The pork is based on a recipe Mom gave me (see below)... slow cooked overnight then topped with sauce and slapped on a bun. I meant to make challah buns using the recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day, but it somehow failed to occur to me that it was going to be hard to bake bread and pork in the oven at the same time. So Chuck just bought regular hamburger buns, which were totally fine. Chuck made the applesauce based on this recipe with the collection of random apples we were amassing in the fridge from various weeks of CSA, combined with rhubarb, also from the CSA. The rhubarb gives the applesauce a nice tart kick.
Tailgater's Pulled Pork
Rub (makes a huge amount, but you can save it for later):
1 1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ground cumin
1 cup black pepper
1 cup cayenne pepper
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup dried thyme
1/4 cup dried oregano
Mix all ingredients by hand.
Pulled Pork:
1 boneless pork butt (approx 4 lbs) for 8 sandwiches (you can use one with a bone in it, too- the pork falls off the bone when it's done cooking)
Rub pork butt with 1/2 cup of the rub.
Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
In a Dutch oven, with a small amount of oil, sear outside of the butt.
Put in the Dutch oven, covered, and bake at 275 degrees for 7 to 8 hours, or until tender.
Let cool for 20-30 minutes, then pull meat apart with two forks.
Toss with barbecue sauce, or serve with sauce on the side.
Barbecue sauce:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 T brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard (I think we used Dijon and it was fine)
1 T molasses
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper