Southern Entree

Pulled Pork
(Serves 12)

Often referred to as Pork Barbeque, this dish is a favorite staple of southern cooking.

Rub
2 T paprika
1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T dry mustard
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp. cayenne
3 T coarse salt (Kosher or sea)
5-7 lb. boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt) or loin
_____________

Barbeque Sauce *
1 1/2 C cider vinegar
1/3 C prepared mustard (your favorite)
1/2 C ketchup
3 T brown sugar
2 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne
12 hamburger buns

Rub: mix ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. Spread mixture over pork, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours—even better, chill overnight.

Pork: preheat oven to 300. Roast the pork about 6 hours, till a meat thermometer registers 170. The meat should practically fall apart. **

Sauce: while meat is roasting, make barbeque sauce by combining all ingredients in a pan. Simmer and stir 15 minutes. Take sauce off heat. Set aside tilll you’re ready to use it.

Assembly: let pork cool for an hour. Deglaze the pan with a little water and add drippings to the sauce. While pork is still warm, use 2 forks to pull the pork—one fork to steady the meat, the other to shred. Put shredded pork in a bowl and add half the sauce to cover and coat the meat.

Serve: pile the warm pork warm on hamburger buns, with extra sauce to moisten. Or serve extra sauce on the side. Coleslaw is the perfect southern accompaniment!

* Or skip this part and just use your favorite store bought BBQ sauce.

** Or use a crock-pot. Place the pork on a layer of sliced onion on the bottom of the pot and add enough water to fill the pot 2/3 of the way up. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Shred the meat as described above.

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Tips & Glossary

Basic southern cuisine differs from its Cajun, Creole, and Southwestern cousins in its lack of hot spices. As a result, it's rich but mild—the ultimate in comfort food!

• Crabmeat: meat from the body, legs or claws of numerous varieties of crab. Most prized is jumbo lump from the hind leg. But for crab cakes and casseroles, use regular lump, as well as finback from the body. Claw meat is brown and stronger flavored, though also good for crab recipes. Buy it fresh if you can.

• Greens: a staple in Southern cooking, they're in the cabbage family and include kale, collards, turnip, spinach, and mustard greens. Usually served with black-eyed peas and cornbread to sop up the pot likker.

• Grits another staple of Southern cooking: coarsely ground corn, cooked as porridge. Once cooked, grits are served plain, baked in a casserole, fried or deep-fried as a fritter. (Think polenta.)

• Pie Crust: store bought crusts are fine. But for the skilled (or more daring) among you, make your own. Here's our recipe—Noel's Pie Crust.

• Yams: a type of sweet potato with an elongated shape and deep orange flesh. A true yam is grown in Africa and Asia is actually quite different from what Americans call yams.