Pork

crowdsource Community Insights

This version turns out tasty for most people, but a few things kept coming up when people who made this actually cooked it. People who used a locked lid ran into trouble, while those who left the lid loose or off had much better results. Lots of people found dry-curing the picnic roast ahead of time noticeably improved the final flavor and texture. And a small practical tip: the ones who sharpened their knife before carving found slicing so much easier when it was done. Those three points will help you avoid the common headaches people who made this ran into.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Boston butt, bone-in
• 1 onion, whole (or half an onion instead of one whole)
• Everglades rub seasoning, to taste (or any other type of rub seasoning or spices)
• Barbecue sauce (or any barbecue sauce or brand)
• 1/4 cup water

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Place the Boston butt in the slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle Everglades rub seasoning over the pork and rotate it to coat all sides.
3. Spoon barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's or other) onto the top of the pork to get a good coat.
4. Place the whole onion on top of and down the side of the pork.
5. Pour a little bit less than a quarter cup of water into the bottom of the slow cooker to keep the bottom moist.
6. Put the lid on the slow cooker, select program, set it for 10 hours, press enter, and set to low.
7. After cooking (10 hours on low; then it switched to warm for about 1 hour), remove the pork—the bone should pull out easily.
8. Transfer the pork to a bowl or pan and save some of the cooking juices by pouring them into a bowl or Tupperware for reheating.
9. Use forks to pull the pork apart into shreds; keep or remove the cooked onion pieces as desired.

grocery Ingredients

Bolognese sauce

• Beef mince, about 10% fat
• Italian sausages
• Pancetta, diced (or smoked pancetta, unsmoked pancetta)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• White wine (or red wine)
• Whole milk, full fat
• Carrot, finely chopped
• Onion, finely chopped
• Celery, finely chopped
• Parmesan rind
• Garlic, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• Dried porcini mushrooms, dried, crumbled (or sliced mushrooms, finely chopped mushrooms)
• Tomato purée
• Sugar, to taste
• Red wine vinegar
• Thai fish sauce (or anchovies, omit)
• 4 tin canned tomatoes
• Salt, a little pinch

Pasta and finishing

• 400g spaghetti
• Parmesan
• Basil, fresh

book_ribbon Instructions

Bolognese sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 140C (120C fan).
2. Warm a frying pan over medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
3. Crumble the beef mince into the pan and cook over a gentle sizzle, letting released liquid reduce; stir occasionally and continue until the mince is deeply browned and speckled, about 25 minutes.
4. Split the Italian sausages, remove the casings, crumble them into the pan, and cook until browned and toasted in the pan fat.
5. Warm an ovenproof pan and add about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, then add the diced pancetta and cook gently until the fat renders and the pancetta is crispy, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the finely chopped carrot, onion, and celery all at once to the pancetta and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
7. Add the bay leaves, the small sprig of fresh thyme, and a good tablespoon of dried oregano, then add the chopped garlic and the crumbled dried porcini mushrooms (optional).
8. Cook the vegetables and herbs together until super soft, about 10 minutes.
9. Add sugar and stir until dissolved into the vegetables.
10. Add the tomato purée and toast it in the pan for a minute or two to remove the raw tomato taste.
11. Add the red wine vinegar and the fish sauce and let them sizzle down for about a minute.
12. Return the browned meats to the pan with the vegetables.
13. Rinse each tin of canned tomatoes with some white wine: pour wine into the first tin, loosen the tomato residue and pour into the second tin, repeat through all tins, then add the tins and all tomato and wine juices to the sauce.
14. Stir in the whole milk, a little pinch of salt, the Parmesan rind and the basil stalks (or loose basil); bring the sauce up to a simmer, cover with a lid, and place in the preheated oven.
15. Braise in the oven at 140C (120C fan) for about 3 hours, checking every hour to ensure the sauce is not catching on the bottom or reducing too quickly.
16. After about 3 hours, remove the bay leaves, thyme sprig, and Parmesan rind and give the sauce a final stir; the sauce can be chilled for 3–4 days or frozen.

