Pulled Pork Sliders

I'm a HUGE fan of pulled pork. I visit as many RibFests as I can every year, to experience that juicy goodness. It never even occurred to me to try making it myself until I had dinner at my Aunt's house one night. It was a weeknight and she just pulled some leftovers out of the freezer - some delicious barbeque, including pulled pork. She told me that my Uncle had made it on the weekend! I've been dying to try it since then - but when would it make sense for a single gal like me to cook up ten pounds of pulled meat? The SUPER BOWL - that's when! I created the dry rub myself but stole the sauce recipe from the Food Network's Sunny Anderson - I am a huge fan. Take this opportunity to be creative with your spice rub - I really just tossed on whatever I had handy and didn't really pay attention to portion size :)

Serving size: A lot. I cooked 10 pounds of pork, had enough to feed 12 dudes and froze half of it for myself - I can't say exactly how many sliders it produced. The amount of sauce was perfect for the amount of meat - feel free to adjust accordingly.


Ingredients:

10 lb pork shoulder or Boston Butt

Spice Rub:

2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp tandoori massala

1 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp sea salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp dijon mustard

Barbeque Sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3  medium onions, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup apricot jam

1 cup ketchup

2 tbsp hot pepper sauce

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients together in a medium bowl. Prick your pork with a paring knife and then add to the mixture. Coat the pork evenly. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and toss it in the fridge (I marinated my pork overnight, but any amount of time over an hour would be fine I'm sure).
2. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Place your pork in a roasting pan, cover, and cook for 6 hours. If you don't have a roasting pan, you can be creative like me. I used a Corringware dish covered in tin foil and it worked great!
3. About half an hour before your 6 hours are up, you can begin your sauce.
4. Melt your butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
5. Add the garlic and paprika and cook 2-3 more minutes - if your garlic starts to brown, turn down your heat.
6. Stir in the brown sugar, jam, ketchup, and pepper sauce, stirring after each addition. Bring to a simmer, then stir in vinegar. Add salt to taste.
7. Remove your pork from the stove and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Remove your pork from the pan and drain some of the juices - but leave about 1/2 an inch in the bottom of the pan.
8. 'Pull' your pork using two forks, knifes, whatever you like. You know what it's supposed to look like. Then toss it back in the pan with the juices, and add your barbeque sauce. Coat the pork thoroughly so it's nice and juicy. Then....eat!!!

I thought the sauce was far too sweet when I tasted it, but after combining with the pork and the juices it was perfect. I planned on making coleslaw or deep fried pickles to serve on my sliders, but I ran out of time - I just served it plan and it tasted fantastic! As for the leftovers in my freezer, I plan to try it with cornbread, in a southern-themed salad, with french fries...the possibilities are endless!