Magazine Monday - Indoor Pulled Pork

I have received magazine subscriptions as gifts before but wow – this Cook’s Illustrated magazine has been perfect for each and every recipe we’ve tried so far. I love it!



If you don’t subscribe, I’d recommend at least grabbing an issue from your grocery or book store. Try it out. You’ll love it too. This issue had a good recipe for indoor pulled pork.



To achieve the same texture and smokiness of an outdoor grill, try this recipe for Indoor Pulled Pork with Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce.

Ingredients first, directions to follow……For the pork you’ll need these ingredients………..



1 cup plus 2 teaspoons table salt

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 boneless pork butt (about 5 pounds) cut in half horizontally

¼ cup yellow mustard

2 tablespoons ground pepper

2 tablespoons smoked paprika



Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce – ingredients

1 ½ cup ketchup

¼ cup light or mild molasses

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper


Fair warning – you will want to do this on a day off or when you have time to run back to the house to check on the progress.


Dissolve the 1 cup salt, ½ cup sugar and liquid smoke into 4 quarts of cold water. I did not have a cooler handy so I used my old Rubbermaid cake container lid to soak the pork. Worked like a charm! Submerge pork in brine and cover then refrigerate for 2 hours



While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining ingredients (including 2 more teaspoons liquid smoke.); set aside.

Combine black pepper, paprika and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and cayenne in a small bowl; set aside.



Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat to 325 degrees F.

Remove pork from brine and wipe it off with a paper towel. Rub mustard mixture over entire surface of pork.



Now sprinkle entire surface of both pieces with spice mixture.



Foil line a baking sheet and place a wire rack inside, on top of foil. Place parchment paper over pork and cover with foil, sealing well, to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast for 3 hours.


Take foil off and continue to cook for another hour and half or until it registers 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

You are supposed to place roast on serving plate and tent with foil, letting it rest for 20 minutes but I didn’t do that. I just started shredding one piece of the pork in rep for the sauce.

Easy to shred....



The sauce prep is pretty much common sense, toss it together and whisk well.



Toss together about 1 cup of BBQ sauce with the shredded pork. I did not shred the other slab of pork – I sliced it up and put on a platter.

Here it is cooked.....just out of the oven.



Pass the sauce. Served with baked beans and salad. Iced tea mixed with lemonade. Buns and biscuits!



Thank you to Gregg, Barb and Mia for this amazing magazine. Like I said, there has not been one recipe that hasn’t been over-the-top great. Looking forward to trying the baked apples next month.

I am sending this over to Cream Puff’s in Venice for her Magazine Monday series and also posting it to Foodbuzz!