October 19, 2010
Smoky Barbecue Pulled Pork
Don’t look now, but we’re already in the middle of October.
I know, I don’t know where the time went, either.
I do know that these last few months of the year pass more quickly than the others. I don’t have concrete proof, but I’m pretty sure I’m right. I also know a super easy way to get some time back in your it’s-getting-dark-too-early day. Plug in the slow cooker.
This is one of my new favorite pulled pork recipes. Be forewarned---your house will smell like you’re in the middle of a forest fire while it’s being cooked (totally worth it). If you’re not the kind who likes to smell food cooking all day long, plug your cooker in an outlet in the garage or on a covered porch.
Smoky Barbecue Pulled Pork
- 5 pounds Smithfield boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 cup liquid smoke
- 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
- Hamburger buns, rolls, or toasted bread for serving
- More barbecue sauce for serving, optional
- Sliced cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions
Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. I put my meat into the largest slow cooker I had in the house (6.5 quarts), and since it was still kind of frozen it didn’t fit properly. If this happens to you—don’t worry! You can make a makeshift cover out of tinfoil. Once the meat starts cooking, it will relax and the lid will settle down and fit properly.
Plop the meat into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, mustard, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture as best you can on all sides of the meat (I spooned it over the top and used the spoon to kind of rub it in. There’s no need to touch the meat unless you want to). Pour the 1/2 cup of liquid smoke on top, and add the entire bottle of barbecue sauce.
Note: You’re going to end up with about 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke left in the bottle. I have no idea what you should do with it. Maybe rub it behind your ears to attract woodland creatures?
Cover the pot (use foil if need be) and cook on low for a SUPER long time. Like 12-15 hours. Seriously. If you’re impatient, you can cook on high for about 8 hours, but the meat will shred the best when cooked for a long time.
Shred completely and serve on buns, rolls, or toast with extra BBQ sauce (if you’d like, I didn’t want it but Adam and the kids did) and sliced cheddar cheese. Keep wet wipes handy!
The Verdict
So good. This is the kind of good that you forget the “don’t talk with your mouth full” rule because you just want to make mmm caveman-type noises. I’ve only cooked with Liquid Smoke a few times, and before my yearlong slow cooker challenge hadn’t ever even bought a bottle (I tried a few times but couldn’t find it at the grocery store. It’s in the BBQ sauce aisle) because I thought it was full of crazy chemicals. Jared, who used to write The CrockPot Alchemist did some research and discovered that
Jared rocks. So does pulled pork!
2 Comments
Hi Karen,
yes you can. I’d use the 1 T of smoked paprika, and then not use the regular at all. Add 1/2 cup of broth to make up the difference in liquid.
Can you use smoked papika in place of the liquid smoke?