Pasta and finishing

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; do not add oil to the water.
2. Add the spaghetti (about 400 gram) and stir frequently for the first 2–3 minutes; cook for 9 minutes total, then taste to check it has some bite.
3. Reserve half of the finished ragu for freezing or chilling and leave the rest in the pan.
4. Transfer the drained spaghetti directly into the ragu using tongs and finish cooking over low heat, tossing and cooking for 2–3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the sauce and the starchy water integrates.
5. With the heat off, add Parmesan and a splash of extra virgin olive oil, stir to combine, then add the fresh basil and give a final stir before serving.

crowdsource Community Insights

This lasagna benefits most from patience and a little care. People who let the ragu simmer gently on low-medium heat for longer than about 1.5 hours ended up with a richer, more cohesive sauce; faster cooks often found it thinner and less developed. Frying garlic early tended to make the sauce bitter, while cooks who softened it gently or added it later avoided that. And watch your pans: people who stirred with metal utensils scratched their non-stick and ruined the surface, whereas those who used nonmetal tools avoided that problem.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Smoked pancetta, finely sliced
• Bay leaves
• Garlic
• Rosemary, leaves removed
• Carrots
• Celery
• Red onions
• Minced pork (or minced beef)
• Minced beef
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper
• 1/2 whole nutmeg nutmeg, grated
• 2 small glass red wine
• Lentils
• Plum tomatoes, canned
• 50g butter
• Leek
• 4 tbsp flour, heaped
• 1 litre milk
• Cheddar cheese
• Parmesan
• Smoked mozzarella
• Fresh lasagna sheets
• 2 ladle meat ragu
• White sauce

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Finely slice the smoked pancetta and fry it in a pan until aromatic.
2. Add bay leaves and garlic to the pan and fry with the pancetta.
3. Remove the rosemary leaves from their stems and set aside.
4. Add carrots, celery, and red onions to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes.
5. Push the vegetables to one side, add minced pork first, then add minced beef; break up the meat, cook off moisture and brown the meat until coloured (about 10 minutes total frying at this stage).
6. Season the meat mixture with salt, be generous with black pepper, and grate in about half a nutmeg.
7. Pour in two small glasses of red wine.
8. Add lentils, then add canned plum tomatoes and pour the water from the tins into the pan as well.
9. Let the ragu simmer and sit for about an hour and a half.
10. Make the white sauce: put 50 grams of butter in a pan and heat, add the leek to the sizzling butter, then stir in 4 heaped tablespoons of flour.
11. Slowly add 1 litre of milk, bring the sauce to the boil, then blend the sauce until smooth (use a hand/immersion blender in the pan).
12. Add cheddar, a bit of parmesan, and some smoked mozzarella to the white sauce and stir until incorporated.
13. If the ragu seems too dry, add a little water to loosen it.
14. Assemble the lasagna: ladle about 2 ladles of ragu into the baking dish, place fresh lasagna sheets over it, add a little white sauce, and repeat layers until ingredients are used.
15. Finish with the last of the white sauce and a final kiss of cheese on top.
16. Bake the assembled lasagna in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for about 40 minutes to 45 minutes.
17. Let the lasagna sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before slicing (optional).

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Pork butt, bone-in, fat cap partially trimmed
• Yellow mustard
• Barbecue rub, to taste (or any barbecue rub or seasoning blend)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper
• Garlic
• 2 pat butter
• Brown sugar, to taste
• Barbecue sauce
• Bun

