Foodie Friday: Murph’s Pulled Pork

My stomach is rumbling as I write this recipe. I need this. You need this. Everyone does.

Give me a hearty helping of succulent, melt-in-your mouth shredded pork, served on a soft hamburger bun, topped with a dollop of crunchy cole slaw. Mmmmm. . . . .Add sides of snazzied up baked beans, buttery sweet corn on the cob, salty potato chips (yes please!) and an ice cold beer, and I’ll show you how we at Connecticut Country House define summertime delicious!

Enjoy!

Love, Nora

Murph’s Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 6 to 8 pound, bone-in pork butt, or pork shoulder

¼ cup garlic powder

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup Old Bay Seasoning OR 2 tablespoons of kosher salt

¼ cup sweet OR smoked paprika

¼ cup espresso powder

¼ cup cayenne pepper OR chipotle pepper

1 tablespoon of black pepper, freshly ground

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

32 ounces of beef or vegetable stock

For serving:

Soft hamburger buns

BBQ sauce – We like Stubbs

Cole slaw, optional

*Baked Beans as a side

Directions:

1. Line a high-sided roasting pan with aluminum foil. Put aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
3. In a very large bowl, combine garlic powder, brown sugar, Old Bay Seasoning, paprika, espresso powder, cayenne pepper or chipotle, ground black pepper and ground cumin.
4. Add pork butt to the bowl and generously work in dry rub, getting into all the nooks and crannies of the meat.
5. Place pork in lined roasting pan, fat side down. Add stock. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven.
6. Depending upon the size of your butt, ahh, I mean roast . . . . this cooks in about 6 hours, give or take. After 4 hours, take the roast out of the oven and check the internal temperature. You want 190°F. If it isn’t there yet, cover it back up and pop it back into the oven. Check it every ½ hour until it reaches the magic number, and the pork readily falls apart.
7. Allow pork to rest in the pan with the juices for at least ½ an hour.
8. Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, break apart pork with hands, discarding bones and fat. Place shredded meat into an oven safe pan. Add a few ladles of cooking liquid to keep the meat moist. Place in a warm oven until ready to serve.
9. Serve hot pulled pork on a bun, with a forkful of cole slaw on top if you have it, and BBQ sauce if you’re so inclined.

*To zip up an ordinary can of baked beans, we like Bush’s, add some of the cooking juices and a drop or two of liquid smoke while heating.