Just when I was getting a little homesick for North Carolina summers full of fresh picked strawberries, days by the pool, and easy access to central air conditioning, New York City opened its doors to a dozen or so bbq joints complete with their own grills, smokers, staff and pigs. The Big Apple Barbecue Block Party had arrived! Or, as I like to call it, Robbie and Mary Jordan's version of the perfect date. My homesickness was a distant memory as I tried way too much pulled pork, ribs and brisket. My only complaint is that they need to bring some Western Style North Carolina BBQ next year. I would recommend this, this or this.
Being the Southern gal that I am, I know how to get me through some bbq lulls. I may not have a pit smoker, but I have a slow cooker and that is sufficient for me. It satisfies me enough to fix my bbq craving but also doesn't make me smell like the inside of a fireplace. Top it with some creamy slaw and heaven comes to me on a plate.
This recipe calls for a 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder. I went to my neighborhood butcher and asked for a 2 pound pork shoulder. I picked it up, all New York-like, and when I unwrapped it, I saw that it still had a pretty thick layer of fat on it so had to do a little trimming (next time I'll ask for it trimmed of all excess fat). A little fat is good in life (I'm having that stitched on a throw pillow next week) but too much in a slow cooker had me worried. This piece of meat also had the bone still in it which can be challenging when you have a smaller slow cooker like mine. I wedged it in and by the end of the twelve hours, it was pretty darn cozy.
Barbecued Pulled Pork
*No, I did not make my own barbecue sauce - this recipe offers a nice shortcut. If I had any patience, and hadn't already waited twelve hours for it to cook, I would have eaten it the day after I made it to let the flavors meld even more. The onions had wilted much more the second day and the meat had absorbed a lot of the juice when we had leftovers.
1 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder rost
1 bottle of barbecue sauce (at least 14 ounces, more if you like it saucy)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon brown onion
1 medium onion, chopped
Place roast in a slow cooker and cook on low 10 - 12 hours or on high 5 to 6. Remove roast from the slow cooker and discard the cooking liquid. Shred the pork from the pone and return the meat to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients mixing to be sure they are evenly distributed. Cover and cook on low for two more hours or high for one more hour.
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