Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches

Pulled pork

I am going to be completely honest – this recipe is very time consuming, but worth every minute, I promise. I spent one whole day cooking the pork and by the end of it all, I smelled like a smokehouse master. Dean, being a Memphian, loves pulled pork and ribs. I saw this recipe and decided that it was time for me to learn how to make one of his favorite things. He loved it! The next time I make it, I am going to double the recipe and freeze the extra.

The only change I made was I used hickory wood chips instead of chunks. Also the coleslaw was tasty, but I might use a Paula Dean recipe that I really love the next time.

Memphis Pork and Coleslaw Sandwich

If you’ve never eaten slaw on rather than with a sandwich, you’re in for a treat. You’ll need to start the pork and soak the wood chunks a day ahead; you can make the mustard-laced slaw a day in advance as well. If you’d rather not have sandwiches, serve the meat as is or use it to flavor baked beans.

Pork:
8 hickory wood chunks (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 (12-ounce) can beer
2 cups water
Cooking spray

Slaw:
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups chopped green cabbage

Remaining ingredients:
13 hamburger buns
1 2/3 cups Memphis Barbecue Sauce

To prepare pork, soak wood chunks in water about 16 hours; drain.

Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through dry mustard); reserve 1 tablespoon paprika mixture. Rub half of remaining paprika mixture onto pork. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and refrigerate overnight.

Remove pork from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Rub remaining half of paprika mixture onto pork.

Combine reserved 1 tablespoon paprika mixture, 1/3 cup vinegar, Worcestershire, oil, and beer in a small saucepan; cook over low heat 5 minutes or until warm.

Remove grill rack; set aside. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium-low and leaving one side with no heat. Maintain temperature at 225°. Pierce bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heated side of grill; add half of wood chunks to pan. Place another disposable aluminum foil pan (do not pierce pan) on unheated side of grill. Pour 2 cups water in pan. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place grill rack on grill.

Place pork on grill rack over foil pan on unheated side. Close lid; cook 4 1/2 hours or until a thermometer registers 170°, gently brushing pork with beer mixture every hour (avoid brushing off sugar mixture). Add additional wood chunks halfway during cooking time. Discard any remaining beer mixture.

Preheat oven to 250°. Remove pork from grill. Wrap pork in several layers of aluminum foil, and place in a baking pan. Bake at 250° for 2 hours or until a thermometer registers 195°. Remove from oven. Let stand, still wrapped, 1 hour or until pork easily pulls apart. Unwrap pork; trim and discard fat. Shred pork with 2 forks.

While pork bakes, prepare slaw. Combine onion and next 5 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt) in a large bowl. Add cabbage, and toss to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours before serving. Serve pork and slaw on buns with Memphis Barbecue Sauce.

Yield
13 servings (serving size: 1 bun, 3 ounces pork, about 1/3 cup slaw, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 387(35% from fat); FAT 15.2g (sat 5.1g,mono 6.3g,poly 2.2g); PROTEIN 26.6g; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 120mg; SODIUM 843mg; FIBER 2.3g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 33.7g
Bill and Cheryl Jamison , Cooking Light, JULY 2007

Memphis Barbecue Sauce

As the center of Southern barbecue, Memphis offers sauces that occupy the middle ground between other styles. These blends provide moderate amounts of sweet, heat, and tang, which add up to a lot of flavor.

1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes; serve warm.

Yield
2 cups (serving size: 2 tablespoons)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 25(4% from fat); FAT 0.1g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 247mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.4g
Bill and Cheryl Jamison , Cooking Light, JULY 2007