Pulled Pork with Coleslaw

Pulled Pork with Coleslaw

Firstly, let me apologize, I have been sick, and did a terrible job prepping for this recipe, so there will be fewer pictures than I would like. Secondly, another apology, I am sorry that this recipe calls for a large amount of meat, you will either be using this recipe with friends, or eating it for a while. -- Pork was on sale.

Pulled Pork:

The Prep (the day before you cook)
Pork Rub (as per the recipe you sent me)
Pork Shoulder/Butt - bone-in:  The grocery store Meryck works at had a sale on whole legs of pork, so we broke it down into a ham and 2 roasts:

Taking the shoulder roast, thoroughly coat in the rub, massaging it into the meat.
Seal in plastic, and store in your fridge overnight.

About Barbecue sauce:

I almost always free-style barbecue sauces, I aim for a balance of the following flavours:SWEET, SOUR, SALTY, SPICY, BITTER. Pulled pork wants sour and sweet so I will tip the balance towards those two, I will generally use the following ingredients:

SWEET: (I recommend using all of these in any recipe for pulled pork)
• apple juice (fresh pressed / cloudy is best) 
• molasses
• brown sugar
• tomato paste / ketchup

SOUR: (Pulled pork needs a fair amount of acid to counteract its fattiness)
• vinegar (red wine or apple cider vinegar)
• lemon juice (usually only on chicken)

SALTY:
• Salt
• Wheat-free soy-sauce
• Gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• Thai fish sauce 

SPICY: (the rub has a fair amount of heat, so this should be sparingly added)
• Black pepper
• Smoked paprika
• Chipotle / adobo

BITTER:
• Cocoa powder
• Espresso / coffee / instant coffee crystals

ALCOHOL: (some flavours are only soluble in alcohol)
• Bouborn
• Dark Rum
• Wine - you have to cook longer if you use wine

SPICES:
• Cumin
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Mustard seed
• Cinnamon
• Liquid smoke

Pulled Pork Barbecue Sauce:

In a pot add approximately:
3 cups Apple Juice
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 small can or tube of tomato paste
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon
Boil vigorously and reduce liquid by half.

add:
Several tablespoons of the pork dry rub.

Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Taste your sauce and adjust sugar and vinegar until sweet and tangy.

The Cooking Options:

Option 1: Barbecue / Smoker (dry cook) 

- better flavour, but more finicky to cook

Hardware required:
probe-style meat thermometer
Smoker or Barbecue grill & cast iron pan (for wood chips)
Water-soaked Applewood chips

Place the roast in a lasagna pan.
Turn on only one burner on your barbecue, and turn it down until the barbecue temp is 225º-275ºF
Put the wood chips on the hot side of the barbecue, and the pork as far away form the heat as possible

Cook 8 hours until the internal temp of the meat is at least 175ºF
The sugars on in the rub should have formed a nice dark crust:

Option 2: Slow-cooker (wet cook) 

- easier to cook, and you can do it on a weekday and get to come home to wonderfulness

Transfer the roast and 2/3 of the barbecue sauce to your slow cooker
add 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
add enough water to come up to the top of the meat, but don't completely cover it

set the knob on high, and let it go for at least 8 hours until it can be easily shredded you may need to add liquid and time if it is not shredding easily.

After Cooking:

Pork should be tender, and shred easily with a couple of forks, and you should be able to easily remove the bone cleanly from the roast.

Add any remaining barbecue sauce and cooking juices to a large pan and shred the roast directly in the sauce/juices and Mix thoroughly to coat.

Apple Coleslaw:

1 apple - julienned (I like granny smith because it is tart)
1/4 head of cabbage shredded or 1/2 bag of coleslaw mix (lazy)
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil or canola

In a large bowl, whisk:
 - egg yolk, sugar, salt, and vinegar until thoroughly combined.
slowly drizzle the oil in while whisking rapidly this should end up as a creamy beige dressing
toss and coat apples
finally toss and thoroughly coat the cabbage
let stand at room temp for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve on a soft white bun plate and top with coleslaw.