishing sauce)This is the sauce you add to pulled pork after it has been smoked and pulled.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
PREPARATION:
Combine water and brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Combine with remaining ingredients.
Set aside until needed. We will be using this sauce in a few minutes.
Time to Pull:
Get some serving forks. Unwrap and PUUULLLLLL (hehehhe) It will fall apart. Be mindful to break up the bark as well. It adds so much to the dish if you do this.
NOTE:
The Bark is the outer crust that is on the pork butt. The spraying with apple juice/water combined with the heat/smoke has created this deep colored crust. This crust has so many layers of flavor. It is this dimension in taste that makes your pork one of legend.
Preheat a really big pan to med heat on the stove:
Add all the pork into the pan over low heat. Once all the pork is in the pan, slowly add some of the pulled sauce liquid you have set aside. Stir and evaluate. Remember, the sauce will change in terms of visible moisture while it is in the pan. Add liquid until you like the texture. For me, it is at the point where the pork is shiny and there is the slightest, and I mean slightest, sauce in the bottom of the pan, neither dry nor soupy Ok, we are almost there. It has not been that bad, has it. I just tried to be very detailed.
Let the pork sit, off of the heat for a while. Grab a beer and pat yourself on the back. You are on your way to your friend’s best meal ever.
The Finale: Onto the last sauce....
the Finishing Sauce:
This table sauce is a classic combination of cider vinegar for sour, brown sugar for sweet, tomato for color, and cayenne for heat. This recipe uses the Carolina preferred vinegar based sauce. I find that it enhances the flavor rather than changing it.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and serve warm. This sauce is for people to add to pulled pork if they wish.
Serve this on the table as an option for your guests.
IMPORTANT:
If you want to add something to this sauce, please do so. You may like it HOT, more sweet, whatever.
This is your sauce. Have fun with it !!
Fantastic.....El Completo....You're Done....Time to eat
Phew...You are done.....
You did not forget the rolls, coleslaw etc.....did you
Well, that's it...eat them damn thing ... roll, pork, sauce and slaw.....yummy.
Cheers,
John
herbstjc@yahoo.com
================================================== ===
Final Thoughts:
I used a 6 pound Picnic Butt fresh from the butcher. It took almost 10:30 mins to cook to 198°. The
plateau was perfect, however quite long. It took 4 hours in a 225° smoker to get to 156°. It took more
than three hours to break the plateau. This was one stubborn piggy.
If you were to use a 9-10 lb pork butt, adjust to something like the following:
Work Backwards:
• Want to eat Saturday at 6:00 pm
• At 1.5 hours/LB, the 10lb butt would take 15-17 hours. So Friday night around 11 PM would be a
good time to start.
• That means that the last rub process happens at about 9:30 ish Friday night.
• The first rub happens Friday morning.
• The resting after the brine happens Thursday night.
• The Brining happens Thursday morning.
• There is a pattern here. Adjust the start time of the smoking.
Johnny's Pulled PorkThis is the absolutely best pulled pork recipe my family, friends or I have ever tasted. It takes 2 full days
to complete, but it is soooo worth it.
You may say...another pulled pork recipe.....perhaps...but I offer you this:
I have been smoking as a pure amateur for about 9 years. It all started with the whole smoked tuna filet that my boss made on his Brinkman special with Cherry wood. For those who are not familiar with a whole tuna, it quartered lengthwise...think of it as piece of fish that looks just like a beef tenderloin but 3x the size. We caught it fresh the day before out on the Atlantic shelf (1,000 fathoms). He served it on a nice cutting board with crackers and a mayo/Tabasco helper (and some nice draught beer). That was a huge 20 lb piece of tuna. I was hooked. I have spent the past nine years trying to perfect various meats.
I have never entered a competition nor will I. I cook for my friends and family and have a passion for food. I do enjoy the food, but BBQ is a social event. Everyone can get involved, the kids and even those who know nothing bout BBQ, etc. Everyone can come away with a feeling of satisfaction and
participation. If it's one thing that everyone enjoys...it is feel-good food. That is BBQ. When a fantastic result comes along, I have to share it. After all, I cannot cook for all of you...but you can cook for your loved ones.
