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As my FFWD friends have read, this past Thursday night we decided to make some pulled pork sandwiches and baked beans to go with our French onion soup. I had read in the recipe that the pork shoulder would need to be dry rubbed then set in a brine overnight before being massaged again with the dry rub mix and then a long, slow cook. Cool, no problem!

We got the pork shoulder, super fresh, cut off the pig that was slaughtered earlier that same morning and brought it home.

Cleaned it.

Rinsed it.

Rubbed it.

Maybe it felt better about being sacrificed?

Maybe not.

Set it in a delicious smelling brine.

Went to bed.

So then we get up the next morning, and after breakfast (during which I warmed up the oven to a whoppin’ 225F) I got the pork shoulder out of the fridge, patted it dry and then rubbed it some more.

Then rubbed it some more.

Set it in a roasting pan and slid it into the oven.

My husband requested that I make this pulled pork in a crock pot, but in a previous recipe, it just had some interesting effects the next day, causing us to spend a lot of time in the bathroom… probably due to the amount of fat that melted into the “sauce.” So to avoid that, I decided to roast the pulled pork this time. No problem right?

The recipe says to anticipate 1.5-2 hours per pound.

The roast was ready to go into the oven at 11 am.

The pork shoulder was exactly three pounds.

It should be done by 5pm at the latest, maybe just a half hour more…

Yeah, right.

So I got home at six pm from running some errands to start the French onion soup and baked beans.

The house smelled AMAZING.

I dumped in all the ingredients in a small crock pot for the baked beans and it was all smelling amazing. Turned that bad boy on and walked away.

we went with kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and navy beans

Cut about a thousand and two onions for the soup.

Cried a bit.

Blew my nose.

A LOT.

I check on the thermometer that I had just stuck in the thickest part of the roast in the beginning with an alarm set to notify us when the internal temperature reached 200 degrees F.

At 7pm, the internal temperature registered 170 deg F.

GROAN.

But it’s ok, we were still caramelizing a whole mess of onions for the soup, that were caramelizing at a pretty fast rate, if you were a snail. Stirring a HUGE pot full of onions.

So I will save you the bad language and some other boring details and just fast forward to the end.

There came a point where the baby, on the inside, was trying to make an early appearance and pretending like it was going to come out before the soup or pulled pork was going to ever be done – causing me a severe need to sit down.

The hungry husband, who at this point had been smelling the pork cook all day and waiting two hours past our usual dinner time for dinner was anxiously waiting right next to me at the stove, hand on belly and one hand on the “Around My French Table” cookbook saying something about how Dorie had written in a note that said something to the effect that “if you’re onions begin to change color to a golden brown and your husband is hungry, then just go on to the next step.”

I sincerely doubt that.

But at this point? The roast is about three hours behind schedule, I’m staring and the baby is going to try to come out if I don’t sit down and cross my legs or something, Mei is starting to whine since she can smell and see our dinner and wanting to tear her tiny hands and five teeth into it, so I quickly finish out the soup and set it in the oven to allow the cheese to turn to bubbling, golden goodness and we quickly just slice the now pork roast and no longer pulled pork and lay the slices onto the hamburger buns, put that, the soup and a big serving of baked beans in a bowl on the plate and dove, quietly, but quickly into our dinner.

The verdict?

The pork was perfectly and very well seasoned, extremely tender although not tender enough to be “pulled.”

The baked beans had a titch too much mustard, to compensate, I have reduced the amount necessary in the recipe. But otherwise? It was tasty and perfect served on top of the pork IN the sandwich.

The French Onion Soup was good but took an extremely long time to make and while I would make it again, it wont be until this fall or winter, on a day where I have the time and energy to stand at the stove all day.

A couple of hours after dinner, I wound up going to the ER to get checked out since the baby was putting constant pressure and more pain, in his/her efforts to escape way too early. About an hour and a half later, the baby checked out as ok, moving and kicking like crazy but locked in the belly for a bit longer with no way out anytime soon.

With our full bellies and peace of mind about the baby, we were able to plop into bed and sleep the night away.

Or, unless you are Mei and I, we took a “nap” and then wound up staying up a bit longer and watching Criminal Minds and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse until she was tired enough, about four am, to sleep the rest of the “night” away.

I should also mention that I felt so defeated, hungry and in pain that I didnt bother taking any pictures past prep and while I was cooking… just use your imagination! It was tasty, the pork sliced with literally no effort and I will be giving this one another shot – maybe this summer….

Ingredients for the dry rub:

  • 1 TBS cumin
  • 1 TBS ground pepper
  • 1 TBS garlic powder
  • 1 TBS onion powder
  • 1 TBS chili powder
  • 1 TBS cayenne pepper
  • 1 TBS salt
  • 1 TBS paprika
  • 1/2 C brown sugar

Mix all the dry rub ingredients together until the ingredients are all mixed well, cover and set aside.

Ingredients for the brine: (use for up to 8 lb pork shoulder, bone in/out)

  • 1/2 C salt
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 2 quarts of slightly warmer than room temperature water
  • 3 TBS dry rub
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-8 lb pork shoulder

For the brine solution, add the salt and sugar to the warm water (you can make it much warmer but you will have to cool it to at least room temperature before putting the pork in the brine to avoid getting yourself sick), stirring until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Then pat the pork shoulder dry and massage the dry rub into it, all over and under any flaps, etc and place it in a two gallon ziploc bag or tupperware large enough to completely submerge the pork shoulder to keep it moist and juicy for the cooking process. Add the bay leaves and the brine solution to the pork. Put the whole operation in the fridge and let it rest for at least 8 hours or at least overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 225F.

Remove the pork from the brine, pat it dry and generously rub and massage the dry rub into the meat. This will give you a nice, crispy crust. Save any leftover rub to sprinkle over the finished product, if you like.

Stick a thermometere into the thickest part of the meat and cook, uncovered at 225F until the internal temperature reaches 200F. 170F is cooked and edible but you have to cook it to 200F to get that tender, falling apart-ness that makes pulled pork so amazing. Don’t worry about the meat being too dry because we brined it, ensuring that it would be tender, juicy and not dry after such a long cook time. Expect this to take about 1.5-2 hours per pound.

Once the internal temperature has been reached, turn off the oven and the the meat rest for at least two hours in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 170F. Pull it out and use two forks to pull it apart and serve it as desired. If you would like it to be seasoned further, sprinkle the leftover dry rub over the meat until you are happy with the level of flavoring.

If the bottom of the pan is dry after the pork has finished cooking, cover it with foil to retain the internal moisture while it is cooling. If there is plenty of liquid, don’t worry. If you are concerned, you can always add a bit of water to the pan and tent the roast.

Ingredients for baked beans:

  • four 14-16 oz cans of canned beans
  • 1-1/2 C light brown sugar
  • 1 C ketchup
  • 1/4 C yellow mustard
  • 1/2 C molasses
  • 1/4 C sweet dill pickle juice (optional)
  • 1 small onion, fine diced
  • 4 strips of bacon (optional)

Put all the ingredients (dont drain the beans), into an ovenproof pan or crock pot, mixing well until all the ingredients are incorporated. Top with the bacon slices, if you are using them and bake, uncovered for one hour until the bacon is crisp. Or cook on medium in a crockpot for two hours until the ingredients are piping hot and the onions have been cooked through, about one hour. Remove and cool slightly before enjoying.