6/19/2024

Zack’s Pulled Pork Barbecue

Succulent sandwiches paired a crisp slaw.

Ingredients

Dry rub:

• 3 tbsps. paprika
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 3 tbsps. sea salt
• 5-7 lb. pork roast, ideally shoulder or Boston butt

Cider-vinegar barbecue sauce:

• 1 ½ cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Pan drippings from the pork

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 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• Hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Sandwich needs:

• 12 hamburger buns
• Pickle spears

Directions

1. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl to form your dry rub. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast for about 6 hours, until it registers 170 degrees and is falling apart.
3. To make the cole slaw, 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 your cole slaw with the celery seed, a few dashes of hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
4. While the pork is still roasting, make your barbecue sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once finished, take it off the heat and let it sit.
5. Once 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 your barbecue sauce and cook for 5 minutes.
6. While the pork is still warm, use two forks to shred the meat off the roast. Put the pulled pork in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it together so the pork is coated with the sauce.
7. To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun and top with slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.