Texas pulled pork DSC1720

Texas pulled pork with coffee-chipotle barbecue sauce

We don’t often eat pulled pork in Texas. This isn’t to say that pulled pork isn’t delicious, but when you go to a Texas barbecue joint you order beef—be it brisket, shoulder, sausage or ribs. And if you do see pulled pork at a Texas barbecue joint you might inquire about the provenance of the pit master as pulled pork is just not found in our usual repertoire of smoked meat.

Yep, Texas is cow country and that’s why our barbecue is based on beef. But we certainly do eat pork—tender pork ribs are always on a barbecue menu; crisp, succulent carnitas fill countless tacos and a bowl of slow-simmered fiery red posole is a fine way to welcome in the New Year.

So why is pulled pork less available?

Texas pulled pork | Homesick Texan

I don’t know the answer to this question. And while my first barbecue love will always be moist brisket piled high with pickles and onions, having traveled to other barbecue regions in the South that showcase the pig, I have come to appreciate a pulled pork sandwich. How could you not enjoy tender strands of lightly sauced meat that’s been topped with cole slaw and stuffed into a bun? It’s a fine sandwich indeed.

So, if Texas barbecue joints did have a pulled-pork tradition, how would it taste? I decided to do some experiments. Now, please keep in mind that I’m working with an oven and no smoke so this isn’t true barbecue. But I have discovered that when you cook meat in a coffee rub with plenty of chipotle powder and smoked paprika for heat and smoke, if you close your eyes you just might swear you’re in Texas. I decided to apply this rub to a bone-in pork shoulder in an attempt to make a pile of Texas pulled pork.

Much consultation led me to the conclusion that the best way to cook pulled pork in an oven was to cook it dry at a low temperature for a long time. I was dubious at first, but there’s so much fat in a pork shoulder that it keeps the meat moist. And the lack of extra liquid insures that that you’ll get a nice bark, which is fun to chop up and mix in with the juicy soft strands of meat.

I usually eschew sauce with my barbecue, but I thought a smoky chipotle sauce brightened with a bit of lime would enhance the flavor of the meat. (Note that many barbecue places in the South—namely Eastern North Carolina—simply toss their pulled pork with apple cider vinegar and chili flakes—this is tasty as well.) Tangy cole slaw and homemade buns completed the meal.

Texas pulled pork | Homesick Texan

Will Texas barbecue joints ever embrace pulled pork? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I reckon probably not—we are beefeaters after all. But if you do get a hankering for pulled pork with the flavors of Texas, this is a good place to start.
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4.84 from 6 votes

Texas pulled pork with coffee-chipotle barbecue sauce

Servings 8
Author Lisa Fain

Ingredients

For the coffee-chipotle rub:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely ground dark coffee
  • 1/4 cup smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons allspice

For the pulled pork:

  • 1 (4-pound) bone-in pork shoulder

For the chipotle-coffee barbecue sauce:

  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1/2 half a medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup brewed coffee
  • 2 canned chipotles chiles, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  • To make the coffee-chipotle rub, combine the brown sugar, black pepper, finely ground dark coffee, smoked paprika, salt, chipotle powder, granulated garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice.
  • Take the pork and coat on all sides with the coffee-chipotle rub. Wrap pork in plastic, place on sheet or large plate and refrigerate for 8 hours.
  • Take the pork out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, about half an hour. Preheat the oven to 250° F.
  • Place pork in a lightly oiled (either a few squirts of spray oil or about 1 teaspoon of canola oil) roasting pan or dutch oven and cook uncovered, fat side up 8 hours or about two hours a pound.
  • To make the chipotle-coffee barbecue sauce, heat the oil in a saucepot on medium and cook the onions for 10 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the ketchup, mustard, molasses, cilantro, coffee, chipotle chiles, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice. Turn down the heat to low and cook for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Transfer the sauce and puree until smooth. Taste and add salt and black pepper. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
  • After the pork has cooked, remove the meat from oven and let it sit for an hour. Do not be alarmed by how black it is–it’s not burnt that’s bark that’s been formed by the coffee rub. Pull meat into strands and toss with as much or as little sauce as you prefer. (I like to do it with 1 cup and then serve the extra on the side.) And be sure and chop some of the bark and mix it with the tender interior meat.

Notes

Goes well with cole slaw, jalapeño pickles and soft buns, though you could certainly eat it on its own as well.

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92 Comments

  1. I'm so happy I found this post! I found it after reading a "50 best foods" list on CNN and getting ticked off that they have "Texas PORK bbq" listed as 36! What the what? I haven't lived in TX for a while but I don't remember ever seeing pulled pork in a TX barbecue joint! I googled TX bbq pork and found your yummy looking recipe as well as some validation that CNN got it wrong! 🙂

  2. Susan Salas says:

    I'm so glad I found your website. 2 of our local grocery stores put pork on sale twice a year for $.99/lb. We usually buy about 10 butts & put them in our garage freezer. Used to do a boracho marinade but
    made your coffee chipotle rub & everyone raved over it. Our back patio overlooks a youth Pony League baseball field & we are quite popular during Pony season. My 15 year old daughter loves the chipotle BBQ sauce. She puts it on everything. I did tweak your recipe & added 1/4 cup of ground up Abuelita's hot chocolate discs. Although now they sell instant Abuelita's. It was good!

  3. I just made this, just the pork with the rub, not the sauce though. It was fantastic, thank you so much! Everybody LOVED it. Will definitely make it again!

  4. Ack! ? I forgot to notice which was the “fat side up” side and just took it out of the fridge to cook. Any trick to this when it’s already covered with rub?

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Johanna–If you can’t tell then I would probably scrape away a bit at the rub to see which side was which.

  5. Morris Neufeld says:

    Not trying to be a jerk but your comment “And if you do see pulled pork at a Texas barbecue joint you might inquire about the provenance of the pit master as pulled pork is just not found in our usual repertoire of smoked meat” just isn’t correct.
    Lots of Texas BBQ places now do Pulled Pork. Franklin BBQ who is renowned for his BBQ and you won’t find any one that does it better, yes he is famous for his brisket – you won”t find anything second rate coming from that kitchen. And he offers Pulled Pork

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Morris–You are correct! It’s funny–this post was published just when Franklin first opened his trailer, and a couple of readers pointed out to me that he was serving pulled pork. This was before he hit it big, but people in Austin were commenting even then about how good his food was–even the uncommon (at the time) pulled pork! He wasn’t the first to serve pulled pork in Texas, but he was definitely a trailblazer. I should probably edit that sentence.