Alex's Pulled Pork

I've never been a huge fan of BBQ. Gasp!  Un-American I know!  But I'm just too girly to enjoy getting my fingers messy eating ribs and I really don't like most barbecue sauces.  Glorified ketchup in my opinion.  But!  Pulled pork is Alex's specialty and I love this stuff.  Like most people, I think, Alex used to make his pulled pork in a slow cooker and it was good.  But the real magic happened when he decided to use the dutch oven.  Suddenly we had the juiciest pulled pork ever; no need for bbq sauce at all!

This recipe is an easy crowd-pleaser.   Instead of asking us to bring chips and dip or a salad, we have friends who ask us to bring this!  And no problem!  We can make it the day before, and for $10 or so, feed an army.  And since I am apparently breeding a small army of little (if you can call a 27 lb, 10 month old baby little) boys, this is a great recipe for us here at home too.

Pulled Pork
6-8 lbs pork shoulder (or butt)
rub
 - 2 Tbsp. paprika
 - 3 tsp. kosher salt
 - 2 tsp. garlic powder
 - 2 tsp. onion Powder
 - 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
 - 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
 - 1 tsp. dried oregano
 - 1 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Mix together all the ingredients for the rub and, um, rub it all over the pork.  Be liberal with it but don't feel like you have to use it all.  We use the leftovers for all kinds of things from sprinkling on roasted cauliflower to burgers.  Put the pork into the dutch oven, and pop it into the oven.  Cook, covered, for 6 hours.  The meat will be falling apart and very juicy! Use a fork to pull the meat apart, then remove it to a large bowl using a slotted spoon to drain away some of the fat. That's it!  Delicious.

The kids seemed to really like it.  It is a great finger food for the babes because the meat is so soft and tender.  No teeth necessary!

Happy eating his new food, even with pork on his cheeks

This is a new face around here, the "GIVE ME MORE" face.  He makes his little fists, screws up his face and sort of growls! Fun.  He's going to be a terror.