For whatever reason I never got the memo about worshiping at the altar of pork butt. It seems that to a lot people when it comes to pulled pork,that pork butt is the only way to go. I beg to differ. There are other cuts which in my experience are just as good, or even better. The one advantage I see with using pork butt is you can get a larger piece of meat in a single piece then you can with rib end pork loin. If you're a single person, or cooking for less then a crowd, and you tend to not freeze leftovers, then being a member of the cult of the pork butt is not an option. At least not for me.



When I was growing up the majority of the roast meat we had was roast pork. Occasionally it was a roast beef, and chicken, well it was chicken cutlets breaded and fried. The Italian version of fried chicken. The pork always ended up shredded. We had no idea what pulled meant. All we knew was that the pork would shred and it was delicious.

For those who don't know, pork butt is the shoulder cut of pork. According to...

...the book How to Cook Meat, "It got its name because in colonial times this type of pork was packed into barrels called 'butts' for shipping and storage.



The pulled comes from using two forks to pull apart the meat after it cooks so it has the texture of being shredded.



Traditionally pork butt is used for a preparation with bbq sauce so perhaps this is why I'm not a member of the cult. While I LOVE a good bbq, when it comes to having my pork and eating it too, I prefer this tasty preparation. I hope that you will enjoy it also.

Roasted Pulled Pork



2 lbs. pork loin boneless or bone in rib end

2 14 oz cans chicken stock

1.5 tblsp. pickling spice, either wrapped in cheesecloth, or in a tea ball if you have or use either

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder



Coat pork with salt, pepper, garlic powder and let it sit until it becomes room temperature*, approximately. 10-15 minutes. Heat approximately 1/4" olive oil in a 3 or 5 quart dutch oven. Sear pork on all sides, remove and add chicken stock. Stir the stock, scrapping up any bits that remained in the pan from the sear. Put pork back in, add pickling spice and garlic cloves. Cook on a low heat for 2-3 hours until pork pulls apart. Or place in crock pot on low for 8 hours. Keep the lid slightly cracked during cooking, and turn ever 45 minutes or so. Add more stock if needed, Once the pork is done to remove the pickling spice, Use two forks to pull pork apart. Place the strained sauce and the pork back into the dutch oven or the crock pot. Serve as it, or as a sandwich with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe.



*Notes:

Meat at room temperature sears very well.



Pickling spice consists of cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaves, ginger, chillies. cloves, black pepper, mace, and cardamon. If you don't have pickling spice and have a combination of the above in your spice cabinet, try a custom blend. I've used s combination of ground mustard and ground coriander, a whole bay bay leaf, whole black pepper corns, and red pepper flakes with excellent results.



I never strain the spices out, or use a cheesecloth or tea ball to infuse the flavor. Once the pork is refrigerated I like to keep the spices in there for added flavor. If you choose to do this, you just have to be a little careful when serving with the pickling spice,