Lexington Pulled Pork Shoulder Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat smoker using a mix of hickory and a few oak wood chips. The fire should burn down to the coals, not ash, when cooking the pork shoulder.
• Season the pork shoulder with a little salt and place the meat on the grill. Cover the smoker and let the pork smoke for 8 to 10 hours.
• Combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, stirring the sauce frequently. If you like your sauces a little spicier, add more black pepper. After about 20 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
• Once the pork is finished cooking, remove from the smoker and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, hand pull, chop, or slice the pork. Serve the meat with some of the Lexington dipping sauce poured over the top.

Steps:

• Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Massage entire roast with spice mixture. (Roast maybe wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to one day. Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil in slow cooker insert (or in a large skillet if your insert cannot go on the stove top). Add pork, turning to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pork to a plate; whisk 3/4 cup water into drippings. If using a skillet transfer the liquid to slow cooker. Whisk together Cooking Liquid for Slow Cooker (vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar and water). Add to slow cooker, then add pork, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the pork and transfer to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Pull pork apart or roughly chop and put into a shallow baking dish. Mix in 1/2 cup Lexington BBQ sauce. Add several ladles of the cooking liquid and salt to taste. Cover with foil and put into a 275 degree oven for about an hour or until it is very tender. Serve remaining BBQ Sauce at the table.

Steps:

• Combine paprika, pepper, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl, working out any clumps in the sugar with your fingers. Spread dry rub all over pork and rub in well. Allow to rest 15 minutes to 24 hours.
• Prepare charcoal grill for indirect heat (place all the coals on one side). Soak 4 cups of wood chips in water for 15-30 minutes. Place the chips on the coals. Heat the top grill with the lid on for 5 minutes. Place the pork on the top grate on the side away from the coals. Open the top air vents fully, and position them over the meat. Open the bottom air vents half- to fully-open, depending on the weather (more closed on a windy day). Leave undisturbed 2 hours.
• Transfer pork to a disposable aluminum roasting pan. Wrap with a double layer of aluminum foil. Place in a preheated 325°F oven for 2-3 hours longer, until fork-tender. Let rest covered for 30 minutes.
• Remove the fat cap and set aside on a plate. Shred the meat into a bowl, discarding any large hunks of fat or gristle. Pull off the "bark" (the dark brown "skin") from the fat cap; discard the remaining fat.
• Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Pour 1/2 cup over the pulled pork; serve the rest on the side.
• Serve between slices of white bread, with pickle slices.

Steps:

• Make the rub: add all the rub ingredients to a small bowl; stir to mix; set aside 1 ½ tablespoons of the rub for the Lexington Vinegar Sauce.
• Sprinkle remaining rub all over the pork, patting it onto the meat with your fingers.
• Set up grill for indirect grilling; for gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box; run the grill on high until you see smoke, then decrease heat to medium-low.
• When ready to cook, place the pork, skin side up, in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat; cover the grill.
• Cook the pork until darkly browned on the outside and very tender inside, 4-6 hours (instant read thermometer should read 195°; if the pork starts to brown too much (and it probably will), cover it loosely with foil, but remember that those browned bits are good, too.
• Make the sauce: add sauce ingredients plus 1 ½ tablespoon reserved rub to a large nonreactive bowl along with ½ cup water.
• Whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve; store in refrigerator until ready to use; bring to room temperature before using.
• Make the slaw: Remove core from the cabbage and discard.
• Cut cabbage into 8 chunks; finely chop cabbage in a food processor using the metal blade and pulsing the motor; work in several batches so you don't overcrowd the processor bowl.
• Transfer cabbage to a large bowl; stir in 2 ½ cups Lexington Vinegar Sauce; taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar sauce as necessary; can be made up to 4 hours ahead; store in the refrigerator covered.
• When pork is done, transfer to a cutting board, cover it loosely with foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
• Then pull the pork into large pieces, discarding any bones or lumps of fat.
• Using a fork, pull each piece of pork into thin shreds; transfer pulled pork to a large foil pan and stir in 1 to 1 ½ cups vinegar sauce-enough to keep the meat moist.
• To serve: mound the pulled pork onto hamburger buns; top with coleslaw and let everyone add more vinegar sauce to taste.