Pulled Pork Baste & Serving Sauce Question

I've made Smokin's baste/serving sauce recipe several times and always mince the garlic. It turns out great.

Thanks Pags. I am doing a 6 lb piece - is 5 cups of baste too much for that?

Don't know exactly how you are going to use the stuff but there is no need to "baste" a PB in a CS smoker. Now, if you are using it as an option to go along with the meat, that a whole nother story.

Was planning to just use it as an option after I pulled it and put a little in the pan with the pulled pork. One other question I was planning to use the following rub and am curious on opinions (I have read that sugar will burn - should I use brown sugar instead):

2 cups of raw sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 teaspoons chili seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper (fresh ground with medium flakes if possible)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

I think the serving sauce as a little add on to the sandwich is a good idea. I don't mix it with the pork once it's pulled so people can make their own choice. Some like dry. 5 cups of the sauce is plenty since you'll wind up with less than 4 lbs of pork when it's done. You don't want the sandwiches floating.

Your rub recipe is fine as you see a lot of rubs with sugar in it. The low smoking temp shouldn't create a burning problem. Sugar in rubs and BBQ sauce can present a problem with the high temperature you get when grilling. That's why you add sauce towards the end of the grill.

Happy smoke to you.

You'll like the sauce, you can baste or use it as a finishing sauce. I like the latter.

For the garlic, use mince it, but just put it in the sauce to cook. You don't want anyone to get a big chunk, so mincing is best.

For that rub, I'd go with BS over white. Brown will give the rub a little more depth. I wouldn't worry about it burning in the CS.

Good luck, how it works.

Also. If you like the taste of the rub after you pull the pork, sprinkle a little more on the finished pork, after you pull it. Lightly!

To tag onto Smokin's sugar comment.

RAW sugar scorches at higher temps than regular and has a change in flavor,as well.

It may give you 270º,which like Smokin' said,isn't likely to scorch in a Smokette.

Thanks guys - I have been on here just a few months and this is by far the best forum I have ever participated in - also already addicted to my CS. Planning to do this one at 225* and wil use Brown Sugar.... will follow up to let you know how the smoke goes on this one!! Thanks again.

Nate

RE Sugar
I like to use Demerara sugar. This is sort of an unprocessed or minimaly processed sugar.
The sugar in the rub helps produce a nice bark which I chop right into the PB. Additionally I grind about a half cup of the rub into a very fine powder and mix it into the pork after pulling.

Another fun thing to do with the baste and serve sauce, or any vinegar/sugar mix is to use it when reheating leftover pulled pork. I take a sandwich portion of pork, toss it into a hot pan and squirt some of the baste sauce on it. Sizzle it for a couple minutes, watching it so it doesn't burn. The hot pan will carmelize the sugar in the baste sauce and give a little extra crisp to the pork. Yumm.

Good ideas Axel and hayman. Thanks for the tips.

Did my first butt - the meat came out awesome this morning at 5am - finished a little earlier than anticipated so now I need to try to reheat it w/o screing it up. Planning to put the pan with the pulled meat in my Smokette at 250 for approx 2 hours with a dab of Smokin's Sauce which I just made and it tastes awesome!! Do you guys think that is a decent way to reheat it?

I'd microwave it to reheat. If its already warm, the smoker will keep it that way, but it's not great to reheat.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd G.:
I'd microwave it to reheat. If its already warm, the smoker will keep it that way, but it's not great to reheat.

Todd, PLEASE tell me you didn't say microwave...

Okay, you did.

But. For anyone who microwaves, learn to use the 70% or 80% setting, never reheat on high. It will cook it again, actually overcook it.

Not sure why it finished early, but you can hold it for a number of hours in a cooler, double wrapped.

Me, I would estimate how many hours before serving. Lunch would have been fine, dinner would have been a stretch (so I'd make them eat it for lunch). I'd reheat whole.
What did you end up doing.

I cringed when I wrote that too, but if it's chopped already and he puts it back in the smoker it's going to dry out something awful. I'd rather reheat in hot water, but the MW works well if you do it slowly as you said.

I do 2#/quart containers for 5 minutes at 60% and they come out just about perfect, but we already have some sauce(dip) in ours to keep it moist.

At least I didn't say crock pot!