Showing posts with label bbq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bbq. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I like Pork Butts and I Can Not Lie

So I’ve been on a pretty big Boston Butt kick lately (I think we’ve cooked 6 since the spring). They’re easy and feed a lot of people. We ended up cooking two (16 lbs total) this weekend for the 6 couples in our small group, and I think they were a big hit. I’m sure not all of these steps were necessary, but this how I rolled (I’m so white).

First I rinsed off the butt, and patted it dry. Mmmmm, that’s a fine lookin’ butt.

Next, I rubbed it down (Man, this is starting to sound like a Danielle Steel novel) with yellow mustard and put Willingham’s Dry Rub all over it. I saw the yellow mustard trick from a special on foodnetwork a few years ago, and I think it’s a divided topic on serious Pork Butt smokers/cooks. I’m sure any dry rub would be good, and I know the Neely’s have a really easy recipe I’ve used before. Anyways, I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and threw it in the fridge over night.

Sunday, I sliced 5 or 6 onions (about 1 inch thick) and layered on the bottom of the crock pot. Then I put the (unwrapped) Pork Butt on top and poured in half a beer (Pete’s Wicked Ale, for this butt).

The amount of liquid is kind of deceiving b/c the Butt is sitting on top of the raw onions, so it seems like there is not a lot of liquid. But after 5 or 6 hours, that meat will weigh down the cooked onions and the liquid will come about half way up the meat. If you’ve got time, I like to set the slow cooker on LOW and let it cook for 8 hours (but you could get HIGH for 6 hours).

Now, I’ve read that once you set the crock pot to cook you DO NOT lift the lid to check out your meat!! That would release all the built up steam and just add more time to your cooking. Amirite??

Well this weekend, my fam was in town for the LOML’s baby shower. My mom is a great cook and probably the biggest inspiration (man that sounds so cheesy to type) behind my love for cooking. I know everyone says their mom is a great cook, but mine really is. So we were hanging in the kitchen Sunday afternoon, and I turn around and she’s lifted the lid and is all “Mmmm, that looks good”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?! Seriously, I didn’t yell at her, but it was a stern what the heck????? Anyways, she didn’t know you were supposed to keep the lid closed, so I thought I’d let you know. KEEP THE LID CLOSED!

After the meat had cooked (check after 8 hours, it may need a little more time), it was time to shred (but that meat will still be HOT). As you can see the bone EASILY came out (you can see some of the beer-soaked onions, too), and It was pretty to pick out the meat from the fat. After all was said and done, it looked like this:

BOOM goes the dynamite!

My Baby’s Got Sauce

So we had folks over to our house Sunday night for Core Group and we decided to cook some Boston Butts (aka Pork Shoulder). I know this could be considered heresy, but I cooked mine in the Crock Pot (slow cooker). I know, I know. I would love to smoke some butts on a BGE (or some other type of smoker), but I don’t have one. Anyways, before I post the pictures/recipes from the Butts, I thought I’d post about the sauces I made (and I realize nothing is more exciting than posting pictures of sauces).

First I made an Alabama White Sauce (as deliciously seen @ Miss Myra’s, Moe’s and Saw’s BBQ). I had never seen or heard of White BBQ Sauce before moving to Birmingham (thank you for the introduction, Anne McCrory), but it is GOOD. The ingredients/instructions are pretty easy (via White Trash BBQ)

1 C mayo (I used Duke’s Light)
1 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1.5 Tbs cracked black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt, finely ground (I used sea salt)
¼ tsp cayenne

After I mixed it together, I realized this was A LOT runnier than what I’ve found in restaurants, so I ended up adding maybe another cup of Mayo, and mixed some more. WTBBQ says to store overnight, and mine sat in the fridge about 20 hrs before using. It was tasty.

I’ve been playing around with (traditional, tomato based) BBQ sauces since our 2008 Fourth of July party, and as far as ingredients/measurements go, I’m not precise at all. For this one, I started off sautéing half an onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic and a red bell pepper in a little olive oil for 5 minutes. Then added:

2.5 C Tomato Sauce
¾ C Tomato Paste
1.25 C Apple Cider Vinegar
½ C Brown Sugar
¼ C Honey
3 Tbs Worcestershire
3 Tbs Brown Mustard
5 Tbs Paprika
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Black Pepper
2 Tbs Salt

I didn’t add all this at once. Basically it was add a little of something/taste/tinker/mix/repeat. I’d heat it up, and then simmer it down. After a while, I took the extra OCD step of putting the sauce in the blender to puree all the larger onion/pepper/garlic pieces. Did it need it?? Nope. I just like dirtying extra dishes (according to the LOML).

I think our guests would say both turned out good, but I wish I could find the extra ingredients to make it as tasty at Willingham’s. Mmmmmm, Cajun Hot . . .