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Pulled Pork

The chef and barbecue madman Chris Schlesinger sold the East Coast Grill, his restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., in 2012. But his recipe for pulled pork, which adorned the restaurant’s menu from its opening in 1985, lives on in this excellent version he gave to The Times in 2003: a tangle of soft, vinegar-scented pork that pairs extremely well with coleslaw on top of a cheap hamburger bun. Cooking the dish can be an all-day or an all-night affair, the meat luxuriating in a bath of hardwood smoke, but it is hardly taxing for anyone with a kettle grill and 12 hours on hand. “Barbecue is such a typical guy thing to do,” Schlesinger said at the time. “Much ado about nothing.” But the results put the lie to the time spent spacing out, watching the smoke curl up into the sky. Schlesinger agreed. “It is intense,” he said.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons paprika
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 pork butt, 5 to 6 pounds
  • Barbecue sauce (see recipe)
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

      516 calories; 32 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 44 grams protein; 154 milligrams cholesterol; 1561 milligrams sodium

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

10 to 12 servings

Preparation

  1. In a grill with a cover, build a small fire to one side, making sure all the wood or charcoal becomes engulfed in flame. (This dish should not be attempted on a gas grill.)
  2. Mix dry ingredients together in bowl, using a fork to break down hunks of brown sugar. Apply this rub to pork butt with your hands, covering meat entirely.
  3. When flames begin to die down, leaving flickering coals, place meat on grill on the side without fire. Do not let flames touch meat at any time.
  4. Cover grill, vent slightly and cook, checking fire every 30 minutes or so, and adding a bit more fuel as necessary, for about 14 hours, until meat is soft to the touch.
  5. Remove meat from grill with tongs, let rest 10 minutes, and pull meat apart with tongs. Serve on hamburger buns, drizzled with sauce.

14 hours, largely unattended

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