A week and half ago, Shef and I hosted our second annual July 4th roof top barbecue.  So, in honor of our great nation’s  forefathers I made a true patriotic American meal:  slow cooked pork butt.  You see, while those who write American history textbooks would have you believe that it was the taxation on tea which first instigated the independence movement in the American colonies, it was actually a taxation on tender and delicious pork butt which really got the juices flowing and fanned the flames of revolution.  In fact, Patrick Henry’s oft quoted “Give me liberty or give me death” was actually misheard by the scribes of the day (there was a din of loud proclaiming in the colonial era).  What Mr. Henry actually said was, “Give me some piggety, and put it on some bread!” But for some unknown reason, this true fact has been buried in America’s educational system, replaced with the legend of tea and taxation without representation.  Well, I suppose Boston Tea Party does sound a little bit better than Boston Pork Butt Party.  On second thought…

Okay maybe that’s not 100 percent true.  But, what is true is that a pulled pork sandwich is one of the best sandwiches around.  And really, it’s quite easy  to make.   Here is my rough recipe.  Quantities and amounts are flexible.  Do what feels right for you.   Watch the video below to see how I do it.

Recipe:
5 lbs of pork shoulder (butt) – cut into rectangular chunks about 4-5 inches long
Coat chunks of pork with dry rub (mixture of salt, brown sugar, cumin, cayenne, oregano and black pepper – seasoned to taste)
Brown the slabs of pork on a barbecue grill or in a pan
Put browned slabs into a dutch oven, cover and put the dutch oven in your barbecue or on your oven and cook for about 2-3 hours at about 250-300 degrees.
While the meat is cooking, spoon out some of the juice to incorporate into your barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce: ketchup, sriracha, white or cider vinegar, honey, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and pork juice from cooking meat (quantities to taste).
After the meat has cooked for 3 hours or so, the meat should be tender and fall apart when pressed.
Shred with a fork, add half a cup of barbecue sauce to the meat and mix.
Serve the pulled pork on a bun with more sauce and sliced dill pickles.