BBQ

With this nice weather we have been having lately I got in the mood for dusting off the barbecue and trying some recipes from a cooking class I’ve been taking online through Craftsy. I have picked up a lot of tips through this class so I thought I would try the pulled pork recipe. I invited a couple of friends over on Sunday, who brought potato salad and fruit salad to go with the pulled pork and baked beans I made. I was very pleased with how everything turned out and would definitely make it again.

Baked Beans

Source: Carol Klinker

2 cups red beans
10 cups water
1/2 lb bacon - cut into cubed and cooked
1 onion - chopped
1 cup dark beer
2 ham hocks
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. Dijon mustard
3 T ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
6 T brown sugar
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
Place beans in a large pot and add the 10 cups of water. Heat to boiling and boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove beans from heat, cover and let stand for 4 to 24 hours.
Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1½ hours. Drain.
Rinse beans with fresh, cool water.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sauté the bacon until light brown, add the onion and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Deglaze with beer. Set aside.
Place ham hocks in middle of a 2-quart bean pot or casserole dish dish.
Place a portion of the beans around ham hocks, and then layering them with bacon and onion mixture.
In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
Bake for 3 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.
About last 1/2 hour, add drained and rinsed black beans.
Note: This time I put the beans on the BBQ with the pork and cooked them at 225 for about 8 hours. I then took them out of the BBQ and put them on the stove-top, uncovered, and simmered them for about another hour to remove some of the liquid as I thought they were too soupy. About 1/2 hour before serving I added the canned black beans. I had gone online to: http://beaninstitute.com/ and learned quite a bit about beans. They claim: “The longer beans soak, the more the gas-producing compounds break down.” - that is why I soaked mine the full 24 hours!
They also said: “Wait to add lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, chili sauce, catsup, molasses, or wine until after beans have been soaked and are fully cooked. Adding ingredients rich in calcium or acids too early in the cooking process can prevent the beans from becoming tender.” - That is why I precooked the beans for 1 1/2 hours before adding the other ingredients and putting them on the BBQ.

Real Deal Barbecue Rub

Source: Craftsy

½ cup raw sugar
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until well blended. May be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for up to six months.

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Source: Craftsy

1 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and cook for 3 minutes until well blended.

Barbecue Pork Butt for Pulled or Chopped Pork

Source: Craftsy

One 7- to 8-pound bone-in pork butt
Real Deal Barbecue Rub - as needed
½ cup apple juice
1. Season the meat liberally with the rub. Put in the refrigerator for at least a half-hour and up to 4 hours.
2. Prepare your cooker to cook indirect at 225 F to 250 F (110 C to 120 C) using a pecan wood smoke for flavor. Put the butt in the cooker, fat side down, and cook until it’s deep brown in color and the bone is beginning to protrude. The internal temperature should be around 170 F (75 C) and it should take eight to 10 hours depending on your cooker.
3. Lay out a big double piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and put the pork butt in the middle. As you begin to close up the package pour the apple juice over the top of the butt and then seal the package, taking care not to puncture it.
4. Return the package to the cooker and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 F (95 C). This should take about another 2 hours.
5. Remove the package from the cooker to a baking sheet. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. Using heat-proof gloves*, take the pork butt out of the foil. It will be very tender. With your hands discard any remaining large pieces of fat and the bone. For pulled pork, simply shred the meat. For chopped pork, chop it with a big knife or a cleaver until it reaches the consistency that you like.
* In the Craftsy cooking class on how to BBQ he gave a really good tip for heat-proof gloves: Go to the hardware store and buy the white knit gloves and pull latex gloves over the top of them. I found the exact gloves he used at Clark Hardware here in Forsyth and used some disposable latex gloves that I use in the kitchen and I could take the roast out of the barbecue with those and not feel hardly any heat at all coming through them. When it was time to pull the pork I used a clean pair of latex gloves over the knit gloves and was able to pull out any excess fat and bones without burning my hands. I am going to use this same tip for when I cook a whole chicken/turkey and want to pull all the hot meat off the bones so I can make stock with the bones.
If you are interested in taking a class from Craftsy click on the Craftsy source name after one of the recipe names above. Print this post