Pulled Pork with Polish Żywiec Porter baked in the oven

This is a completely new recipe for me. Since I really enjoy American cuisine I wanted to try to do something that screams American but has Polish flavors on it. I think this one is a perfect combination of those two.

Pulled pork is an American barbecue dish, to be more specific it is a dish of the Southern U.S., that is based on shredded pork shoulder. It is typically slow-smoked over wood (usually outdoors) or indoor using a slow cooker. Here mine is made in the oven, so you do not need any specific equipment to replicate this at home.

After hours of cooking on low temperature, the meat it is then shredded manually (with forks, or bear claws) and mixed with a sauce. It may be served on bread (my favorite is brioche bun) or eaten on its own, with a side dish of a slaw. I also find the grilled corn to go extremely well with it. The richness of the pork and the bbq sauce is an exiting mix of flavors, that is complement even better by the freshness of a cabbage slaw (here is my take on purple cabbage slaw).

After probably about 10 -15 practice rounds with two different cuts of meat (with and without bone), the same amount of beer and few different spices for the sauce I found the perfect combination of flavors. The meat is braised in Polish dark beer Żywiec Porter, and the BBQ sauce that is essential in pulled pork is flavored with Polish horseradish. The sweetness of the beer goes perfectly with the spiciness of the horseradish in the sauce.

Servings: 10 Time: 4h + 12-16h to refrigerate the meat with the rub on

Preparation time: 30- 45 min

Cooking: 45min + 2 1/2

Ingredients:

Dry Rub

2 tbsp of kosher salt
40 grinds black pepper
1 tbsp of paprika
1tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of dry mustard
1 tsp of parsley
1 pork butt, (5- 7lbs - shoulder or Boston butt)
12 ounces of dark beer- I use Żywiec Porter (I tried different and I have to say this one is my favorite)
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Sauce BBQ Polish Sauce

The juice from the cooking meat
1/2 cup of brown of sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of horseradish

Step by Step

In a bowl combine rub ingredients and mix them well. Rub the combine spiced over the pork and place it in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high. Cover it and refrigerate at least 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 500 degree F, unwrap the pork and cook it in the oven for 45min, until it get dark on the outside and even blackish.
In the meantime, chop the garlic.
After 45min, take it out from the oven, lower the temperature to 325 F. Add the chopped garlic and pour the beer over the top. Cover everything tightly with aluminum foil and poke 10 -15 holes to allow some of the built-up steam to escape from the inside. Cook for 2 1/2 hours.
Take the meat out of the oven, put it on the platter and let it rest at least for 10-15 min, in that time prepare the BBQ Polish Sauce.
Pour the pan juice (and there will be a lot of it) into a mid size sauce pan. Add sugar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and horseradish. Bring it to boil and simmer for 20 min, until it thickens.
Using two big forks or Shredder Claw Pull apart, pour the sauce over.
Serve in a brioche bun with side of corn, claw and your favorite beverage.

SMACZNEGO!

Tips

Pork butt and pork shoulder? you wonder what is the difference? Both come from the shoulder of the pig, but pork butt is higher on the foreleg, while pork shoulder is farther down. Pork butt also know as Boston butt is not from the rear of the pig, can be sold with the bone -in or boneless.
I tired few different beers some where dark and some light. My choice for this recipe is definitely dark beer - my favorite is with Żywiec Porter. However if you can not find it I also enjoyed the pork topped with a Guinness and a coffee stout, like Kentucky Coffee Barrel Stout.
Rub is supper important, and the longer it stays on the better. Do not do it an hour before you want to put it in the oven.
Pork has a strong flavor, make sure to pair it with a fresh crunch side dish.
I bought once an 9 pound piece of meat (bone-in), so if you find yourself with such a big piece of meat - add 50% extra to all the rub ingredients (example instead of 2 tbsp of salt do 3 tbsp). And cook it for 30 min more.
The most important do not cut off the fat of the shoulder, if you do it will dry out the meat.