This recipe has come not only from my own experiences but from reading your recipes and experiences.....it is a culmination of all your recipes and hints. Thanks to everyone for contributing to the final result. I decided to keep track of what I did. In all my readings on the net, books etc., I have not
read a comprehensive guide to making perfect pulled pork, so here goes......
The meat:I prefer meat from my local butcher. If you do not have that luxury, make friends with your local
supermarket meat cutter. Try the Boston Butt for your first piece; it is a very forgiving piece of meat and sooooo full of flavor. Make sure that the fat cap is left on the pork...you can always trim.
This recipe is coming hard out of the "slow and low" school of BBQ, if there is one truth to BBQ across all cultures, generations and techniques......slow and low is King!!
If it ain't slow, it's gotta go.
Yes it takes time but ... oh hell....try it for yourself......
I started on a Thursday night. So let's say 6:00 pm
Brine:INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces or 3/4 cup molasses
12 ounces pickling salt
2 quarts bottled water
IMPORTANT:
You have to use weight for measurements. If you want to, Kosher Salt is a perfectly acceptable substitute, just make sure that it is totally dissolved before adding the pork. (This is why weight is most important, kosher salt is larger than Pickling salt, i.e. Less Kosher salt occupies the same area as Pickling salts)
PREPARATION:Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in container, I used a new and/or totally clean little cooler.
Add all ingredients, dissolve totally and then add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine.
Cover and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal. If it does not fit in the fridge, use a Ziploc or two filled with ice on top of the pork. Friday Morning before work at 6:00 AM (elapsed time: 12 hours)
After brining, take out of cooler, rinse and wrap (Saran and foil). Let set in the fridge for about 10 hours or until you come home from work.
Friday Evening: Approx 4:00 - 6:00 PM (elapsed time: 24 hours)
Rub:INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dry mustard
PREPARATION:Mix all ingredients. Work 1/2 half the mixture into meat.
Regarding the "Fat Cap" ....here is what I do.
Make sure that the fat cap is no more than approx 3/8 inch thick. If you had to error, leave it a bit more than 3/8. Less does not leave you the luxury of the fat basting. Take a sharp knife and score the fat cap
in a criss-cross pattern. The cross pattern is about 1 inch apart down to the meat but try not to go into the meat.
Make sure to rub every part of the butt with French's Yellow Mustard (including in the criss cross pattern of the fat cap). Rub only half the butt at a time.
TIP:
After rubbing half the pork with mustard and applying the rub, let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The rub will turn darker in color as it is absorbed into the mustard. Before turning over to the other side, lightly coat the same side again with Rub. Let sit again then flip, smear mustard and rub. Let sit some more, rub again. Wrap in plastic wrap, really good, then in a foil wrap or two. Set in fridge until the next morning.
Saturday Morning: Approx 6:30-7:00 AM (elapsed time: 36 hours)
Stoke the coals and get our smoker dialed in at 225°. I used a combination of Apple, Cherry and hickory
woods.
Rub:
Use the remaining rub from the night before to coat one side of the butt. Let is rest again. Grab a coffee.
Butt is best smoked closest to room temp rather than fresh from the icebox. Flip over and rub again. Start smoking......yummmies have started......(Fat Cap UP) Leave it smoke for two hours, do not touch it. Don’t open the lid to look. This is very important. The bark is starting to form. OK....the mop.....
You have a lot of flavors and layers working in this piece of pork. A glamorous mop is not necessary.
Use equal parts apple juice and water.....that's it...(spray bottle please....don’t disturb the impending bark).
Sometimes Less is More.
At two hours do the following: (as FAST as possible)
generously spray the butt with the mop. turn the pork fat cap side down and generously spray again. At 1 hour intervals until the end, repeat the process (FAST). Remember to spray, then flip, spray again. Fat cap alternates being up then down every hour Cook until the butt is 198°. At 165° the pork is cooked but it is shoe leather tough. Be patient, the pork will get there. Somewhere between 155-180°, the pork will appear to be stuck. It will not rise in temp. This is called the “plateau”. After a while, usually several hours, it will magically start to rise in temp. This is actually where the collagen is breaking down between the meat fibers and what allows the pork to fall apart.
