Ingredients
- 1 boneless pork butt, about 4 pounds
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cayenne
- Wet Mop Basting Sauce, recipe follows
- Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows
- 8 Hamburger buns
- Kicked Up Cole Slaw, recipe follows
- Fried Pickles, recipe follows
Directions
Place the pork in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine the sugar, Essence, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, and cayenne. Rub the seasoning evenly over the pork to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat an oven or smoker to 225 degrees F.
Bring the pork to room temperature and place in a roasting pan, fat side up. Slow cook in the oven, basting with the wet mop basting sauce every 45 minutes, until tender and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. (The cooking should take about 6 to 7 hours.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
With a knife and fork or two forks, pull the meat apart into small slices or chunks. Toss with the barbecue sauce, to taste, and divide among the hamburger buns. Top with the coleslaw. Serve with the fried pickles and additional Barbecue Sauce on the side.
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
Wet Mop Basting Sauce:
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
The night before you cook the pork, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate and let the flavors blend overnight.
Yield: 2 1/4 cups
Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk well to dissolve the sugar. Place in a squeeze bottle and dress the pulled pork sandwiches to taste.
Yield: about 2 cups
Fried Pickles:
- 1 (16-ounce) jar whole dill pickles
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons hot red pepper sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons Essence, plus more for dusting
- 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt
Drain the pickles in a colander, then spread on paper towels to drain completely.
Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and 2 tablespoons of Essence.
Heat the oil in a medium pot to 350 degrees F.
Submerge the pickles in batches in the buttermilk, then dip into the flour mixture, tossing to evenly coat. Shake in a strainer to remove any excess batter. Add to the oil in batches, turning, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and season with Essence and salt, to taste. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Serve hot.
Yield: about 6 servings
Cole Slaw:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 4 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 head cabbage)
- 3 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 head cabbage)
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup grated yellow onion
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery seeds, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and whisk well to dissolve the sugar.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Place in the refrigerator, covered, to chill slightly before serving.
Yield: 8 servings
Review This Recipe
You must be logged in to review this recipe.
or Sign Up to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 130 reviews
By sirwinlaw_8997347
San Marino, CA
on March 25, 2013
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
If you love vinegar, these are the recipes for you! But we only like hints of it. For the wet basting sauce, I used Paula Deen's recipe, but then I cut the vinegar in half and increased the apple juice by an equal amount. It was fine, but I'll probably reduce the vinegar to a quarter next time. As for Emeril's BBQ sauce, ugh! I made half the quantity, tasted it, then added half again of all ingredients but the vinegar. We still chose to use a bottled sauce instead: Bone Sucking Sauce. I threw out what I'd made per Emeril.
The Rub was good, and I'll use it again.
I did oven roast it at 300 degrees, which proved too high with Paula's basting sauce, which burned in the 4th hour. The rub also got very black and crusty. But that was my fault for turning it up too high. It did get done in 4 hours, though, that way, which was my goal.
By dls141
Stafford VA
on March 16, 2013
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I NEVER HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER BOTTLE OF BBQ SAUCE .... EVER!!! Do yourself a favor and make up the sauce a couple days ahead of time. Mix it well, put it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and let it sit. The flavors mix together incredibly well and I honestly have never tasted a better BBQ sauce. And I've had a LOT of BBQ. Everywhere from Thailand to NYC and just about everywhere in between. You will love this recipe. And it is so easy your kids can make it.
I smoked up FOUR 9-11 lb pork shoulders. I'm of the opinion the rub doesn't matter all that much when it comes to the flavor of the pork inside the rind. So I actually used a different rub on three of the pieces and used Alton Brown's brine on the 4th. All four roasts turned out fantastic on my Primo XL grill.
By SCRuth00
on March 01, 2013
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
LOVE this recipe! Perfect NC BBQ flavor. Emeril was the best Chef on FN ever!
Read all 130 reviews