Get Your Grill On

It’s easy to get caught up in how to make simple things “gourmet” (I HATE that word, by the way!) Every once in a while, it’s a good exercise to just get back to basics. Simple things, made very well say a lot about the care and attention paid in making them.

Pulled Pork, made from some form of pork shoulder, is a classic barbecue dish. This can be a picnic or Boston butt roast or just a whole shoulder. This part of the hog can take a lot of punishment while cooking and still come out great. It’s the one dish that I recommend for anyone starting out in barbecue to try before any other.

Pulled pork can be cooked at the traditional barbecue temperatures of 225-250F, or at higher temps like 350. The meat can be injected to add some flavor, but comes out great without it. A mustard slather can help set up a rub for more bark, or salt and pepper alone can do a great job as well. With just a little attention paid to temperature control, pork shoulder is just hard to mess up.

As with any barbecue, there are regional preferences. In the Carolinas, vinegar based sauces are typical, while Kansas City style uses sweet, tomato based sauces. Some areas in the south put cole slaw right on a pulled pork sandwich while people in other areas would cringe if they were served that.

Which is right or wrong? To me, they’re all right. If you like it the way you eat it, it’s good! With that in mind, my examples are one with what I like to call “Javacue” Sauce and the other with creamy cole slaw on the sandwich. I ate them both… and they were both great!

Winter is a great time to do barbecue since you don’t have to stand over a grill. You go out now and then to check the fire (NOTE: fire=warm!), and go right back in. It’s also  when most of us have time at home (which equals time to barbecue!). Go to your local butcher and ask for a nice 7-8 pound Boston butt and find out how easy this back-to-basics meat is to cook.

And don’t try to “gourmet” it up!!!