We were craving pulled pork something fierce last week, so we got ourselves a nice pork shoulder and got looking for a good indoor recipe. We finally decided on a slow-cooker pulled pork recipe published a few years back on The Splendid Table radio show. And, people? You have got to try this recipe!
The recipe is a snap. It's a true "dump and cook" slow-cooker recipe that requires almost no prep work. You cut a pork shoulder into several big chunks and toss them in the slow cooker with a basic spice rub. A bottle of liquid smoke (about 1/2 cup) goes in as the braising liquid, and you're ready to cook!
We did add an extra step - we seared our pork before putting it in the slow cooker and then deglazed the pan with a splash of cider vinegar. Call us superstitious, but searing always seems to add that extra layer of savory flavor to whatever we're cooking. We tend to do it even when its not called for.
Really, the hardest thing about this recipe is waiting for it to be done! It starts smelling incredible a good three hours before its actually done. Resisting the temptation to crack the lid and try a bite was sheer torture.
But resist we did, and we were rewarded with meat that literally fell apart as soon as we touched it. Talk about fork-tender! You can make your own barbecue sauce with the cooking liquid or use your favorite bottled sauce, but we actually ended up eating the meat on its own because it was so moist and flavorful.
It has been a very long time since we had pulled pork this good. We're no barbecue experts, but we know good meat when we taste it. The meat itself was tender and juicy. It tasted rich and savory, with just a hint of smoke. (We were actually afraid the smokiness would be overpowering given how much liquid smoke we poured on top, so we were very pleased with the result.)
Really, we can't say enough good things here. We couldn't believe how good this was given that the meat never went near an actual barbecue or smoker!
Have any of you made this recipe? What did you think?
• Get The Recipe: Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork via the Splendid Table
Related: Weekend Cooking: What to Cook with Cheap Cuts of Meat
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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Hmm... this, with Vietnamese spices and a side of that miso slaw from earlier?
A whole BOTTLE of Liquid Smoke? Isn't that stuff carcinogenic?
@kat98 - it must be since it's actual smoke. But, by the same token, I imagine it's no worse (or better) for you than standing over a barbecue. I'm with you, though, in that it freaks me out a little bit. What would be a good substitute? Chipotle powder for smoky flavor and water for the braising liquid?
Not really, kat98. The ingredients of Colgin Natural Liquid Smoke are, according to their website: "Water, Natural Smoke Flavor, Vinegar, Molasses, Caramel Color and Salt."
And here's how it's made:
"Colgin Natural Liquid Smoke is produced by burning fresh cut hickory, mesquite, apple, and pecan wood chips at extremely high temperatures and moisture levels. There’s nothing “synthetic” about it – it’s not made from chemicals. It is made by placing high grade smoking woods in sealed retorts (1), where intense heat makes the wood smolder (not burn) (2), releasing the gases seen in ordinary smoke. These gases are quickly chilled in condensers (3), which liquefies the smoke; it is then forced through seven refining vats (5 - 11) and a large filter (12), to remove impurities. Finally, the liquid is received into large oak barrels (14) which will age the liquid smoke for mellowness."
@kat98 - Nope! Liquid smoke is actually an all-natural product made by capturing smoke and force-filtering it into water - kind of like you're distilling smoke.
Here's a post we did on it a while back:
Liquid Smoke: What Is It?
Jinx, Emma!
Also, the bottles of liquid smoke we most often see in stores only contain about 1/4 cup of liquid, which is what is called for in the recipe. I've added a note in the post to clarify.
Ummm, since when are carcinogenic and natural mutually exclusive? I think the point is that its not any worse than wood smoke but its still a carcinogen, so if you're worried leave it out.
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/05/24/barbeque-carcinogens.htm
Jinx indeed!
Without the liquid smoke, I don't think you'd get the same great smoky depth-of-flavor. If it makes you leery, try using smoked paprika in the rub (with maybe an extra tablespoon in there!), and beef stock for the braising liquid. A good smoky-tasting beer would also be great for the liquid.
