NOTE: An updated version of this recipe appears in my cookbook, The Ancestral Table.

Chances are you saw the picture above when you read my post about mac and cheese the other day. Maybe not. Either way, I think the picture is good enough to use twice.

This pulled pork recipe is very similar to my kalua pig recipe but with less salt and liquid smoke (and BBQ sauce). Like most slow-cooked meats, I think that less is more when it comes to ingredients, so I like the meat’s natural taste and the BBQ sauce do all the talking.

You’ll Need:
5 lb pork butt or shoulder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce

Place the pork butt in a crock pot, and pour the salt and liquid smoke on top. Cook on low for 10 hours, flipping halfway through.

Drain out half the liquid (you can reserve both the juice and the fat for other recipes) and remove any bones or skin. Pull the pork apart with two forks. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Add the BBQ sauce and mix it together, returning it to the crock pot on low for another hour. If you want it a little spicier, add a couple drops of hot sauce or tabasco when you add the BBQ sauce.

The pork should be slightly damp and falling apart. If it dries out, add back some of the liquid you poured out. This dish also freezes well, so you can easily store it in batches.