that's some mighty fine bbq

I know I say this about things all the time, but... I. Love. Barbecue. It's funny because once upon a time, I was one of those angsty teenage vegetarians. Then bacon brought me back into the meat-eating world (never heard that one before, eh?) and from there I kind of went whole-hog (pun intended). Don't get me wrong - I definitely respect vegetarians, and I probably eat a vegetarian meal at least a couple times per week. I do think it's important to pay attention to farming practises, especially where livestock is concerned. That being said, I have no problem chowing down on some pig.

Another all-too-prevalent theme I've noticed is how often I write things like, 'I love _____, but I've never attempted to make it.' I bet you can guess where this is going. Craving barbecue + looking through cookbooks + needing dinner ideas that can double as a great cold lunch for Parker = rolling up my sleeves and delving into the world of homemade bbq.

And of course, I'm here to say that it turned out amazingly well. As my daddy would say in an exaggerated southern drawl, 'That's some mighty fine bahbecue, Miz 'Legra.'






BBQ Pork
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, with juice
2 tsp paprika
2 T sorghum or molasses
6 T cider vinegar
1 Boston butt
Salt
Pepper
Canola oil
2 roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 T cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a stockpot, combine canned tomatoes, paprika, sorghum, and 6 T cider vinegar. Stir together and slightly mash the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is very hot and shimmers, place the pork in the skillet. Sear it on each side. Pour part of the tomato mixture into a baking dish, place the seared pork in the dish, season with salt and pepper, and pour the remaining tomato mixture over it.

Bring the oil in the skillet back to a high temperature and add the roma tomatoes and yellow onion. Cook until onions are caramelised and the skin on the tomatoes is blistered and blackened. Add the vegetables to the baking dish. Deglaze the skillet by adding 2 T cider vinegar and scraping up all the seared bits. Pour the resulting sauce over the pork.


Put the baking dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Baste the pork with the sauce, lower oven temperature to 300 degrees, and cook for another 30 minutes. Baste the pork again. Continue cooking the pork, basting every 30 minutes, until it is tender - about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Remove the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. You can serve the sauce as is, or blend it until smooth. I added extra sorghum and some sriracha after blending.


This was great with some potato salad and homemade rolls on the side. Accompanied by a cold bottle of Abita, the perfect dinner. 


Cheers!