Urban Deli does a great pulled pork and probably has the best frites, or fries as you may call them, in the city. But, on this day, I put together my own version of this tasty treat, which was actually my last order at UD.
It’s quite the process requiring some patience and attention to a few details. However, if you don’t mind such things, the end result will be a fine meal for you and your loved ones.
Here is what you need (see recipe suggestions below):
- Pork butt – It’s actually from the front shoulder, and comes as bone-in and boneless cuts. Bone-in is preferred but either will do. It’s a fatty piece of meat with lots of connective tissue. With low and slow cooking, this will result in juicy and tender meat.
Sometimes it is called Boston Butt, or pork shoulder. It should look something like this. - Rub
- Sauce
- Slaw
- Wood chips (hickory, apple, cherry, or whatever you have on hand)
- Buns – you can make your own or buy a good Kaiser bun that has a nice crisp crust
Rub:
- Paprika – several tablespoons
- Oregano – a bit less than paprika
- Garlic and/or onion powder – a bit less than oregano
- Cayenne, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, ancho/chipotle/chili powder in about equal quantities but go with taste here. Make a rub that you like the taste of. Rub this into the meat several hours before you’re ready to cook. Rub hard.
Sauce:
This is a free for all – do what you like here but maintain some sort of balance between sour, sweet, and spicy. I used:
- Juice (orange, mango, pineapple, apple, or anything else, maybe even a mixed cocktail – even some beer) – about ½ cup or so
- Apple cider vinegar or any other vinegar – same amount as you use for juice
- Ketchup – about ½ cup
- Brown sugar – 1/3 cup
- Onion and/or garlic powder – a few shakes
- Tabasco – a few shakes
- If you want, add a few squirts of your favourite store bought BBQ sauce
Whisk well. It should be a pretty runny affair so it can absorb into your pulled pork. It won’t be like a store bought BBQ sauce.
Pork:
I started my pork on a Weber charcoal grill with all the coals put on one side and the pork up on a rack on the cool side. I let that smoke for 1 and a half hours. After that I could have added more coals to the Weber, but instead I transferred to my propane grill for several hours until tender. I cooked it at about 300-350 degrees, allowing the fattiest part to drip down into the meat.
When done, don’t bother letting your meat rest as you normally would. Throw it into a bowl and tear apart with two forks, or your hands if you can stand the heat. Mix with the sauce. This will allow the dry parts of the meat to absorb the sauce (this is why I asked you to keep it runny). Let sit in the sauce for several minutes and then serve on a bun with slaw.
Slaw:
- Cabbage, half a small head or full head if serving several people
- Carrot, shaved
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- ½ cup or so of vinegar, whatever type you prefer
Let sit and stir a few times over a few hours.
Strain before putting onto the bun.
Fries:
Russets are best. Cut into fry sized pieces. Soak in water while your grease heats up. A proper deep fryer is safest, but do as you wish. Double frying makes the best French fry, always. First fry is to get the consistency of a tender potato (at about 325 F or so), no colour, about 5 minutes. Make sure you put the potatoes into the grease as dry as possible to avoid your grease from “boiling over” – it can be very dangerous when a lot of water hits hot oil. After your first fry, the longer you let the fries sit, the better. 30 or so minutes is great. Then, put the fries back into hot oil (360-380 F) and cook until golden and crispy, another 4 or 5 minutes but keep an eye on things. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt, toss, and serve.
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Bio: Dan Jones is a food, drink, and travel writer from Saint John. Follow him on Twitter: @danjjj
