Report No. 2 - Pollinated Pork Shoulder
Rootwood Report No. 2 - Pollinated Pork Shoulder - A slightly sweeter take on classic pulled pork. To make this dish buzz, we married the Pollinator cider and smoked apples from Rootwood’s last harvest with barbecue sauce. Serve it as a standalone with coleslaw and parmesan-crusted roasted potatoes, or layer on a toasted bun for a Pollinated Slider.
Allow 15 mins. prep time the night before cooking and approx.
5 hours of prep and cook time the day of.
Rub:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. paprika
Glaze:
6 oz. Rootwood Pollinator Hard Cider
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp. honey
Pollinated Barbecue Sauce:
4 oz. Rootwood Pollinator Hard Cider
2 oz. apple cider vinegar
8 oz. barbecue sauce
2 apples (any) sliced
Additional Ingredients:
2.5 lb pork shoulder
4 c. apple juice
2 oz. Rootwood Pollinator Hard Cider (for the injection)
1 lb. applewood chips (soaked in water for approx. 1 hr)
The night before cooking, mix together the salt, ground pepper, brown sugar, and paprika for the rub. Evenly massage seasoning on all sides of the pork shoulder. Cover in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
Once the pork shoulder has been awakened from its slumber, poke approx. 10 holes into the top of the meat. Using a turkey baster, inject 2 oz. of the hard cider into the holes of the pork shoulder. Alternatively, if you have a meat injector use this to directly inject the meat with the cider.
Mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and put over low heat. Give it a quick stir – this will sit on the stove top while the pork shoulder cooks.
Place the sliced apples in two separate foil packets, poking holes in the top of the foil.
Place the applewood chips in two separate foil packets, poking holes in the top of the foil. Note: There will be a ‘hot’ side of the grill and a ‘cool’ side of the grill. The way we accomplished this was by starting with all of the burners on high and then turning half of them off once the applewood packets started to smoke.
Place 2 cups of the apple juice into a small aluminum loaf pan (a foil packet will work too) and set on the side of the grill that you establish as the ‘hot’ side. Place one packet each of the applewood chips and apple slices on this side as well.
Once the applewood chips are smoking, turn off half of the grill and lower the other half (where the foil packets are) until you have established a temperature of 250 degrees F.
Place pork shoulder directly onto the unlit side of the grill. Close grill and let the pork shoulder cook, brushing the top of the meat with the glaze every hour (allow 90 mins. of cook time per pound of pork shoulder, just under 4 hours for 2.5 lbs).
Approx. two hours in, add the remaining 2 cups of apple juice to the aluminium pan and switch out the applewood and apple slice packets with the remaining two packets. Set aside the cooked apple slice packet for later use.
Once the pork has reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees F, remove from the grill, place on a baking sheet and cover in aluminum foil. Allow pork to rest in the foil for 30 mins.
Remove the packet of apple slices and place those apples as well as the previously removed apple slices into a blender with the barbecue sauce ingredients. Blend until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Once the pork shoulder is ready, place in a large bowl and shred apart using two forks. Add the barbecue sauce blend to the bowl and mix.
You’re ready to eat! Serve on a toasted bun and/or with your favorite coleslaw recipe or potato salad.
Notes:
We used Stubb’s barbecue sauce but any regular barbecue sauce will do.
For a more charred meat, place the pork shoulder directly onto the flame for the last 10 minutes of cooking – 5 minutes per side.
Submitted by Kiersten Sahlberg and Reed Pecha.
This is another installment of Rootwood Report.
Since we aren’t able to serve you in the taproom with the same face-to-face interactions, we’ve come up with a new way to feature cider-centric experiences, pairing suggestions, tasting notes, and recipes from our staff, family, and friends.
About the cook: Reed first moved to Manson in 2018 and was quickly converted to the North Central WA life. Around the taproom he’ll chat your ear off about travel, Scottish history, and your favorite sports team. Outside of Rootwood you can find him barbecuing, trying new recipes, and learning about the Chelan Valley terroir, particularly as it relates to all things grapes and apples.
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