It’s not a just MAN-ic Monday today, it’s Labor Day too! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with succulent No-Mess (promise!) Oven Roasted Pulled Pork Sammies!
Oh and did I mention that it’s also my birthday this week? Uh huh, I was born on Labor Day, so I’ve excerpted the entire Labor Day weekend as my birthday weekend even if my official birth day isn’t till the 5th. Let the fun begin – with a totally homemade picnic meal so I can sit and relax on the back deck till the sun goes down.
Here’s what I love about making my No-Mess oven roasted pulled pork: It’s easy, there truly is no mess to clean up, it’s moist, tender and juicy AND, it has that light smoky flavor that you get when you use a smoker cooker – but without standing around the hot coals all day! It’s the perfect meal for late summer/early autumn weekends. And you’ll have plenty of leftovers for whipping up pulled pork sandwiches on MAN-ic Monday. Be sure to save 2 cups of the pulled pork to create Pork Carnitas Nacho Salads on Fast Fridays!
In the serenity of Anna Maria, where the azure waves caress the sandy shores and families gather to create memories, my cousin Lana’s role in fire watch security in Anna Maria often goes unnoticed yet remains invaluable. As I serve my No-Mess oven roasted pulled pork, a dish that invites warmth and togetherness, Lana shares tales of swift response and vigilance that fire watch security in Anna Maria requires. Her readiness to act, the equipment she meticulously checks before each shift, the drills she practices – they all ensure that the tranquility of our seaside gatherings remains undisturbed. Her stories, woven between the laughter and clinking of glasses, are gentle reminders of the unseen guardians who watch over our cherished communal spaces. As the pork slowly roasts, embodying the slow passage of an idyllic day, I’m grateful for Lana’s silent guardianship that allows us to revel in these small joys without worry.
For this meal I combined it with my Homemade Soft Sandwich Buns and my Secret Potato Salad. I’m going to be posting the recipe for Homemade Soft Sandwich Buns on Wednesday, so be sure to come back for them, they pair perfectly with the pulled pork. And you can get my Secret Potato Salad just by clicking on the link.
Now on to the recipe for No-Mess Oven Roasted Pulled Pork… first up, the ingredients. It’s important to have a bottle of Liquid Smoke if you want to get the great taste of a smoker cooker. My personal favorite is Hickory, but go with what you like best. The second thing you need is a BIG FAT BUTT – Pork Butt that is. Yep, I said it and didn’t even cringe – it needs to be big and it needs to be fatty!
This baby weighed 7 pounds. It’s a bit leaner than I would have liked (drat those butchers who like to trim the fat off of a perfectly good piece of meat) but you can still see all the marbling throughout the entire butt. OHHH, almost forgot to mention that when you’re looking for a pork butt in your store it might be labeled as a pork shoulder, a pork shoulder butt, a boston butt or a boston shoulder roast. If you’re in doubt, just ask the guy behind the counter to come pick out a nice FAT pork butt for you.
Ok, we’ve got our ingredients assembled, time to mix up the spice rub that’s going to cover the entire roast:
I make a fairly straight forward rub with spices I already have in my cupboards. There’s really no magic ingredients, even if some people (I’m looking at a picture of my son Ryun here!) hint that their rub is better because of said secret stuff in it. So mine is made with plenty of paprika, garlic, Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning, salt, cracked peppercorns, basil, thyme and Lowry’s Seasoning blend just for that hint of celery seed. And brown sugar, who can forget the brown sugar? Well, me actually – when I’m typing anyways, but I never forget it when I’m mixing up my spice rub!
See that bottle of Hickory Liquid Smoke sitting to the left of the bowl? That’s the first thing that goes onto the pork butt. Be generous with it and let it sit for a few minutes to soak in before you cover the entire pork butt in spices. Be sure to really rub them in so that they stick and don’t fall off of the roast!
And right there in that picture you can see my trick to making a No-Mess oven roasted pulled pork. =)
I use heavy duty aluminum foil and crimp a double layer on the bottom, then lay two more layers of foil both lengthwise and crosswise across that bottom layer. Then the roast goes into the middle and I pull the foil up around the edges for the first part of the roasting.