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Trim some of the fat cap from the pork butt so seasoning can reach the meat, avoiding deep scores.
2. Preheat the pellet grill to 250°F and let it come up to temperature.
3. Coat the pork butt with yellow mustard to make the surface tacky.
4. Apply barbecue rub to the mustard-coated pork, using a heavy coverage where desired; add the salt, pepper, and a little garlic (the present special blend) to help build bark.
5. Place the pork shoulders fat-cap up on the hottest zone of the grill.
6. Smoke at 250°F until the internal temperature reaches 165–170°F, checking the meat (the cook hits a checkpoint at about 4.5 hours); spritz with liquid occasionally and rotate as needed.
7. When the pork reaches about 165–170°F, place the shoulders in trays, add a couple pats of butter on top and optionally a little brown sugar, then increase the grill temperature to 275°F to render more fat and rehydrate the meat.
8. Continue cooking at 275°F until the internal temperature reaches about 202–205°F, checking frequently (about every 30 minutes as the meat approaches target).
9. Remove the shoulders when they reach the target (the cook removed at ~203°F), power down the grill, move the meat to a tray, cover with a towel, and let it rest until cool enough to handle.
10. Remove the bone (it should slide out of the bone-in shoulder) and shred the pork by hand or with forks, including some of the bark if desired.
11. Optionally toss the shredded pork with additional rub and/or barbecue sauce, then serve on buns.

crowdsource Community Insights

Most people who made this found a few simple things make or break it. When the pasta was overcooked it turned mushy, people who stopped cooking much sooner ended up with a better bite. People who cooked the flour all the way through in the sauce avoided a raw, pasty flour taste, while those who didn't noticed the uncooked flavor. And people who baked the dish in a fully preheated 400º F oven for about 20–30 minutes got a nicely set, browned finish; skipping the preheat or shortening the bake often left it underdone.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Butter
• 3 onion, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1l milk
• Macaroni
• 100g cheddar
• 100g raclette (or Gruyère)
• Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tsp mango chutney
• Starchy pasta water, reserved
• Worcestershire sauce
• Bread crumbs, flavored
• Bacon
• Herb
• Garlic
• Salad leaves
• Gem lettuce

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a nice big knob of butter.
2. Finely slice 3 onions and add them to the butter; cook for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions have shrunk and are lightly golden.
3. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine to thicken the mixture.
4. Slowly add 1 liter of milk, a little at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more; bring to a simmer and maintain while you cook the pasta.
5. Cook the macaroni in boiling pasta water for about 5 minutes so it is half cooked; reserve some starchy pasta cooking water and save a little back for topping later.
6. Off the heat, add 100 grams cheddar, 100 grams raclette and grated parmesan to the milk-onion mixture.
7. Stir in 1 teaspoon English mustard and 1 teaspoon mango chutney.
8. Add a little of the reserved starchy pasta water to loosen and create silkiness, taking care to keep the mixture off the heat to avoid boiling the cheese.
9. Add the half-cooked macaroni to the sauce, toss to combine, then add a couple of little swigs of Worcestershire sauce and toss again.
10. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to an oven and bake at 200 degrees Celsius (400 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes.
11. While the pasta bakes, cook the bacon with herbs and garlic in a pan until just starting to get lightly golden.
12. When the bacon, herb and garlic mixture is lightly golden, add the bread crumbs and cook until golden and crunchy.
13. Remove the baked macaroni and cheese from the oven, top with the golden breadcrumb, bacon, herb and garlic mixture (and a little of the reserved pasta water if desired), and serve with a few salad leaves or in a gem lettuce leaf if wished.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

We couldn't confidently pull the full ingredient list and instructions from this video yet — watch it above for the complete recipe.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

We couldn't confidently pull the full ingredient list and instructions from this video yet — watch it above for the complete recipe.

crowdsource Community Insights

This lasagna really benefits from parboiling the noodles, most people who skipped cooking the pasta ended up with undercooked layers, so parboiling the noodles before assembling helps everything finish properly. Ricotta can turn crumbly; people who stirred an egg with salt, dried parsley, garlic salt, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan into the ricotta found it held together and felt creamier. One more heads-up: people who added celery usually regretted it, so leaving celery out is the safer call unless you really want that texture and flavor.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Cooking oil
• Pork country-style rib
• Spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
• Onion
• 2 rib celery
• 2 carrot, small
• Garlic
• Dry white wine
• Basil, tied into bouquet
• Crushed peeled tomatoes, ground/skinless
• Water
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Red pepper flakes
• Pecorino, grated
• Parmesan, grated
• Mozzarella, low-moisture, shredded
• Ricotta, in dabs
• Lasagna noodles, dry

