On the years I join my sister and her family up at the lake I am usually given a good intentioned condition. This year it was that I could only bring 'one' food thing. Little did my younger sister know what her ever so clever older sister's interpretation of 'one' was going to be. If 'one' can represent a single entity, than In my 'if there is a will there is away' world a meal would most certainly meet the definition of 'one'. But I had to make certain if I was going to stretch the concept of 'one', this meal would have to include all of the things she would find hard to resist. At the same time it would need to be relatively simple. Blueberry Crumble, Lemony Potato Salad, and Slow Roasted Pulled Pork would not only be the perfect 4th of July dinner, it would also make it harder for her to argue I didn't listen. But here's the thing, both the Blueberry Crumble and Slow Roasted Pulled Pork were going to be first-time made recipes. So in the event they didn't turn out (spoiler alert: they did), well then the Lemony Potato Salad would have been my 'one' food thing.
In the days leading up to my trip up to Pentwater, I spent time searching out Pulled Pork recipes. They ranged the gamut from pork butts/shoulders made in a slow cooker with and without a spice rub to ones made either on a grill or in the oven for varying lengths of time at varying temperatures to ones made in a smoker. Considering I didn't have a smoker, I had to immediately rule that option out. As tempted as I was to make this a less time consuming dish, I considered making it in the slow cooker. Without intending to ruffle anyone's feathers, I ruled that method out. A slow cooker heats only from the bottom, resulting in a pork roast cooked primarily through a simmering and steaming process. In other words, there wouldn't be any of that delicious crispy, crunchy bark. So now I was left with the option of slow roasting in the oven. There were still a myriad of decisions to be made. What the rub would be, at what temperature to roast it at, and whether or not to add any liquids (sauce or liquid smoke) to the roasting pan were just some of them.
There seemed to be as many dry rub options for a slow roasted pulled pork as there were methods to make pulled pork. Ultimately I choose one made with ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, aleppo pepper, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked sweet paprika, and light brown sugar.
Slow roasted pulled pork can be made with either a pork butt or a pork shoulder. Roasts labeled 'pork butt' or 'Boston butt' are the same cuts of meat. Both are from the top portion of what is considered the whole shoulder, very marbled, having a large portion of fat on top and sold either boneless or bone-in. Conversely, the pork shoulder (sometimes called pork picnic) is from the lower portion of the shoulder, contains more fat, and is almost always sold bone-in. Both are good for making pulled pork and generally equally economical. For this recipe I used an almost 8 pound bone-in pork butt.
I opted not to use any liquid in the making of this Slow Roasted Pulled Pork on this first attempt. After rubbing the pork butt with the dry rub I let it sit at room temperature for an hour before putting it fat side up in a preheated 225 degree (F) oven. At this low temperature, roasting time will take anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours per pound in order for the internal temperature of the roast to reach 190-195 degrees. Although the pork will be cooked through at 160 degrees (F), it isn't until it gets to the higher temperature will it be able to pulled apart into those highly prized meaty shreds. If there was ever a reason to overcook a pork butt/shoulder, being able to savor a moist, tender, flavorful slow roasted pulled pork sandwich is one of them.
My roasting time skewed more to the 2 hours per hour. If you choose to roast your pork at this lower temperature (see note below) and serving the pulled pork the same day, I would recommend putting the roast in the oven before you go to bed rather than putting it in early in the morning.
After almost 15 hours of roasting time, the meat finally reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees. Immediately I turned off the oven and allow the roast to rest in the oven for almost 2 hours. After removing from the oven I waiting another 15 minutes before shredding it using two forks. Note: Remove layer of fat before shredding the pork roast.
This is the part of the recipe where I will tread lightly and leave you to decide what kind of sauce (if any) you want to use. Depending on which region of the country you live in, you may have a barbecue sauce preference. Whether you choose a bottled or homemade one, I would recommend you serve it on the side as it meant to add rather than overshadow the flavor of the pork you lovingly roasted for hours.
As it turned out, the 'one' food (aka 'one' meal) was a big hit with my family making me wonder if my sister forgave me for my liberal interpretation of the 'one' condition. The pulled pork was pure perfection. I would definitely make this Slow Roasted Pulled Pork again and again, although next time I might increase the oven temperature to 250 or 275 degrees (F). And more than likely will start swapping out my Blueberry Crisp with the two desserts in one Blueberry Crumble (will post to the blog in the weeks ahead). Is there anything better than a memorable holiday and meal? Maybe.
Slow Roasted Pulled Pork (based on a blend of multiple pulled pork recipes)
Ingredients
7-8 pound pork butt or pork shoulder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion flakes (ground) or onion powder
1 Tablespoon Chipotle chili powder
1 Tablespoon Aleppo or cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Barbecue sauce, on the side
Buns or white bread
Directions
1. Make the dry rub by mixing together the ground cumin, garlic powder, onion flakes/powder, chipotle chili powder, aleppo pepper, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked sweet paprika and brown sugar.
2. Place pork butt or pork shoulder in a large, deep, heavy bottomed roasting pan.
3. Sprinkle dry rub over the pork and massage in so that in adheres to all sides of the meat's surface. When finished, make sure fat layer on the butt/shoulder is facing up.
4. Allow pork to rest at room temperature at least one hour before putting in a preheated 225 degree (F) oven.
5. Place roasting pan on middle rack in the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reaches 190-195 degrees. Note: Roasting time is approximately 1 1/2-2 hours per pound. For an 8 pound pork butt/shoulder, roasting time will be approximately 12-16 hours.
6. When pork has reached the desired temperature, turn off oven and allow the pork to roast cool for two (2) hours or until internal temperature has reduced to 170 degrees before removing from the oven. Note: If the bottom of the pan is crusted with the dry spices, cover the pan with foil to retain the internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to a large cutting board. Allow to sit at least 15-30 minutes before shredding. Remove the large sheet of crusted fat on top. Pull apart with two forks.
8. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.
Notes: Due to the long slow roasting time, would recommend putting in the oven before you go to bed. So long as you don't sleep for more than 12 hours (or however long your baking time will be based on pork butt/shoulder size), it will ready for you in the morning. The pulled pork can be reheated in a 350 degree oven until warm when ready to serve. This pulled pork is so flavorful it almost doesn't need any barbecue sauce, however, serve on the side so everyone can put as much or as little on as they like.
Notes: (1) Slow Roasting temperature recommendations ranged from 225 degrees (F) to 275 degrees (F). If a higher temperature is used, adjust roasting time (i.e., about 1 to 1.5 hours per pound at 275 degrees) and (2) Allow for 6-8 ounces of cooked pulled per person when serving on sandwiches.
The stillness of Lake Michigan and Bass Lake in Pentwater, Michigan in early July.