Just out of curiosity, do the people who are leery of smoke as a carcinogen abstain from all smoked foods? Because they should.
This looks great, but I don't have a slow cooker. Could it be done in a Dutch oven either on the stove top or in the oven? Any recommended temps? thanks!
The recipe seems to call for a 1/2-cup of liquid smoke, rather than the 1/4-cup mentioned here. Did you cut the entire recipe in half or just reduce the amount of liquid smoke?
Starwitness, you read my mind! I'm in the same boat but I might try it at a low temp in the oven, maybe. Or I might just cave and get a slow-cooker. Choices, choices...
Oops - yes, use 1/2 cup of liquid smoke! When I glanced at the recipe earlier today, I just misread the amount.
Also, I think you could definitely do this in a dutch oven in the oven. Set the oven to 300-degrees or so, and then check it every hour. It should finish in 4-5 hours.
Cook's Illustrated also has a terrific-sounding recipe for pulled pork in the oven. It was just in their Jan/Feb issue, I believe, and it's definitely next on our list to try! There's a link to the recipe as posted on the Bitten blog in this round-up: Craving BBQ Pulled Pork.
For a Turkey alternative, just tried a Mexican Taco pulled Turkey recipe from this months Food and Wine. It is excellent, check it out:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beer-braised-turkey-tacos
Thank you for clarifying the amount of liquid smoke. I'm going to make this for our poker game tomorrow night. Yummmm....
Hard to go wrong with anything Splendid Table or Lynn Rosetto Kasper.
I think pulled pork is one of the best freezer stash items in the whole world because you can do so many things with it and it suffers not at all from being frozen and thawed/reheated.
I always do at least double or three times the amount of pork I need when I'm doing shoulder, just for this reason.
I made this when this episode was first broadcast and I loved it. My husband, however, felt it was entirely too smoky-flavored. I agree with him that it was strong and that I would cut the liquid smoke amount in half next time. For what it's worth.
This is currently bubbling away in a slow cooker while I'm at work. I was a little bit nervous about the amount of liquid smoke, so I "only" used 1/4-cup.
Yum! I'm always on the look out for a good crock pot recipe.
http://single-girl-gourmet.blogspot.com
I cook shoulder this way. My only alterations are I use a whole bone-in, skin-on shoulder; I rub it down with a bbq rub the night before I drop it in the cooker; and I cook it whole, skin-side up. The fat under the skin bastes the meet while it cooks and the bone contributes some flavor. After 14-16, the skin & remaining fat are easy to remove and the meat comes right off the bone. I reserve the liquid and and separate out the fat & have been experimenting w/ bbq sauces but I think the amount of liquid smoke is a little too much to make a good sauce with. Though a little bit of the defatted reserved liquid is perfect when reheating the pork to eat. Doesn't get cheaper or easier than this...
Starwitness - It would most likely be cheaper to buy a slow cooker (I've seen them for under $20) than to use all that gas/electricity to run your oven for the 3-4 hours needed. A slow cooker is great for any tough cut of meat that benefits from low-slow cooking.
That is if you make this dish a few times. It is also much more environmentally friendly to use a slow cooker. I cringe every time I turn on the oven.
This pulled pork is fantastic. I enjoy it without the additional barbecue as it has a lot of heat. One thing I had to do was put the crock pot out on the patio to cook because the liquid smoke smell was wreaking havoc on my lungs. If you don't live in a climate that is conducive to this, I highly recommend cooking this near an open window.
I hit a home run! I recommended this recipe in your earlier pulled pork craving post. I'm going to try it this week, we're going to have some bad weather in NYC area. Thrilled that there are so many positive reviews, and I think I will take the commenters' advice and ease up on the liquid smoke.
I used the Cook's Ill Jan/Feb 2010 recipe for the SuperBowl. Too much work, I don't think the wet brine did anything, and would skip it next time. I do like their bbq sauce recipes and it was scarfed down at the party.