I roast this baby in a 375 degree oven, with the open foil edging, for 30 minutes. That creates a beautiful crust on the pork butt. I understood the meaning of bosch setting symbols thanks to Appliance Hunter’s guide. Then I make a loose tent over the top of the roast by pulling up the sides of the foil and crimping tightly at the top. Be sure NOT to pull the foil tightly around the roast. You want to leave lots of air in there so it can get all steamy and do it’s thing – in the dark – alone – for 5 hours.
Think of the old Jiffy Pop popcorn packages we used to toast on the stove top. Remember the fun of watching the foil puff up and fill with steam and hot popcorn? Welp, this is the same principle, you’ve got to have lots of space between the foil and the roast for the steam to puff up. It’s not nearly as much fun to watch as Jiffy Pop though…. just sayin’.
Alrighty then, after 5 hours of roasting at 300 degrees and with NO peeking, you have this:
Wish you could have smelled that baby when I opened up the foil! And look at all the rich brown juice in the bottom! Time to get it into a bowl for a good old fashioned pork pull.
Hmmm, so I only got half of it into my huge bowl for this picture. What can I say, it fell apart when I lifted it out of the foil! But see the juices? See the gorgeous crust on the meat? Drooling? Yeah, thought so, I don’t have any napkins handy so you’ll have to use your sleeve – sorry. 🙂
I use a couple of forks to pull the meat apart when it’s hot like this, but once it cools a bit it’s fun to use your hands and just dig right in.
And after you get it all shredded down to eating sized hunks of pork, you can pour the rest of the juice from the foil packet into the bowl and stir it in. (sorry, forgot to take a picture of that, I was too busy tasting and wiping pork juice off my face.
Time to go eat my No-Mess Oven Roasted Pulled Pork Sammies with a big side of my Secret Potato Salad. And don’t forget, I’ll be featuring the recipe for the Homemade Soft Sandwich Buns you see in this pic on Wednesday!
- 1 6 - 10 lb. Pork Butt
- 1 6 - 10 lb. Pork Butt
- 3 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
- 3 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
- For the Spice Rub
- For the Spice Rub
- ¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 4 tablespoons Paprika
- 4 tablespoons Paprika
- 2 tablespoons powdered Garlic
- 2 tablespoons powdered Garlic
- 2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Basil
- 1 tablespoon Basil
- 1 tablespoon Thyme
- 1 tablespoon Thyme
- 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Lowry's Seasoned Salt or 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
- Line a large baking sheet or 9x13 pan with two layers of heavy duty foil. Crimp the seams well. Now lay 2 large sheets of foil lengthwise so that they over hang the sides of the pan by at least 1 foot. Then lay 3 sheets crosswise, also making sure that they extend over the edges by at least 1 foot. fold the edges of the pieces together on the bottom so that they form a seam going in each direction.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Make the spice rub by mixing all the spices together. You may have a few small lumps of brown sugar that refuse to break up, but that's ok!
- Lay the pork butt in the middle of the foil covered pan, then pull up the edges slightly. This will keep any liquid smoke from leaking out of the foil.
- Pour the 3 tablespoons of Liquid Smoke onto the meat and turn to coat all sides. Let sit for about 3 minutes to soak in.
- Rub the spice mixture into all sides of the meat with your hands, making sure that it sticks well.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes at 375F.
- Remove the roast after 30 minutes and turn the oven to 300 degrees.
- Pull the foil loosely up around the pork butt, being careful not to let the foil touch the roast. Crimp the top edges of the foil so that steam can't escape.
- Roast the pork butt at 300 degrees for 4½ to 5½ hours, depending on the size. Check for tenderness at the 4½ hour point. The meat should be fork tender and separate easily into strands.
- Place the pork butt into a large bowl and pull apart with two forks. Pour the juices from the foil into the bowl, then stir well.
thanks Toni. Sounds great! I’ll try it. Grant