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Slow-Cooked Pork Roast with Barbecue Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Emeril's Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude"


Recipe Introduction

"This is the easiest way I know to end up with finger-lickin', delicious, oven-made barbecue. It does take six hours of slow cooking to end up with a roast that is tender enough to be shredded in this manner, which is what you want for pulled-pork barbecue sandwiches. The pork shoulder is a must; don't substitute another cut. Make the barbecue sauce while the pork is roasting so that once the meat comes out of the oven, you're ready to go. All of this can be done a day or two in advance and then reheated—simply make sure that you reheat any shredded meat in a covered dish with some barbecue sauce so it doesn't dry out."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  1 pork shoulder roast (Boston butt or picnic roast; 6 to 8 pounds)
â—¦  4 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence
â—¦  1 tablespoon salt
â—¦  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦  Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)
â—¦  Sandwich buns, for serving


Recipe

Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Season the roast well on all sides with the Essence, salt, and cayenne. Place a rack inside the roasting pan and place the seasoned pork on the rack, fat side up. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 4 hours.

Remove the foil from the pan and continue to bake until the roast is very tender and will pull apart easily with a fork, about 2 hours longer. Remove the pork from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Remove any excess fat from the roast and discard (if desired—I just love the crunchy bits of skin left on top!). Using two forks or your hands, shred the pork into bite-size pieces. Serve with the sauce and buns.

Makes 10 to 12 servings
(sandwiches)



Barbecue Sauce:

â—¦  4 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦  1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
â—¦  6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
â—¦  2 ¼ teaspoons sweet paprika
â—¦  2 teaspoons Emeril's Bayou Blast
â—¦  2 teaspoons ground mustard
â—¦  1 ¼ teaspoons salt
â—¦  ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
â—¦  ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦  One 6-ounce can tomato paste
â—¦  1 ½ cups water
â—¦  ¾ cup cider vinegar
â—¦  6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

In a medium nonreactive saucepan set over medium-high heat add the butter and, when melted, add the onions and cook until they are very soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the garlic, paprika, Bayou Blast, ground mustard, salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and cayenne and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until the tomato paste begins to brown. Add the water, cider vinegar, and dark brown sugar and stir to combine.

Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have come together, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool before serving. The sauce may be made up to one week in advance and refrigerated in an airtight, nonreactive container.

Makes 3 cups