Fast or Slow Spiced Pulled Pork
EASIER
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Nope, you don’t have to build a barbecue pit or man a smoker all day to make pulled pork. True, you won’t have any “burnt ends”; but you will have a terrific meal on a day when you’ve got other things to do. Because a slow cooker pulls so much moisture from the pork, there’s no need for additional liquid. However, the pressure cooker must have that additional liquid to create steam—and thus gets some added beer in this technique. In the end, the pressure-cooker sauce will be soupier and need to reduce longer in step 7. Serve the pulled pork on hamburger (or slider) buns with lots of pickled jalapeño rings and coleslaw.
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
One 4-pound bone-in skinless pork shoulder
2 tablespoons mild smoked paprika
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground dried mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Up to one 12-ounce beer, preferably a porter or even a smoked porter (for the pressure cooker only)
1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1. Combine the adobo sauce and liquid smoke in a small bowl. Smear and rub this mixture all over the pork.
2. Combine the smoked paprika, brown sugar, cumin, dried mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl. Rub this mixture all over the pork.
3. Place the pork shoulder in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. To cook the pork in a slow cooker: Place the pork in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, scraping every last drop from the baking dish into the cooker. Add ½ cup beer. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.
To cook the pork in a pressure cooker: Place the pork and the whole bottle of beer in a 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker. Lock the lid onto the pot and cook at high pressure for 1 hour in a stovetop pot (15 psi) or 1 hour 20 minutes in an electric pot (9 to 11 psi). Remove the stovetop pot from the heat or turn off the electric pot. Let the pressure come back to normal naturally, about 20 minutes. Unlock the lid and open the pot.
5. Transfer the meat to a carving board; discard the bones. Shred the meat with two forks and place these shreds in a large bowl or a deep serving platter.
6. Skim the fat from the liquid in the cooker, then pour it into a medium saucepan and stir in the vinegar.
7. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil until reduced to half its volume, about 6 minutes for the slow-cooker sauce and 10 minutes for the pressure-cooker sauce. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve.
Voilà! Here’s an easy, mayonnaise-less slaw to go with barbecue: Whisk equal parts vinegar and olive oil in a bowl until smooth, then add a pinch of sugar, table salt, and lots of ground black pepper. Stir in some bagged slaw mix, then shred an apple or two into the mix through the large holes of a box grater. Add a little sliced red onion and parsley leaves, then taste again. More cabbage? More salt? A little more olive oil?