This afternoon as I was shopping for
spareribs to cook on the Bandera I spotted a Boston butt weighing
in at whopping 2.5 pounds! I had been desiring to see what "pulled
pork" was all about so I brought it home.
I mixed some vinegar, red wine, red
and black pepper in a bag and marinated for about an hour as I
tended the Bandera. I then ground coarse black pepper and kosher
salt onto the meat.
I had intended to start the cook on
the Egg at bed time but was advised by the Forum that since the
butt was a tad diminutive by "pulled pork standards"
5 or 6 hours might be a more appropriate cook time. As I intend
to sleep well past that time frame the plan was changed.
I was already cooking spareribs on the
Bandera so I decided to utilize it's more than ample cooking space.
She was cruising at a nice smoky 250°. I tossed the butt on
the Bandera about 6:00 pm and let em ride.
As the sun set the Egg waited patiently
while the Bandera sent fine blue smoke wafting upward.
The lonely neglected Bandera
was called to action after a long hiatus.
She responded well to the attention
and her smoke was sweet.
The spareribs were pulled for immediate
consumption and the butt was transferred to the Egg about 9:00
pm. She had been heated up and was running about 300° dome
when I placed the butt on. I shut her down for lower temperatures
and went in to eat. I checked throughout the evening but the temperature
did not lower much. I pulled the butt about 12:30 am, let rest
for a few minutes and placed in refrigerator.
The next day I heated up the egg to
around 250°, spritzed the butt with cranberry juice and warmed
for about an hour and a half.
I observed that the meat looked and
smelled very good so I decided to keep it. I ran to the HEB and
bought hamburger buns. It is my understanding that only the cheapest
will do for "traditional pulled pork" so 69 cents later
I was set.
I guess this is what they mean by "pulled
pork". I stuck a fork in, pulled and the meat shredded right
on out. I mixed a sauce out of vinegar, red and black pepper with
a touch of sugar. Normally I would have used a "Texas style"
tomato base but in the interest of expanding my horizon I opted
for a "traditional" sauce of my own making.
I placed the meat on the cheap white
bun, doused with sauce and bit in. I must confess three sandwiches
later this is some pretty good stuff. Maybe those "back east
Southerners" are on to something here.
