Braden Family Cookbook

Chuck Braden

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PULLED PORK – slow smoked     

Makes about 3 - 3 1/2 # pounds, enough for about 8 sandwiches or 6 entrees                                                                                      

1 boneless pork butt, about 4-5 pounds
2 tablespoons Emeril’s Essence, recipe follows

            (You may substitute your choice of rub)

BBQ sauce, recipe follows

            (you may substitute your choice of sauce....make sure it does not overpower the flavor of the pulled pork!)

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees F. I use a http://bbq.about.com/b/2003/04/28/great-homemade-smoker.htm for smoking.

Bring the pork to room temperature and place in smoker fat side up.

I smoke my  a 4# butt (bone in or out, your choice) rubbed with the essence (about an hour before putting in the smoker so it comes to room temperature) for 6 hours at 200 - 225 degrees.  I have to add more wood chips at about three hours.  I do not baste the butt!  It comes out of the smoker at about 160 degrees. It is cooked,  but not enough to shred.  I wrap the pork in foil and put in a 325° oven for about an hour until the meat comes to about 195+ degrees.  Strain the fat off of the juice that will accumulate, let the pork cool to a point where you can shred it with your hands, add the defatted juice back to the pork.  When shredding, remove excessive fat, gristle, bone, buckshot etc.

My smoker looks like this except that I have plugged the three holes in the top with champagne corks.  One of the corks has been drilled out so that I can insert a digital thermometer.  Kale Braden, our oldest son, made the smoker for me a few years ago when he was visiting!

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Barbecue Sauce:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk well to dissolve the sugar. Place in a squeeze bottle and dress the pulled pork in sandwiches, or otherwise, to taste. This barbeque sauce tastes terrible by itself but is excellent with this pulled pork recipe.