This recipe is a favorite at our house. Living in North Carolina has made us barbecue snobs, and this is the best at-home barbecue we've ever had.
I have this cooking up now. I also put a chunky layer of onions on the bottom of the crock pot to raise up the pork & give some flavor
I just made this for tomorrow, and I could not keep my fingers out of it. It is extremely tender and juicy and delicious. Smelled amazing the moment my crock pot heated up, and that smell has wafted throughout the rest of the house.
(I made a half recipe, and on high it was done in 3 hours.)
I feel like it might have used a bit more in the way of spices, and I think next time I will add a pinch of cayenne to it at least. Lots of options for this method, though--maybe 5 spice powder? Maybe throw in some sliced onions on top too.
I made this recipe this past weekend and topped it off with the psycho bbq sauce recipe (modified with a little liquid smoke) for a bbq I was hosting. It was a huge hit and the 6 1/2 lbs I made was finished in no time.
I cooked it for 12 hours the day before, then reheated in a foil pan with the bbq sauce for 45min at 250.
I am looking forward to making this soon, and love the idea of searing it first. I just made pulled pork for the first time over 4th of July weekend, and ended up going with the oven method instead, but I bet the flavor comes out pretty similar. It was amazing! Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.
http://theweekendgourmande.wordpress.com/2010/07/11/kitchen-firsts-indoor-pulled-pork-part-1/
But next up I'll definitely be trying your slow-cooker version.
NO NEED FOR SLOW COOKER! YES!
After reading this recipe I couldn't wait for the stores to open up this morning so that I can buy a slowcooker and start cooking my first cheater pulled pork. But after all the research I did on slow cookers, I just couldn't find the one I wanted. But my tastebuds were craving for the pork already. So I figured I will try this recipe in a heavy pot on the stovetop (no way I will turn the oven on in August). And it worked fine! In 3 hours I have moist meat falling apart that tastes yummm!
I cheated on the cheater pulled pork.
I regularly make this recipe exactly as written, and it always turns out perfectly. It is a little fatty for me, but the flavor is wonderful and my husband raves. He eats it the whole week and I think he might lick the bowl when it is gone.
Alton Brown had a rig for making your own liquid smoke if you had the time and inclination! Then you'd know it was 100% natural. No clue how carcinogenic it would be?? But you'd eat grilled vegetables or meat right...
Hey everyone, Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork is from my book Cheater BBQ (Broadway, 2008). My co-author R.B. Quinn was a guest on The Splendid Table. All these comments remind me how difficult it was (and still is) to convince folks that liquid smoke is a safe, natural product. Do you use vanilla extract? Then why are you afraid of liquid smoke? It is not carcinogenic or a fake smoke product. It is real smoke without the burnt char that is carcinogenic, pretty much just natural smoke condensation in water. We love to make outdoor barbecue, and do often. Cheater BBQ using liquid smoke is for the other 360 days of the year and for all the folks who love smoky barbecue but are not interested in the whole barbecue game. The thing that's great about liquid smoke is that it is consistent. We've had tons of bitter, over smoked "real" barbecue, but not cheater. It always works.
One more thing, don't forget hybrid barbecue--combining the consistency of the kitchen with the grill. We always start our ribs in the oven with liquid smoke and then finish them up with a sauce on the grill. It's so much easier. Have fun with it, cheat all you want and use the amount of liquid smoke that suites you. It's all okay. NO ONE will complain. And you'll have more time to spend making great side dishes!
Here's a link to the WSJ about liquid smoke http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577464394237806320.html
No, you don't need a crock-pot to make this barbecue. Yes, you can do this in the oven very easily, however, it's a long time to keep the oven on and a slow cooker is so efficient and doesn't heat up the kitchen. I understand the dilemma of deciding to get one if you have a small kitchen. My vote is that it's worth it because of all the stuff you do with it from all kinds of cheater meats, stews, beans, desserts, oatmeal...and you can plug it in anywhere.
Did you sear before or after the rub was applied?