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Heat a pot over the stove and add some cooking oil.
2. Add the pork country-style ribs, season, spread in an even layer, and brown for 5 to 7 minutes until browned on several sides; leave it alone initially so it releases from the pot. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving the fat and fond in the pot.
3. Cut the sausage out of its casing with a paring knife, add the sausage meat to the pot, break it up, and brown; remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and place it on top of the browned pork in the bowl, leaving fat and juices in the pot.
4. Add the onions to the pot and add a little bit of salt.
5. When the pot is sounding like sizzling (not steaming), add about 2 ribs of celery and about 2 small carrots and cook until they start to soften.
6. Add the garlic last in this stage and cook until fragrant but not browned.
7. Add dry white wine and cook it down until the alcohol has cooked off and it has picked up the fond from the bottom of the pot.
8. Make a bouquet garni by folding and twisting basil, tie it with butcher twine, and add the bouquet garni to the pot.
9. Add the ground/ crushed peeled tomatoes (put all the tomatoes into the pot) and save the cans to rinse out; add some water from rinsing the cans or otherwise to lengthen the sauce's cooking time so it does not reduce too quickly.
10. Season with a grinding of fresh black pepper, a nice pinch of salt, and a little bit of red pepper flakes; stir and bring the sauce to a simmer.
11. Taste and adjust salt as needed (the recipe calls for adding another nice pinch if necessary).
12. Lower heat to medium, add all the meats back into the pot with their juices, stir, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer low and slow for about an hour and a half until everything comes together and the pork is tender.
13. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Take the pork out, shred or chop it, and return the shredded pork to the sauce.
14. Shred the basil and add it to the sauce toward the end to brighten the flavor.
15. Adjust the sauce consistency with some water so it remains a little liquidy for dry pasta to absorb.
16. Assemble the lasagna: spread sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, arrange a layer of dry lasagna noodles, spoon sauce onto the noodles, add grated pecorino and parmesan, sprinkle shredded low-moisture mozzarella, and dab ricotta in spots; repeat layers, pressing down slightly and making sure corners are covered.
17. Finish with a top layer of grated cheeses (do not put ricotta on the top layer).
18. Place the assembled lasagna on a sheet tray or cookie sheet, cover loosely with foil, and bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes covered.
19. Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes uncovered to brown and crisp the edges.
20. Let the lasagna rest for a minimum of 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

crowdsource Community Insights

This one centers on two practical things people learned after actually making it: don’t trim away all the fat, and start mopping with sauce about an hour in and baste often. People who trimmed off the fat tended to regret it; most who kept the fat got juicier results. Folks who trimmed and then mixed the trimmings back in sometimes noticed a candle-wax note, so if that bothers you, skip returning the trimmings. Also, if flies are an issue, some cooks found leaving a bar of Irish Spring nearby helped keep them away.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

Pulled Pork

• 10 1/2 lb (4763g) pork butt, bone-in
• Mustard
• The Gospel seasoning, to taste
• Cheerwine
• Honey Hog Hot seasoning, to taste

Sweet Coleslaw

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 head cabbage, cut into strips

Barbecue Sauce

• Cheerwine BBQ Sauce

book_ribbon Instructions

Pulled pork

1. Trim any loose or excessive fat from the pork butt, leaving the fat cap but shaving it down where too thick.
2. Apply a mustard binder all over the pork butt.
3. Generously coat the pork butt all over with The Gospel seasoning; pat the rub on and let sit at least 15 minutes, preferably 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight if desired.
4. Preheat and prepare an indirect-heat smoker or pellet grill (he used a Traeger Ironwood XL with cherry pellets).
5. Place the pork butt on the cooker meat side up.
6. About two hours into the cook, pour Cheerwine into a hog sprayer and begin spritzing the pork with Cheerwine; spritz every hour.
7. When the pork has developed the visual bark and color you want, start probing to check tenderness; at that point you may either continue unwrapped to finish or wrap in foil.
8. If wrapping: wrap the pork in a piece of foil and return it to the cooker at 250 degrees Fahrenheit to finish until the internal temperature is just north of 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about 201–202 noted).
9. Remove the pork and let it cool enough to handle; pull the bone out and shred the meat by hand.
10. Pour the collected cooking juices into a fat separator, separate off the fat, then mix the reserved juices back into the shredded pork.
11. Taste and, if desired, finish the pulled pork by sprinkling Honey Hog Hot seasoning and mixing it in.

