Pulled Pork Barbecue

Cook Time: 6 h 15 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 12 servings


Ingredients

Dry Rub:

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt


Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pan drippings from the pork
12 hamburger buns
1 recipe Cole Slaw, recipe follows
Pickle spears, for serving


Directions

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.


While the pork is roasting, make the barbecue sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it sit until you're ready for it.


When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While it's resting, deglaze the pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scraping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by about half. Pour that into the saucepan with the sauce and cook 5 minutes.


While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.


To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun, and top with some slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.


Cole Slaw:

1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.


From: foodnetwork.com

The Ultimate Barbecued Ribs

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Ingredients

* 2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 bacon slices
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1/2 onion
* 3 smashed garlic cloves
* 2 cups ketchup
* 1 cup peach preserves
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground paprika


Directions

Special equipment: Kitchen twine


Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven, and let the ribs bake, low and slow for 1 1/2 hours.


Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the middle of the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat a 2-count of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme bundle and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, without coloring, for 5 minutes. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Put some sauce in a separate bowl for basting, reserving the remaining sauce for serving.


Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.


When ready to eat, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce. They should become crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side. Pick the onion and garlic out of the sauce and serve with ribs.

The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

Cook Time: 1 hr 5 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
Brine:

* 2 quarts water
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on,
about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:

* 1 slice bacon
* 1 bunch fresh thyme
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 cups ketchup
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar,
garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable
plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours
(if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and
seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme
and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2
tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme
and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the
sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly
without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give
the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20
minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove
about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the
chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for
basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium
heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a
thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and
carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a
nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on
paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and
cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer
the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven.
Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then
brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue
sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting
the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time.
Serve with extra sauce.

From: foodnetwork.com