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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Pulled Pork. No Smoker


Don't let me trick you into thinking that roasted meat sans smoker can be made to taste the same as roasted meat avec smoker. Many other(s) have shared exhortations on the art of smoking all manner of thing. It is definitely possible, however, to prepare excellent pulled pork in a conventional oven that approximates that of smoked pork, albeit without the smoke flavor a smoker imparts.

Why bother slow-roasting pork in your oven instead of in an outdoor smoker? Maybe you don't have time or patience to manage your smoker setup all day. Maybe you don't want to smell like smoke or breathe smoke all day. Maybe it's cold, wet, or both outside. Maybe you don't like the idea of ingesting carcinogenic char. There are all sorts of reasons. But I know what you do want:  pulled pork! Here's how you do it (or, how I do it).

Ingredients

-1 pork loin roast (or roast of your choice)
-Enough dry rub of your choice to cover outer surface of meat
   -many rub variations are possible, but, generally speaking, rubs consist of some variation of 1 part sugar (white, brown, or other), 1 part salt, herbs/spices to taste (including but not limited to:  onion/garlic powder, black pepper, red/hot pepper, sweet spices, paprika/sweet powdered peppers). Wet marinades are also, of course in bounds, which may include liquid smoke if desired.
-garlic cloves

Equipment

Pan/baking sheet with with sides to contain any juices
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Small kitchen knife
Conventional oven set to 250F-265F.

Preparations

1. Completely thaw meat (if frozen)
2. Dry meat/remove excess moisture with paper towels
3. Marinate meat (if desired)
4. Re-dry meat
5. Set atop enough foil to wrap meat and seal ends by crimping foil
6. Using knife, cut garlic clove-sized slits (approx. every 2") in top of meat deeply enough  that garlic will not be visible
7. Insert garlic cloves into slits.
8. Spread dry-rub over meat, and "rub" into surface. In a perfect world, the rub will be allowed to marinate the meat for a time before roasting, but this delay of your gratification is optional.
9. Wrap meat in foil and crimp tightly at ends of loin.
10. Place in oven (250F-265F) on pan/baking sheet for the entire day.

I prepare the meat before going to work in the early A.M. and take it out when I get home in mid-late evening. The low cooking temperature should reduce the chance of boiling over, catching fire, or over-cooking. The long, low-temp cooking method creates a tenderness identical to smoked, pulled pork, and the foil-wrapping encourages caramelization of the outer layer of the meat which a moist crock-pot discourages. Foil wrapping also retains enough moisture so that the meat is not dry.

Here are more pics of the final product. I apologize for my lack of preparation pictures, but hopefully my instructions are thorough enough that pictures are not needed.




Here are my leftovers as well as my unwashed baking pan. Notice how clean it is.

Enjoy! Be Fermentive!

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