Indoor Pulled Pork

   I love a nice pulled pork sandwich.  My dad makes great pulled pork.  It takes all day in the smoker, but it comes out so juicy and smokey and wonderful.  I don't have a smoker... and it is really cold outside.  So, I take to the oven and do a slow braise.  It's no smoked pork butt, but it is moist and flavorful and oh so tender.

   This recipe takes quite a while, but most of it is just letting the pork sit in a hot tub of yummy juices.  The result is well worth the wait.

Pulled pork slider on a homemade Hawaiian roll

Indoor Pulled Pork

Ingedients;

5 lbs pork butt

2 T salt

2 T vegetable oil

1 can beer of your choice

2 T BBQ seasoning (I used Penzeys BBQ 3000, but use whatever mix suits your taste)

1 T garlic powder

1 cup BBQ sauce of your choice (or more if you like it saucy!)

1. Cut pork butt into fist sized chunks.  I don't worry too much about trimming the meat at this point, there will be plenty of time to remove the fat later.
   
2. Heat a dutch oven to screaming hot.  Add the vegetable oil.
3. Brown the pork in batches.  Don't overcrowd the pan, you want it to brown nicely.
   
4. Once all of the meat is browned, add it back to the dutch oven.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  Pour the beer over the meat then add water until the meat is 2/3 covered.
   
5. Cover and place in 300 F oven for 3 hours.
   
6. Let cool for a bit, then remove meat and shred.  It is so tender, no fork or knife are required.  Just go after it with your hands!  Remove any chunks of fat you come across.
   
7. Skim the fat from the liquid, or use a fat separator.
   
   
   

At this point you have a couple of options:

A) I'm hungry now!!

1. Return shredded meat and de-fatted liquid back to dutch oven.  Place in a 350 F oven until the liquid is reduced by at least half.
2. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce and enjoy.

B) Making now for a party tomorrow!  

1. Reduce de-fatted  liquid to about a cup and a half.  
2. Place shredded meat and liquid in refrigerator.
3. About an hour and a half before serving, place meat and liquid in slow cooker crock.  Heat on Low until warmed through.
4. Stir in desired amount of sauce and get ready for melt in your mouth goodness.