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Yes, I laughed my ass off.

compliments to and seen on casualencounters.com

I love Pulled Pork

We haven't made this in quite some time..But I love Carolina type pulled pork. It is something that is somewhat hit or miss around here. And while it does take a lot of time to make, it is not really that labor intensive. Last time it turned out really well. We roughly followed the following recipe and are doing so again. So now you know part of my day today.

Compliments to The BBQ Guru!

Pulled Pork


If you grew up or traveled through the Carolina's, you know this dish is the very definition of BBQ. The traditionalists in this area will prepare this by cooking the "whole pig over whole logs." It is then served, piled high on the cheapest buns you can buy and topped off with a dollop of creamy cole slaw. Depending where in the region you travel, the sauces, always served on the side, can run the gamut from vinegar to tomato to mustard based.

So, how close can we come to duplicating this process for the average cook? Well, honestly, not very! BUT you can still make a very wonderful and tasty pulled pork in the oven. You will miss the subtle taste of smoke, from those whole logs, but that is part of the price you must pay to cook in the oven.

Pulled pork starts with a cut of pork commonly referred to as "pork butt" or "Boston butt". Unlike its name may seem to imply, this is NOT cut from the pig's ass!! It is the upper part of the entire shoulder. The shoulder is comprised of 2 cuts, the butt and the picnic. The picnic can be used for making pulled pork as well, but the butt is the more traditional cut.

The butts are most likely shipped to your butcher in pairs, packed in cryovac, and the weight of each butt is around 7-9 pounds, making the total package 14-18 pounds. Many times, by the time it gets to the display case, it has been further cut in half and will weigh between 4-5 pounds. I always like to request a full butt and ask if I can have one directly from the cryovac package. The weight will make a difference when cooking, so choose whatever size is most convenient. I tend to cook only the larger, bone-in, 7-9 pounders. Pulled pork freezes very well and can be re-heated with fantastic results. So, why not cook a bunch!

OK, you have the butt, now what? There is very little trimming needed. I have always cut only the outside layer of fat away. Cut any fat off and trim right to the meat. 2 reasons why you want do this - there is plenty of internal fat to keep the meat moist and the rub will more easily disperse throughout the meat.

Once you have trimmed, now you can prep. You will want to cover the entire butt with a rub. This rub is nothing more than a variety of spices blended together. Below are 2 that I have used with some success. Feel free to experiment with your own blend!

Kevi's South-of-the-Butt Rub:

4 tablespoons paprika


2 tablespoons salt


2 tablespoons granulated sugar


2 tablespoons brown sugar


2 tablespoons cumin


2 tablespoons chili powder


2 tablespoons pepper


1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Mix together. Use liberally!

Memphis Style Pork Rub:


4 tablespoons paprika


2 tablespoons celery salt


2 tablespoons salt


2 tablespoons black pepper, coarsely ground


2 tablespoons cumin powder


2 tablespoons dark brown sugar


1 tablespoon turbinado sugar


1 tablespoon dried oregano


1 tablespoon cayenne pepper


2 teaspoons dried sage


2 bay leaves


1 teaspoon dry mustard

Crush the bay leaves and combine all ingredients.

Prior to applying the above rub, you will want to moisten the butt with either olive oil or some cheap, yellow mustard. The mustard adds a nice crisp "bark" to the outside layer of meat, yet does not have the overpowering taste of mustard. Slather either of these all over the butt and then apply your rub.

Now, you have a choice, you can let this sit overnight and allow the spices to "mingle" OR you can cook it immediately. If aging over night, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Allow the roast to come up to room temp prior to cooking the next day.

How you cook this cut is the most important part to getting a nice moist pulled pork. This cut of pork is loaded with internal fat. It is this fat that we want to "render" away. Scientifically speaking, the connective tissues and collagen will start to break down at temps of around 150-160 degrees F. This is exactly what we want to happen. The great secret to allowing this process to occur is to try and keep the meat temp between 150-170 degrees F. The longer you can hold those temps, the more this fat will render.

So, how do you achieve this? By cooking the meat at very low oven temps. We cook all of our pork butts at a temp of 225 degrees F. For you at home, I would set the oven at 250 degrees F and plan on taking 2 hours per pound. This will still assure you that the meat temps will stay in those ranges for a long time. In the end, we want the meat temp to reach and exceed 200 degrees F. This can be measured with a regular meat thermometer, just be sure you stick it into meat and not fat OR you can stick a fork into the butt and twist it; it should twist easily.

Cook the butt in a roasting pan with a rack to hold it above the fat that will render out. Half of this butt will cook away, so there will be lots of fat! You may have to empty your pan, so keep an eye on this.

Cook the butt UNCOVERED. The goal is to make that outside bark nice and crispy (without burning). The only way to do that is to expose the butt to the heat of the oven. If you were to cover the pan in any way, you will produce steam which will prevent the formation of a nice crispy bark.