NOTE:
I use a remote probe thermometer. It is ABSOLUTELY the best device to determine the internal temp of the pork. It is inserted into the pork before it goes on the smoker and is not removed until the pork is done.
Every time you open the lid and poke a thermometer into the meat to check the temp, two bad things happen - 1) you loose heat....throws your cook times all to hell. 2) you hurt the piggy, it make holes...holes leak juice...leaking juice leads to less moisture...i.e. One mad, tough butt.
Saturday Afternoon: Sometime between 4:00 - 6:00 PM (elapsed time: 48 hours) Pulled Pork at 198° is done....Well kinda...it really wants to hang out for a while...take it off the smoker.
Carefully take the butt off of the smoker.....and wrap in two wraps of heavy duty foil. (try not to use the generic heavy duty foil. It stinks, Reynolds is nice) Let it sit for at least 45 mins.
Prepare the pulled sauce (not finishing sauce)This is the sauce you add to pulled pork after it has been smoked and pulled.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
PREPARATION:
Combine water and brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Combine with remaining ingredients.
Set aside until needed. We will be using this sauce in a few minutes.
Time to Pull:
Get some serving forks. Unwrap and PUUULLLLLL (hehehhe) It will fall apart. Be mindful to break up the bark as well. It adds so much to the dish if you do this.
NOTE:
The Bark is the outer crust that is on the pork butt. The spraying with apple juice/water combined with the heat/smoke has created this deep colored crust. This crust has so many layers of flavor. It is this dimension in taste that makes your pork one of legend.
Preheat a really big pan to med heat on the stove:
Add all the pork into the pan over low heat. Once all the pork is in the pan, slowly add some of the pulled sauce liquid you have set aside. Stir and evaluate. Remember, the sauce will change in terms of visible moisture while it is in the pan. Add liquid until you like the texture. For me, it is at the point where the pork is shiny and there is the slightest, and I mean slightest, sauce in the bottom of the pan, neither dry nor soupy Ok, we are almost there. It has not been that bad, has it. I just tried to be very detailed.
Let the pork sit, off of the heat for a while. Grab a beer and pat yourself on the back. You are on your way to your friend’s best meal ever.
The Finale: Onto the last sauce....
the Finishing Sauce:
This table sauce is a classic combination of cider vinegar for sour, brown sugar for sweet, tomato for color, and cayenne for heat. This recipe uses the Carolina preferred vinegar based sauce. I find that it enhances the flavor rather than changing it.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and serve warm. This sauce is for people to add to pulled pork if they wish.
Serve this on the table as an option for your guests.
IMPORTANT:
If you want to add something to this sauce, please do so. You may like it HOT, more sweet, whatever.
This is your sauce. Have fun with it !!
Fantastic.....El Completo....You're Done....Time to eat
Phew...You are done.....
You did not forget the rolls, coleslaw etc.....did you
Well, that's it...eat them damn thing ... roll, pork, sauce and slaw.....yummy.
Cheers,
John
herbstjc@yahoo.com
================================================== ===
Final Thoughts:
I used a 6 pound Picnic Butt fresh from the butcher. It took almost 10:30 mins to cook to 198°. The
plateau was perfect, however quite long. It took 4 hours in a 225° smoker to get to 156°. It took more
than three hours to break the plateau. This was one stubborn piggy.
If you were to use a 9-10 lb pork butt, adjust to something like the following:
Work Backwards:
• Want to eat Saturday at 6:00 pm
• At 1.5 hours/LB, the 10lb butt would take 15-17 hours. So Friday night around 11 PM would be a
good time to start.
• That means that the last rub process happens at about 9:30 ish Friday night.
• The first rub happens Friday morning.
• The resting after the brine happens Thursday night.
• The Brining happens Thursday morning.
• There is a pattern here. Adjust the start time of the smoking.
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