Post-blizzard bbq

I've got a lot of things going on, so a short post this will be. First, I cannot stress enough that your best friend in the kitchen is a dutch oven. I hadn't truly experienced life until I bought one of these for my mother, and it somehow, conveniently made its way into my kitchen. Sneaky, sneaky.

There are many different brands of dutch ovens and they come in different colors, shapes and sizes. In purchasing a dutch oven, one name reigns supreme and that's Le Creuset. Le Creuset is enameled, cast iron cookware. They have various products ranging from saucepans to grill pans and truthfully, I could dedicate this entire blog to them, but I promised you barbecue and so barbecue you shall have. Just know, that any Le Creuset piece is an investment (translates to EXPENSIVE). Occasionally places like BJ's or Costco will have Le Creuset pieces for sale. At $180 I was lucky to pick up a Le Creuset oval 6 3/4 quart French oven at BJ's wholesale. A steal! This piece easily runs $240-$365 at most retailers. This particular oven is just large enough to fit a whole pork picnic shoulder or Boston butt if you prefer.

About your barbecue...the dry rub is the most important part of the process. You can purchase a pre-mixed rub or make your own. I like to make my own using a mixture of both fresh and dried herbs. You can omit the cayenne if you don't like your barbecue spicy, but cayenne pepper is an amazing source of vitamins and antioxidants and should be incorporated into your diet, as much as you can tolerate.

Dry Rub:

1 tbsp Coleman's dry mustard

2 tbsps Brown sugar (Domino brand of course)

1 tsp ground sage

1 tbsp fresh minced thyme

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp kosher salt

1 5-7 lb pork picnic shoulder or Boston butt

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix dry ingredients and rub all over your pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. You may leave it refrigerated overnight, if you'd like. Preheat over to 250 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar into the dutch oven. Place pork in dutch oven and cover with aluminum foil before replacing the lid. Roast for at least 6 hours. Depending on the strength of your oven this could take more time. The roast is done when it is visibly falling apart, or if it has reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees with a meat thermometer. Let the roast sit at least ten minutes before serving.

Note: If you do not have a dutch oven, a conventional roaster will do, but the end result will not be nearly as good. Try to refrain from checking your roast--you don't want too much moisture to escape. During the last hour of cooking, you may prepare a homemade barbecue sauce for your pork. This is the recipe I use:

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup French's yellow mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

garlic salt to taste

serves 12

While pulled pork is normally served on a bun, I leave this as an option as some of us I'm sure, don't need the added calories.

Side suggestions: Either potato salad or coleslaw (I'll post a great recipe for potato salad soon) Braised kale is a fantastic vegetable accompaniment to pulled pork barbecue.

Wine pairing: An Alsacien Reisling, Pinot Blanc or Gewurtztraminer is a classic pairing with pork barbecue. Domaine Lucien Albrecht makes all three of these--all moderately priced. You can find them at Corridor Wine & Spirits. As a tip, always--always pair spicy with sweet.