Pulled Pork with Lexington Dip

— Adam Kaplan, VP Client Services

I grew up in the South, where it's not uncommon to find this kind of dish available in every town. About five years ago, I got into smoking pork ribs and brisket, and have been to a couple of competitions (as a spectator, not a participant!). So you could say I'm hooked. I receive the spice rub — a secret recipe — from a friend who DOES enter competitions in the South (Florida), so I didn’t come up with that. The Lexington Dip is a variation of a traditional recipe; while the standard is available in Kentucky, I use different pepper and hot sauce for mine.

Ingredients:

Lexington Dip

  • 1 cup Heinz ketchup
  • ¼ cup Heinz apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground ancho peppers

Pulled Pork Shoulder

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tbsp whole peppercorns
  • 5 bay leaves
  • Water, to cover
  • Pork shoulder
  • Yellow mustard
  • Spice rub (Find one that you like; make sure it has more sugar than salt, and also includes paprika, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, pepper, and other spices.)

Directions:

Lexington Dip

  1. Combine dip ingredients in a glass jar, shaking to mix.
  2. Store overnight in a refrigerator until ready for use.

Pulled Pork Shoulder

  1. Mix salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar, coriander seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves and water in a pot or other container; submerge a pork shoulder overnight.
  2. Remove and dry meat, and completely cover with mustard, then spice rub.
  3. Place in a smoker — using hickory wood — for at least 4–5 hours, with at least a small amount of smoke going the entire time. (Tie up with kitchen twine, if using a boneless shoulder.)
  4. Remove from smoker, and place in foil baking dish. Cover with foil and place in 225°F oven for at least 6 hours.
  5. Remove from baking dish and wrap tightly with two layers of foil. Place wrapped shoulder in a cooler and cover with towels for a minimum of 2 hours, or until ready to be pulled apart and eaten. (For added flavor or a BBQ-like “crust” on the outside, place pork on a grill for a few minutes prior to wrapping in foil and placing meat in cooler.)
  6. Pull apart, separating small amount of fat from meat, and place on small rolls. Cover with sauce and enjoy!