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Crispy Oven Pulled Pork

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"I was first introduced to oven-crisped pork roasts via David Chang's famous Bo Ssam: a spectacularly low-effort, high-reward way to feed a crowd. The masterful thing about this slow roast is that the exterior takes on a dark, glossy, crisp edge that collapses easily under the tines of a fork, revealing pale, perfectly cooked pulls of pork within, and that you did almost nothing to make this happen—the ingredients are essentially sugar and salt. But one of the ways I use the recipe the most these days is like this, adapted for barbecue-style sandwiches. I make a slew of adjustments. I prefer a boneless pork shoulder over a bone-in one; it's smaller, cooks faster, and has a more dramatic collapse. Instead of a simple salt-and-white-sugar rub, I channel barbecue flavors, keeping the salt but swapping in brown sugar, paprika (smoked is wonderful here), and cayenne. I enlist a thin marinade known as a mop throughout the process—initially to baste the roast, then to flavor the slaw, to dress the final roast as you pull it apart, keeping it moist, and then to add at the table. You won't need a barbecue sauce. My favorite part of this dish is that the entire thing has only ten ingredients. I used to make ribs for summer holidays. With this almost completely hands-off recipe, those days might be over."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for slaw
â—¦ 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons sweet or smoked paprika
â—¦ 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne or chipotle powder
â—¦ 1 boneless pork shoulder (sometimes called Boston butt), about 3 ¾ pounds
â—¦ 1 cup apple cider vinegar
â—¦ ¼ cup ketchup
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for slaw
â—¦ 1 small (1 ½-pound) head green cabbage
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise, plus more to taste
â—¦ 12 sandwich rolls


Recipe

The night before, prepare the roast: Combine 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 4 tablespoons of the brown sugar, all of the paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne in a small bowl. It should taste saltier than sweet, and have as much kick as you like, so add more seasonings if you wish. If the pork shoulder has a thick fatty layer on one side, scoring can help prevent it from tightening the meat below as it shrinks. To score the fat, make shallow (â…›-inch-deep) diagonal cuts in two directions a little under an inch apart, forming a diamond pattern. Use your hands to pat the rub onto all sides; it's going to be very thickly coated, but don't leave any rub behind. Place the roast in a bowl or, if it fits in your fridge, the pan you'd like to roast it in tomorrow, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Make the mop: Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, all of the cider vinegar, ketchup, black pepper, and â…“ cup water in a bowl, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. You want the mop to be pleasantly sharp (the fatty meat will cut right through any overpowering vinegar vibe) but not quite sour. I don't find that I need salt, but you can add some if you wish. You'll have a little over 1 â…” cups of mop.

Cook the pork: The next day, heat the oven to 300° F. Remove the plastic wrap from the pork, and discard any juices in the dish. If your pork is not in a roasting dish, transfer it to one now. Cook pork for approximately 5 hours, or until it collapses, yielding more easily when pulled back with a fork. After the first hour, add ¼ cup mop to the juices in the pan, and baste the meat with it. Continue to baste once an hour with the juices that collect.

Make your slaw: Quarter, core, and thinly slice your cabbage. If the slices are long, I cut them into one- to two-inch lengths, so the slaw doesn't end up too cumbersome to pile on a sandwich. Place the cabbage in a large bowl, add â…“ cup of the mop, and toss to combine. Add the mayonnaise, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, if you wish, taste, and add more mop or mayo if needed. Refrigerate the slaw until you're ready to eat.

To finish and serve: Once the meat is cooked, you can leave it at room temperature for up to 1 ½ hours. Rewarm briefly in a 450° F oven. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, discarding any larger chunks of fat; pour up to ½ cup of the reserved mop over it as needed, to season and keep the meat moist. Serve the pulled pork on buns with the slaw, seasoning with a splash of the remaining mop and/or barbecue sauce of your choice.

Serves 10 to 12