Merlin's version of Mark's Braised Pork Shoulder

[merlinofchaos]

This is a 3 step process. First there is the dry rub, which should ideally be left overnight but somehow i keep only getting about 4 hours in.

The second is a long braise primarily in beer.

Finally there is the bbq sauce. Mark's recipe calls for a final sear on the grill, but I find the mess isn't worth it. Yes, there is a slight improvement of flavor with the grill, but it the stuff falls apart like nothing and you lose a bunch in the grill and it leaves a horrible awful mess. I gave up on that part.

This recipe is for 1 package of Costco Country Style Bonless Pork Shoulder Ribs. I bet that bone-in ribs would be about 5x tastier, and the bones are so big they would not be difficult to remove.

The Rub:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbs kosher salt
2 tbs chili powder
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dry mustard

Mix all of the ingredients in a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid so that you can give it a really good shake. If hte brown sugar doesn't want to delump, a fork or a potato masher will do the trick just fine.

Cut the pork down into pieces that are 1/3 to 1/2 the size that they come in the package. Mostly you want them to fit easily in the bowl. One at a time, drop a piece in the bowl and cover completely with the rub mix. Take your time with this, because a lot of the flavor will come from this. Make a single layer of pork in a disposable baking tray (easily acquired at costco, safeway, smart & final, etc). Why the disposables? Cause this is a pain in the ass to clean from a regular baking dish, and they have higher sides than a 9x14 casserole dish. 1 package will fill two trays pretty completely.

Cover with foil, refrigerate over night.

The braise:

2 pints stout beer -- heck, any dark beer will do.
5 tbs molasses
1 small head of garlic, peeled and crushed.
3 tbs worcestershire
1 tbs hot sauce (Tabasco is fine, but a hot sauce with character is better)

Mix the ingredients well. If you have trouble getting the molasses to dissolve, give it the microwae treatment. If you prepare the braise and refrigerate it along with the pork rub, it'll mix a little better, I think.

Pour the braise over the pork, and try to make sure that every piece is completely submerged. Be careful because the pork is pretty heavy for the disposable trays. It's good to put them on a baking tray of some sort.

Give them 2.5 hours in a 275 degree oven. When done, discard the braising liquid. Put the pork in a bowl and shred with a fork and a spoon.

Here is some recipe that vaguely approximates my bbq sauce.

2 cups ketchup,
1/4 cup cider vinegar,
3 tbs worcestershire,
1/4 cup molasses,
1 tbs chili powder,
2 tsp garlic powder,
1 tsp onion powder,
1/8 tsp (or more) cayenne pepper,
1 tsp hot sauce (such as tabasco; I have one I particularly like that's good on wings but i forget the
name of it offhand),
1/4 cup prepared mustard
a few drops of liquid smoke.
a generous pinch or two of kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for awhile. Adjust until you like the taste.

Comments

[rosminah.livejournal.com]

Meeerlin, do you know a local source for brined green peppercorns? I'm hankering for steak au poirve! :)

[merlinofchaos]

Hmm. Not offhand. I usually find stuff like that at Whole Foods. I haven't looked for brined peppercorns so I can't say either way if they have any, though.