You will need a cast iron Dutch oven large enough for the pork butt (6-8 quarts).
1 whole pork butt (usually 8 pounds). Ask the butcher if the neck gland – also referred to as the “stink gland” by experienced butchers – is removed. If it is not, you will not be happy with the pulled pork at all.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 2½ tablespoons salt
- ⅓ cup of your favorite BBQ rub (I like lots of cumin and paprika)
- 1 Spanish onion, medium dice
- 1 large carrot, medium dice
- 2 green bell peppers, medium dice
- 1 quart water
- 1 bunch cilantro (leaves and stems), roughly chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 8 ounces Spoon and Seed BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
Preparation
Day 1:
Rub the pork butt with olive oil, garlic, salt and your favorite BBQ spice rub. Refrigerate overnight wrapped in plastic or in a covered bowl.
Day 2:
Take the pork butt out of the fridge one hour before you plan to start.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat up two tablespoons of olive oil in your Dutch oven on medium high heat and sauté the peppers, onions and carrots for 6-8 minutes until caramelized and aromatic.
Place the pork butt directly on the veggies, cover, and place in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the cover of the Dutch oven, add the quart of water, cover again, drop the oven temperature down to 300 degrees, and allow the pork to cook low and slow for 3½ to 4 hours.
Check the pork butt with a fork to see if it is tender. If the meat is fork tender, take it out of the oven. Place pork butt on cutting board and pull (or shred) pork and return to Dutch oven.
Put 2 cups of the broth from the Dutch oven into a blender. Add cilantro, apple cider vinegar and oregano and blend until smooth. Add back into the Dutch oven with the pulled pork.
The pulled pork can be eaten immediately or stored in its own cooking liquid and preserved for up to a month in the refrigerator if untouched and un-cross-contaminated. Make sure the pork is completely submerged in the cooking liquid. This is what the French call, “confiture” and was the preservation method used for thousands of years before the industrial revolution.
Makes 16 servings
