Southern Style Pulled Pork

I can only guess that my love affair with southern cooking began in Marietta, Georgia….my birthplace. That’s the only reasonable explanation that I can come up with. I mean seriously, can it get any better than fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans cooked in bacon grease? Oh, and don’t forget the sweet tea…and the biscuits…and the banana pudding…

You lickin’ your lips yet? Well, I have the perfect southern style pulled pork recipe for you.  It’s pretty much to die for….if I must say so myself.  My friend Cindy told me it was better than any restaurant pulled pork she has ever had. Uh huh, that’s right.  Oh, and the aroma that will permeate your house?! One word: amazing!!! You will be smackin’ your lips no doubt. If you have dogs, they will be running around the house like cats on cat nip

I’ll be honest here, the recipe starts with a homemade barbecue sauce to roast the pork in. However, after cooking and shredding the pork, I cheat. Yep, that’s right, I cheat and add some bottled barbecue sauce…in my opinion, Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue goes the best with this recipe.  Here you go:

Recipe: Southern Style Pulled Pork

Serve 6-8

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons mustard powder

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons salt

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 cups tomato juice

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Small bottle of barbecue sauce (my favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue)

8 hamburger Buns

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Mix together the mustard powder,oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt.
3. Rub over meat; set aside.
4. In a small roasting pan, heat oil over medium heat.
5. Add onion and garlic; cook until onions are translucent about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add tomato juice, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar and worcestershire.
7. Increase heat to high; cook 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
8. Add pork to sauce and cover.
9. Place in oven and cook for 3 hours.
10. Uncover and continue cooking, basting from time to time, until meat is fall apart tender,about 1-1/2  hours more.
11. Remove from oven and shred pork (I typically use two forks to do this).
12. Add bottled barbecue sauce to shredded pork until desired sauciness.
13. Serve on buns. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm.

Top with cole slaw and add a side of baked beans for the perfect southern-style feast!