Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2010)
Maybe you tune into the Super Bowl for the commercials. Maybe you watch for the halftime show. Perhaps you want to see who's singing the National Anthem. (Or maybe you actually want to watch football?)
For us, though, the Super Bowl is really about the food.
And this year, the menu is all about barbecue.
When we saw this recipe for Indoor Pulled Pork in the January issue of Cook's Illustrated, we instantly knew we had to make it. In our minds, this became something of a Super Bowl in itself, but it's about something much bigger than the Colts vs. the Saints.
Could this Indoor Pulled Pork beat the defending champion, Ultimate Cheater BBQ Pork?
That Ultimate Cheater Pork has some pretty impressive stats. It's delicious, and the meat is amazingly tender and juicy. And because it uses a slow cooker, it's super easy.
But there's one drawback to the slow cooker pork. There's no smoky char, none of the delicious crunchy crust you'd get from real, honest-to-goodness pit barbecue. The meat's good, no question. It just sort of takes on the flavor of whatever sweet sauce you slather on it. There's no bite.
That's where this Indoor Pulled Pork comes in. By roasting it in the oven -- uncovered for part of the time -- the recipe promises pork with an actual crackly skin.
So can you really make pit-roasted smokehouse barbecue in your oven?
Heaven on a bun
Absolutely! An unqualified yes. This pulled pork tastes like it came from the best, divey-est Memphis BBQ shack. The pork's got a real smokiness to it. (Actually, both of these BBQ recipes include liquid smoke. But the smoky flavor didn't really come through as strongly in the Cheater BBQ Pork.) The meat is fork-tender with an awesomely crunchy crust.
Because of the brining and the removing of the foil and the pouring off of the liquid, this recipe requires more active attention than the Cheater BBQ. But we think it's worth it for the truly authentic smokehouse effect you get.
But a great barbecue needs a killer sauce. We actually made all three of the sauces that the magazine suggests: a Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce, a Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce and a South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce.
Saucy!
When we've made barbecue sauces in the past, honest to goodness cooking was involved, simmering ingredients on a stovetop. Here, ingredients are whisked together with defatted cooking liquid from the pork, and that's it. No additional cooking required. Our 5 pound pork butt produced more than enough liquid to make all three sauces.
Each one of the sauces is fantastic in its own way. The Sweet and Tangy sauce is the closest to your standard, thick BBQ sauce. It's a classic and our favorite of the three. The Lexington sauce was terrific as well, thin and sharp and spicy. And we just loved the mustard sauce -- it's really hot and spicy. You can't go wrong with any of these three sauces.
Whether you make this Indoor Pulled Pork or the Cheater BBQ Pork for your Super Bowl party, you can't go wrong.
But just in case you don't want to serve pulled pork at the big game (what??), take a look at our list of great Superbowl party ideas, after the jump.
Here are some ideas for awesome Super Bowl food:
- Buffalo Chicken Dip -- The granddaddy of deliciously trashy Superbowl food. This will knock your socks off!
- EJ's Simple Ribs -- Smoky and succulent, these ribs are absolutely terrific.
- Sesame Tempura Green Beans -- Why not mix a little veggies in with all those chips and dips? These crispy "fried" green beans are delicious.
- Asiago-Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Smoked Paprika -- Okay, okay. These may sound a little fancy for a football game. But consider this: bacon, cheese, sweet dates. What's not to like? Plus, they're very easy to prepare.
- Bacon with Citrus Glaze -- 'Nuff said.
- Grilled Potato Slices with Salt and Vinegar -- It's like making your own potato chips, but way, way better. (You could make these inside on a grill pan if it's too cold for outdoor grilling in your neck of the woods.)
Indoor Pulled Pork
Cook's Illustrated (January 2010)
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(This photo: Carl Tremblay/America's Test Kitchen)
Serves 6 to 8
Note: Sweet paprika may be substituted for smoked paprika. Covering the pork with parchment and then foil prevents the acidic mustard from eating holes in the foil. Serve the pork on hamburger rolls with pickle chips and thinly sliced onion. Alternatively, use 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce thinned with ½ cup of the defatted pork cooking liquid in step 5. The shredded and sauced pork can be cooled, tightly covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat it gently before serving.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons table salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 boneless pork butt (about 5 pounds), cut in half horizontally
¼ cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons smoked paprika (see note)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Dissolve 1 cup salt, ½ cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons liquid smoke in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge pork in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons liquid smoke in small bowl; set aside. Combine black pepper, paprika, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and cayenne in second small bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Remove pork from brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub mustard mixture over entire surface of each piece of pork. Sprinkle entire surface of each piece with spice mixture. Place pork on wire rack set inside foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place piece of parchment paper over pork, then cover with sheet of aluminum foil, sealing edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast pork for 3 hours.
4. Remove pork from oven; remove and discard foil and parchment. Carefully pour off liquid in bottom of baking sheet into fat separator and reserve for sauce. Return pork to oven and cook, uncovered, until well browned, tender, and internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1½ hours. Transfer pork to serving dish, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
5. FOR THE SAUCE: While pork rests, pour ½ cup of defatted cooking liquid from fat separator into medium bowl. Whisk in ingredients (see below).
6. TO SERVE: Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1 cup sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups ketchup
¼ cup light or mild molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
While pork rests, pour ½ cup of defatted cooking liquid from fat separator into medium bowl; whisk in sauce ingredients.
Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cider vinegar
½ cup ketcup
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon table salt
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl with ½ cup defatted cooking liquid (in Step 5) and whisk to combine.
South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup yellow mustard
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl with ½ cup defatted cooking liquid (in Step 5) and whisk to combine.
