Pulled Pork Sandwiches Without a Smoker

When I used to work downtown, at least one a month, we'd escape the skyline during lunch and scream down 7th East to Sugarhouse.  It is the home of one of the best barbecue joints in America (which I will be reviewing soon).  Sugarhouse Barbecue Company was the destination; a mecca of smoked meat where the pork would fall off the bone.  A place where you could douse said protein in a variety of sauces that would seep into your skin.  Your fingertips would still smell like chili powder rub and tangy and thick barbecue sauce for two days after the meal.

I'd always order the pulled pork sandwich and smother it in the classic thick and sweet barbecue sauce.  Add a side of cornbread stuffing, some collared greens, a slice of cornbread and a pickle, and I wouldn't have to eat for the rest of day. 

I work just far enough away now that it's all I can do to make it there and back in an hour.  But on that special occasion, I'll still make the drive.

Pulled pork doesn't have to be a sometimes food.  You can make your own at home.  Admittedly, it probably isn't going to be that beautifully cooked roast, smoked for hours until it's tender.  I'd love to show you how to smoke a great pork roast, but I have two problems.  First, I don't have smoker in my back yard.  Maybe I'll have the $1,000+ sometime in the future to but one, but not today.  And second, even if I did, I don't have the 10+ hours to tend the fire.  Few of us do.  So instead, we need to find a way to do a nice slow cook of the roast so it reaches that magic temperature where the meat falls off the bone. 

And what better way to cook low and slow than with your crock pot.  Yes, it won't be smoked.  But we can almost duplicate the tenderness by cooking it for 8+ hours.

There's a couple specific cuts of meat that works perfectly for pulled pork.  What you're looking for is going to be called a picnic roast, or a pork shoulder roast, or a Boston Butt roast (which is nowhere near the butt of the pig, it's the front shoulder),  This roast has some great meat in it, but it also has a good deal of fat and collagen.  So after a nice long, slow crock pot cooking, it'll melt away into a molten pool of fat and gelatin and the remaining meat will shred up easily.

One other step is involved, spicing it up.  With most meat smoking, a blend of spices are rubbed on the surface and the slow heat allows it to crust over and create an outer shell.  Crock Pot cooking does not do that, but a slow simmer in a blend of fluids and spices can get a similar caramelized look and a similar taste.  First, we need to create a spice rub for the meat.  If we rub it on the meat and let it sit in the fridge overnight, it'll extract a little bit of moisture, but it will also penetrate into the outer layer of the meat.  Second, I've found that you can get that caramelized flavor and color by cooking it in cola.  Yes... you're using a soda as a cooking medium.  The sugars in the soda seep into the outer layer of the meat and as it cooks over time, and the slight acidity of the cola will help break down the meat into an easily pulled pile of pork.

The best part of this recipe: it's ready to eat when you walk in the door that night.  Yes, there is prep work involved at the beginning of the cooking process, but very little to do at the end.  Just lift the roast out, shred it in a couple of minutes, and garnish with some potato chips for one of the fastest and flavorful dinners you'll ever make in ten minutes.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Makes about 8-10 sandwiches

1 4-5 pound pork picnic roast, pork shoulder roast, or Boston Butt roast

Rub ingredients
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder.

Crock Pot Ingredients
32 ounces cola of your choice
3 cloves garlic, smashed
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)


Add all of the spice ingredients to a bowl and thoroughly mix.  Place the roast on a large plate and rub 1/2 if the mixture onto the meat.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. 

The next morning, place the roast in your crock pot and pour in the cola.  Sprinkle the rest of the rub mix, along with the garlic and the liquid smoke into the cola and stir.  Turn the crock pot to low and allow to cook for at least 8 hours.  If you are around, flip over the roast every 3 hours.  If you're not, no worries, it's an optional step.

When the cooking is done, extract the meat from the crock pot and shred into small bits using a pair of forks.  Serve immediately garnished with homemade barbecue sauce, or with some hot sauce, or some cole slaw if you want it the Southern way, or let cool, put into large ziploc bags and freeze for up to three months. 

So make your own pulled pork one night this week.  It's true that it's not smoked like Sugarhouse Barbecue, but this will definitely satiate the craving until you can visit it during a long lunch hour.