Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwiches

We intended to make this for the 4th of July but we had a bone-in roast so it took much longer to cook than we expected... So, we threw some hamburgers on the grill while this finished and had our pulled pork sandwiches the next night. It was worth the wait! They're really yummy - even I ate one. This is barbecue from the Memphis Blues Barbeque House cookbook (they have a restaurant where it all originated) so there are several parts and it takes a long time to cook but it's worth it. We used an 8 lb roast (double the recipe) so Becky took some home and we also froze enough for two more meals.

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

Pick a pork shoulder that’s not too lean, because you will render the fat through the lean meat during the long roasting time. You’ll lose up to 30% of the raw weight when it’s done. Even in the oven, expect about 4-4 1/2 hours of cooking time. It’s slow food - don’t rush it!

4 lb boneless pork shoulder or picnic shoulder

1/4 C All-Purpose Dry Rub

Heat oven to 225˚. Rub the pork shoulder liberally with the All-Purpose Dry Rub. Place the shoulder in a roasting pan, fat cap up, and cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven, wrap in tinfoil, and cook for another hour. To know when it’s done, test it by pushing down on the pork shoulder. It should feel tender and ready to fall apart. If it’s still too firm, cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and unwrap the pork**. Use two forks to separate the pork while it rests in the roasting pan. There will be natural juices and drippings that you can incorporate back into the pulled pork. Just massage them in with your hands (clean, of course!). This will add extra flavor and keep it nice and moist.

Serve on a bun, with a salad, or as a meal. It’s versatile!

**At this point I removed the shoulder from the pan and cut off the fat cap because A) it’s rather large and B) you don’t want all that in your meat anyway. Then put the meat back in the pan to pull apart. While pulling it apart remove fat.

All-Purpose Dry Rub

1/2 C dried parsley

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C Lawry’s Seasoned salt

1 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder

1 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano

1 1/2 Tbsp sweet paprika

1/2 Tbsp mild mustard powder

1/2 Tbsp celery salt

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Make sure there are no clumps. Store any leftover rub in an airtight container in the cupboard for up to 6 months.

Memphis Blues Classic Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp dark brown or demerara sugar

1 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned salt

a dash of Louisiana-style hot sauce (Tabasco)

1/2 C water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk thoroughly or combine with a handheld blender to ensure that there are no lumps. Simmer over low heat while stirring frequently for 1 hour (this pasteurizes the sauce). Cool for at least 1 hour before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Store up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

And finally, to pull it all together -

Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwich

1 1/2 lb pulled pork

1 C Memphis Blues Classic Barbecue Sauce

1 C cream coleslaw

4 large white hamburger buns

Reheat the pulled pork in the oven, microwave, or on the stovetop. In a small saucepan, heat the barbecue sauce. Pile the coleslaw on the bottom half of the buns. Divide the warm meat into 4 portions and heap onto the slaw, then smother with as much sauce as you like. Now dig in! Try to just have one...

We did not use the coleslaw on the sandwiches but next time we're going to try it. :) We served them with corn on the cob and Fumi salad. Delish!

From the Memphis Blues Barbeque House: Bringin' Southern BBQ Home cookbook.