It's a staple around here. Why, just last week I made it for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches topped with homemade coleslaw. Great dancing icebergs, was it good! Tonight, though, we tweaked it just a little bit and made these amazing shredded pork tacos.
C'mon, man. Put away your pork prejudice just for a minute so you can admit you want a bite. I didn't take pictures of the process for three reasons:
1. I made the rub late last night after work when I was tired and crabby.
2. My loving husband put the pork in the oven while I was at work this afternoon and therefore unable to photograph.
3. I was drunk off the smell of delicious, slow-cooked pork when I got home from work today that I pretty much blacked out until I had a mouthful of the stuff.
There are plenty of pictures on PW's website, though I'm noticing now that the ingredients she lists there differ from what are published in her cook book, and they differ even further from what I put in mine. Here is my take on it:
1 4-lb pork shoulder (confession: I used regular pork roast today because it's all they had, and it turned out fine)
1 whole onion, quartered
1 TBL chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled (I always use more because I'm a freak and I love garlic)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 TBL salt
generous ground black pepper, to taste
3 TBL olive oil
2 TBL vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sriracha chili sauce to taste (I squirted it into the food processor with a pretty liberal hand because I love the stuff. I probably used about a TBL or so.)
Combine all ingredients (except the pork) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until totally combined.
Place pork in a casserole or dutch oven.
Pour the rub all over the meat and rub it in. Flip it over, scoop more rub on top of it, rub it in. Get all the sides, all the crevices, all the flaps, EVERYTHING.
At this point you can cover the dish tightly and refrigerate it overnight. If you're ready to cook, though, pour 2 cups of water into the dish, cover tightly, and place into a 300 degree oven and cook for about 4-5 hours, flipping the meat over at least once, but ideally every hour or so. After 4-5 hours, take the casserole out of the oven, place it on the counter, and walk away for about 30 minutes. After the meat has rested, shred it to smithereens with two forks. The meat will soak up all the pan juices faster than the thirstiest sponge you've ever seen. And your family will gobble up the meat faster than the hungriest high school football team you've ever seen. Cross my heart.
If you want the pulled pork perfection pictured above, smear a light layer of sour cream on a corn (pictured) or flour tortilla. Add a generous serving of pulled pork. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Top with a few slices of fresh avocado, and, because you can't ever leave well enough alone, a few more squirts of Sriracha chili sauce. Divine.
