Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork

I don't like the word cheater being used when it comes to taking a short cut in cooking or baking. Sometimes you just don't have the time to make something the slow way or from scratch. That certainly doesn't make you evil. So by all means don't punish yourself or feel guilty for finding away to speed up the process of cooking or baking. As far as I'm concerned, a box chocolate cake mix is better than no chocolate cake.

This recipe was adapted from the cookbook Cheater BBQ.

Let's drop the chitchat and make some barbecue. First, you drop a pork butt into the slow cooker, add dry rub and bottled smoke, close the cover, go away for a while, pull or chop the the meat and pile in on a bun, add sauce, get out the pickles, open a beer. Boom! That's barbecue baby. Can you feel it?

Ingredients:
One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast
1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub
1/2 cup bottled smoke
Barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Cut the pork butt into medium (3 to 3-inch) chunks

2. Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the bottled smoke.

3. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.

4. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle.

5. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Ingredients for Cheater Basic Dry Rub:
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.

Ingredients for Cheater BBQ Sauce:
1 small onion, grated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons bottled smoke
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Directions:

Cook the onion in the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened and smooth.

My vintage 1950's tin plates. A must for eating BBQ.

My newest apron, retro cow-girls and boys.