Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Spicy BBQ Sauce

When Jeremy and I visited his parents for Thanksgiving, his mom had earned a free item from the grocery store.  Since we didn't feel like getting another turkey, we chose a pork shoulder -- a picnic cut.  So tonight (or really today... since it took about 11 hours total to complete it) I made pulled pork.  I baked my own hamburger buns for this using our bread machine.  I served this with some buttered corn but cole slaw would also be delicious.  I just didn't have any this time.

We have a huge pile of pulled pork left -- which I'm sure Jeremy will polish off as soon as he can. The pork was really moist and flavorful.  The rub gave it great flavor -- to the point that we didn't even miss the smoky flavor of normal bbq pulled pork.

The sauce I made for this is a bit spicy, which we really enjoy.  But this would also be delicious with any sauce you wanted.  I just topped each sandwich with a spoonful of sauce rather than mixing the pork into the sauce.  That way I can keep both separate in the fridge in case one lasts longer than another.

This did take a long time to make.  But for about over 10 hours I did nothing but walk into the kitchen to turn the roast or remove foil every few hours.  I did make the sauce just after lunch, but that meant that I had very little to do when dinner was finally coming together (albeit a bit late tonight).  And the result was definitely worth the work. :)

The whole roast

The pile o' pork

Pork:
7 lb. pork shoulder (I had a picnic roast but boston butt would be just as good)
1 1/2 tbs. salt
1/2 tbs. black pepper
1/2 tbs. paprika
1/2 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tbs. cayenne
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. cumin
1/2 tbs. onion powder
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 12 oz. beer (I had Saranac Black and Tan)

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except the pork and beer together.  Rub the pork with the mix, pressing it into the flesh on all sides.  Place the pork roast on a rack over a roasting pan (fat/skin side up).  Pour beer into the bottom of the roasting pan.
4. Cover pork with foil.  Roast for 6 hours, turning the pork over every 2 hours.  Remove foil and continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. (It took 4 1/2 hours post-foil for me.)
5. Allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes.  Then remove skin/fat and shred the rest using two forks or chop it finely with a knife.
6. Serve topped with bbq sauce in a bun.

Sauce:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. apple cider vinegar, divided
2 c. ketchup
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute until slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
3.  Blend the sauce in a blender.  Return to pan and thin, as needed, with the additional 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar. Adjust seasonings as desired.