Pulled Pork

FOUND IT: In a Penzey's catalog.

This was so good I ate it four times in a span of six meals and was still happy to see it the fourth time.

Ingredients:

• One ~4 lb pork shoulder or butt roast (I used a 3 lb shoulder)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced.
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Premade coleslaw (optional)

Layer the onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and rub this onto the roast, then place the roast on top of the onions.

Combine the vinegar, crushed red peppers, sugar, mustard powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a bowl, and drizzle about a third of this over the roast. Cover and refrigerate the rest.

Cover the roasting pan and bake at 275 for 5 hours. At this point, drizzle another third of the vinegar mixture over the roast, then cover it again and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Remove the meat and onions from the roasting pan and shred the meat in a serving bowl. Before serving, pour the rest of the vinegar mixture over the meat.

I like to serve this on a bun with the coleslaw. I also ate it reheated on a bun with a slice of cheese and barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

FOUND IT: In the May 2012 issue of Cooking Light

I usually don't like to make a new recipe for the first time when we have company coming over, but earlier this summer Laura convinced me to try this one and I'm glad I did.

Laura and I have a difference of opinion on one of the methods here, though: I went with more chicken than the recipe called for, which created a dish with a barbecue flavor but relatively limited sauce, then served it with extra BBQ sauce on the side so everyone could determine what level of sauce they wanted individually. If you want a better sauce-to-meat ratio, though, then stick with the proportions below.

You can also, of course, make your own coleslaw. I misunderstood the initial ingredient list, though, and bought some premade from the deli counter. I think that worked fine.

I also used the leftover chicken to make a barbecue chicken pizza the next day, and that may actually have been more popular.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp honey mustard
• 2 tbsp water
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• a dash of salt
• 3 cups shredded boneless, skinless rotisserie chicken (a full chicken makes about 4 cups)
• 3 cups premade coleslaw (I cheated here accidentally).
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 6-8 hamburger buns

Combine the ketchup, mustard, water, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a saucepan (I used a deep skillet, which I think turned out to be easier). Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Combine the sauce and the chicken, stirring to coat.

Place about half a cup of the chicken mixture on a bun, top with the coleslaw and green onions, and serve.