Pulled Pork in BBQ Sauce - Day 13 Meal 3

Pork Butt. Yeah I said it. It's one of those food items I've never had a chance to cook before. But then Megan brings home a beautiful butt ;) and suggesting we should cook it up. Well some digging for a recipe turned up making pulled pork out of it. Another thing I have little experience with, roasting. This recipe seemed too easy. Rub it, store it (I did this the night before cooking), crock it with very little water, shred it, mix it with BBQ sauce, enjoy. And it worked!

An additional challenge came in the form of BBQ sauce. Most store bought or home made BBQ sauce contains sugar in one form or another. Molasses, honey, brown sugar, and so forth. Sugar in any form, aside from naturally occurring, is a Whole30 no-no, so to the book I went. Luckily "It Starts With Food" has a recipe for BBQ sauce.

Pulled Pork

3-4 lbs Pork Roast (ie shoulder, butt)

4 Tbsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Sea Salt

2 Tbsp Chili Powder (I used what I had on hand: Chipotle)

2 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Oregano

Unwrap the roast, they typically come tied or in a bakers web to keep them round. Combine all the spices in a bowl and rub them into every nook and cranny on the roast. I poured the rub into my hand from the bowl to avoid contamination. That way I can store and use any left over rub later. Wrap the roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I let our roast sit overnight but you can leave it like this for up to 3 days. The longer the better. Put the roast in a crock pot. Add a 1/4 cup of water. Set crock to low and let cook for 6-8 hours. Remove the roast to a rack to allow the drippings to run off. Avoid spilling the drippings all over the stove, the floor and what you are wearing. (That's for a different blog) Shred the meat, removing any fatty lumps. Mix with BBQ (or any savory sauce) and serve.

Whole30 BBQ Sauce (from It Starts With Food)

1 cup Tomato Sauce

1/3 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce

2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos (similar to soy sauce, not from a legume, another Whole30 no-no)

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (our dijon was non-compliant so I substituted dry mustard mixed into tomato paste)

1 tsp Hot-pepper sauce 

1 tsp Chili Powder (again with the chipotle)

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 clove Garlic

1/2 Tbsp clarified butter or coconut oil (I used the coconut oil and a small dab of ghee)

In a bowl whisk the tomato sauce, apple sauce, vinegar, coconut aminos, mustard, hot-chili sauce, and black pepper. Heat the butter/coconut oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and remaining spices to the pan stirring until fragrant (about 30 seconds only). Whisk in the tomato sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, then GENTLY simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes until it is reduced and flavorful. Remove from heat and allow to cool.The outcome smelled very tomato paste like, and had a bit of spicy kick to it. We worried the kids wouldn't eat it. However, once mixed into the shredded pork it was very tasty. Use the BBQ sauce at room temp when mixing in, and store unused portions in the fridge.