Winter is the perfect time for braised meats. What’s better than a seared huge hunk of meat, braising in sweet liquids on a low simmer for hours, while your home infuses rich and savory aromas? Amazing, right? Well, it turns out, I’ve never made pulled pork. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. With the long weekend and a winter storm in the forecast, it was a perfect moment to hunker down and make a feast.

And I wasn’t disappointed. After some research and light polling, I settled on a relatively quick braise. Many recipes call for smoking, grilling or roasting on a low heat for hours or even a full day, but I didn’t have that sort of time. Instead, I made a rub, let the pork marinate in the rub for a few hours, then seared, added liquid (beer AND apple juice) on low heat for only three hours. I didn’t make my own bbq sauce either (shame on me), but the $3 organic Texas style sauce I bought from Whole Foods made my dinner even easier. The end result was a tender, juicy pork that fell slid off ever so gently with a simple prod of a fork. Even Marin had seconds.

We served our pulled pork with homemade biscuits and plan on adding them to tortillas for quesadillas or tacos later in the week. It’s basically the gift that keeps on giving.

Pulled Pork
Serves six

3 lb boneless pork butt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
avocado oil
12 oz beer (we used a Farm Island Session IPA)
1 cup apple juice
BBQ sauce

In a small mixing bowl, mix herbs and gently rub over pork. Let marinate in fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees when ready to cook.

In a large Dutch oven, heat over medium high heat. Once hot, add avocado oil to coat the bottom of the Dutch oven. When oil is simmering, sear the pork butt for a few minutes on each side until meat starts to brown. Once all sides are browned, add the beer and juice to the Dutch oven. Cover and place in heated oven.

Bake for three hours. If pork is tender to your liking, shred with a fork. Smother with bbq sauce and desired fixings, and enjoy.