I have found over the years that if you have to serve a crowd for some reason, pulled pork sandwiches are easy and cheap. People usually eat it without being too finicky and there are lots of ways you can adjust it to be used for anyone. Pulled pork is easy to do and hard to screw up, but not impossible. The last time I cooked for a crowd I started cooking the week before, and learned a few tricks.
First trick is, if you have to cook a bunch of meat and shred it do it over a week rather than working yourself to death on the day of your event. Say you are going to have to do 3 or more Boston butts, start out by cooking them in the slow cooker. We are all busy and if you do it over a week by tossing it in the slow cooker and letting it go while you do what you need to for the day then coming home and having a roast ready to shred with ease, you will be so much happier.
Second trick is once you have cooked the meat in the slow cooker you can still smoke it. As I cook the pork in the slow cooker, I shred it directly into a disposable pan and store it in the fridge. Then as you finish more you can just add to the pan once it's cooled off. On the day of your event, you can pull the pan out of the fridge and toss it on the smoker about 3 hours before the event starts and you still get the great smoky flavor.
Third trick is to add layers of flavor. As you prep the meat in the slow cooker, season it with something sweet. I use the Bigman Outdoors BBQ Rub because it is sweet and herby. When I put the meat on the smoker I added a can of pineapple rings on top and the juice from the pineapple to the pan of meat, then seasoned it with Bigman Outdoors Coffee Rub. Once it is reheated on the smoker, you end up with multiple layers of flavor from the smoke, the different rubs and from the pineapple.
The recipe is pretty simple so lets make it.
Pork roast
Canned pineapple rings
Seasonings of your choice
One cup rootbeer or dr. Pepper
And that's it. Start out by seasoning the roast liberally then cook the pork for 6 to 8 hours in the slow cooker. The key is to make it tender enough to shred in the slow cooker. Once it is finished and cooled down shred into an appropriately sized disposable pan. When you are ready to add the smoke to it, turn the smoker to high smoke and heat with the lid up. My preference of wood is pecan and cherry char wood mixed in a 50/50 blend. While the smoker is heating, open a can of pineapple slices and lay them out across the pan of meat. Pour in the juice from the pineapple and soda then spinkle with a spicy rub like the Bigman Outdoors Coffee Rub. Smoke for 2 hours, then serve hot and enjoy.
Comments