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Joe Luppi's Texas-style barbecued pork

Ingredients

  • 1 four-to-six-pound center-cut whole loin of pork (weight with bone in). Remove or have the butcher remove the meat from the bone in one piece

The dry barbecue rub:

  • ¼ cup paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons celery salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

The mopping sauce:

  • 1 cup strong black coffee
  • ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      1370 calories; 84 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 35 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 20 grams sugars; 114 grams protein; 387 milligrams cholesterol; 1230 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

Four to six servings

Preparation

The dry barbecue rub:

  1. Combine all the ingredients and blend until fine in the container of a food processor or electric blender for approximately one minute. Set aside.

The mopping sauce:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 30 minutes. Set aside.
  • The technique: The advice of Joseph J. Luppi 3d, a friend and kitchen associate of many years’ standing, is to invest in the best, sturdiest barbecue grill that your budget can afford. He uses a homemade spice blend as a ”dry rub” for meats plus a mopping sauce made of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and coffee. His preferred meat for barbecuing is the center cut of a whole loin of pork, which is cooked on the grill over low but sustained heat for a period of three to four hours. Both the dry rub and the mopping sauce are used on the meat as it is grilled. It can be cooked outdoors on a grill, as in directions No. 1 and 2, or inside in the oven, as in direction No. 3.
  • To cook outdoors on the grill, start the fire 30 minutes ahead and let the coals burn down. Use an extremely low fire with the grill at least five or six inches from the coals.
  • Place the pork on the grill and begin by alternately mopping with the mop sauce and sprinkling with the dry rub mixture. Do this every 20 to 30 minutes, doing the mopping first and then the sprinkling each time. Add coals five at a time, when necessary, to keep the fire low but burning steadily. The barbecue must not be flamed or burned. Turn the meat often to crisp and brown. The cooking will take from three to four hours. Internal temperature of the pork should be 180 degrees or more.
  • To cook indoors, cook the pork in the oven at 275 degrees for three to four hours, doing the same mopping, sprinkling and turning as described above. When done, the internal temperature should be 180 degrees or more.
  • Serve with the dipping sauce.

5 hours

Dining and Cooking