Let the butt cook for about 3 hours before looking at it. At this point, you can open the oven and "mop" the meat. Mopping is applying a liquid to the surface of the meat...this will help to keep it moist and add some flavor. I use a very simple mop of 3 parts apple juice or cider and 3 parts cider vinegar and 1 part of olive oil. This can be applied with a brush, a mop, or a spray bottle. You can now mop every couple hours or as often as you would like.

I believe the 2 hour per pound estimate will be accurate 90% of the time. However, one of 2 things will invariably happen when cooking a butt...it will finish early or it will finish late. What to do? To speed up the cook, take the butt out of the oven, turn the oven up to 300 degrees F. Wrap as tightly as possible in heavy duty foil and place back in the oven. It will still take some time to finish so plan accordingly. If it finishes early, remove from oven and turn oven off. Wrap as tightly as possible in heavy duty foil and return to the (unheated) oven. You can hold like this for several hours.

Once the butt is finished you can now "pull" the meat. Let it cool to the point where you can handle it. Then use your hands to pull strands of the meat. A pair of forks will also prove helpful when pulling the meat. There may still be pockets of fat, so remove these as you start pulling. Place this pulled meat into whatever serving vessel you plan on using. Be sure to mix in the nice darkened bark of the outside meat with the inside meat. This allows the flavor of that rub and mop to be distributed within the meat.

Now you can build your pulled pork sammiches. For some sauce ideas, see the sauce recipes listed on the recipe page.

For more recipes, please visit The BBQ Guru.

Stormy Weekend

Well it looks like a stormy weekend along the mid Atlantic and northeastern parts of the east coast. A cold front has "stalled" along the east coast and thunderstorms are predicted for large area as Hurricane Bill passes by.I am tempted to drive up to the beaches this weekend and see the surf. I just love big surf. Care to hum the theme from from Hawaii Five O along with me?

Happy Hump Day!

The weekend is near!
Shouldn't we all play with someone just to celebrate this glorious fact?
Why don't you make some time this morning to call your sexy wife or husband, favorite girl or guy, or that sexy person that you have been flirting with, and make an appointment for a little mid week rendezvous in a secret hideaway somewhere. Why don't you surprise your best girl with some flowers or champagne. Or surprise our favorite guy with some special attention. Or if you want to be particularly naughty, why not just go shopping without any panties or open the door scantily attired for that recent college grad selling services door to door in your neighborhood.
Have fun!

Wicked Weasel Competition......... Post From The Other Blog

I am so enamored with Wicked Weasel bikinis and attire. For those of you not familiar with WW, it is a brand of very sexy bikinis and other attire from Australia. They have quite a following in the US and Europe. I suspect they are a staple of the Hotwife couples who vacation in warmer destinations. Every time I visit their website, I browse a little looking to find the perfect bikinis to give Ally for a fun tropical vacation. Every Thursday, they post the results of their Bikini Competition. Just because it is Thursday, I thought it appropriate to post some of this weeks entrants and my all time favorite, Tempa who hails from Arizona. First though, let me present Nicole, who posted last week. I can almost imagine Ally wearing this little dress on some island this winter. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't wear underwear either!
And this is Tempa. She was a semi finalist in 2006, which is about when I first stumbled upon this site. For my money, she is beautiful and very sexy! And I would bet, she is quite a flirt too! She looks like she would be fun to have a drink with at a beach side bar somewhere. I'd love for Ally and I to get acquainted with Tempa and her husband. I don't know if she is Hotwife, but she certainly reminds me of the type, like my own wife, that would be.
Here are links to both of Tempa's rounds and another for Wicked Weasel in case you missed them above.
Wicked Weasel Website
Tempa First Round Miami
Tempa Second Round Las Vegas

A random cool picture......1

I like this. I like this picture too.

What Blog Would Not Complete Without This?!?

October 12, 2008
A Few Of My Favorite Things.....................

1. My Wife and Daughter.....without whom I would not be complete.
2. The beach.....really, almost any beach. A day bad day at the beach is better than any other day.
3. Fall. I love it. I was born in it, and I revel in it's beauty.
4. Top down driving. Yes, I am a rag top kind of guy.
5. My Dog.
6. The presidential election process. This one is a little tough to take, but I enjoy the entire process, from the primary in New Hampshire through the inauguration.
7. The Sunday New York Times in bed on a rainy Sunday morning.
8. Shopping for presents for my wife and daughter.
9. Going out to dinner with my bride.
10. Going for drinks with my bride after work.
11. Watching my daughter grow up.
12. The cats. (I still like dogs more!)
13. Tulips. They are just so varied and cool.
14. The space program.
15. Music. All kinds.
16. Going to the movies. And popcorn too!
17. Going to the beach.
18. Googling old friends.
19. Meeting new people.
20. Wearing a new tie.
21. Wearing new shoes that fit.
22. Cooking a special meal.
23. Buying a new CD.
24. Wandering around a small book store.
25. Wandering around a small antique shop and finding that one thing I absloutely need.
26. Christmas.
27. Thanksgiving.
28. Summer.
29. Spring.
30. Snow.
31. Thunderstorms.
32. Clean new sheets.