Sweet coleslaw

1. In a bowl whisk together 1 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip), and 2 teaspoons yellow mustard.
2. Remove outer leaves from one head of cabbage, cut it in half, remove the core, then slice across the grain into strips to your preferred thickness.
3. Mix the shredded cabbage with the wet dressing mixture thoroughly.
4. Refrigerate the slaw; it can be eaten immediately but is best after sitting 2–4 hours so juices develop.

Cheerwine BBQ sauce

1. Bring the barbecue sauce ingredients together (see recipe link) and simmer until thickened to your liking.
2. Simmer the sauce about 30–35 minutes to reach desired thickness.

Assemble

1. Build sandwiches with shredded pork, slaw, and Cheerwine BBQ Sauce if using.
2. Store or hold pork at keep-warm conditions if needed (creator noted 165 degrees Fahrenheit keep-warm option on some cookers).

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

Spice Rub

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar (or honey)
• 6 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (or rosemary salt)
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 1 tbsp ground mustard
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

• 1 onion, large, quartered and sliced
• 1/3 cup malt vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cup ketchup
• 2 1/2 tbsp molasses
• 6 oz (170g) chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1/3 cup soy sauce, dark soy sauce
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Cooking oil, a tiny bit

Coleslaw & Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp white sugar (or honey)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or rosemary salt)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Carrot, sliced into thin planks and julienned
• Cabbage, shaved thin

Main & Assembly

• 8-12 lb (3629-5443g) Boston butt roast, trimmed slightly
• Rendered pork fat, a little poured over cooked pork
• Brioche bun
• Avocado oil, spray

book_ribbon Instructions

Rub, Roast, and Rest

1. Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 6 tablespoons paprika, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chipotle powder, 1 tablespoon ground mustard, and 1 tablespoon black pepper in a bowl to make the barbecue spice rub.
2. Trim a little of the external fat from the Boston butt roast and leave the softer fat beneath intact.
3. Generously coat the pork on all sides with the spice rub.
4. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven, set the pork on a sheet pan fitted with a rack, and put it in the oven set to 250°F; roast until the internal temperature is right about to hit 200°F (this can take about 7 to 10 hours depending on size).
5. Increase the oven to 300°F for the last two hours if you want more color; remove the pork when nearly 200°F internal.
6. Transfer the cooked pork into a pot that has a lid, pour a little of the rendered fat over the meat, cover, and let rest for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

1. Halve and roughly slice 1 large onion for blending.
2. Set a saucepan over medium-low heat, add a tiny bit of cooking oil and a pinch of salt, and sweat the onions (cook without color) until soft and slightly translucent, about 8 minutes.
3. Add 1/3 cup malt vinegar, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 cups ketchup, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons molasses, 2 tablespoons honey, 6 ounces chipotle peppers, 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2/3 cup water, and pepper to taste; stir to combine.
4. Return to the stove and simmer gently over low heat, bubbling lightly, for about 25 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
5. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer into a bowl, pressing solids through with a spoon; reserve the strained onions (use as an onion jam) and let the sauce cool (it will thicken further as it cools).

Shred and Season Pork

1. Shred the rested pork into mostly larger chunks for varied texture; remove excess fat pieces if desired.
2. Taste the shredded pork and add a little less than a teaspoon of kosher salt if needed, then mix so the seasoning is distributed.

Coleslaw

1. Whisk 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with 2 teaspoons white sugar (or honey as an alternative) and 1/2 teaspoon salt until the sugar dissolves.
2. Stir the vinegar mixture into 1 cup mayonnaise and add 1 teaspoon celery seed; mix to make the dressing.
3. Slice carrot into thin planks, then cut the planks into thin shoestrings using a mandoline or a knife.
4. Shave cabbage into thin slices (mandoline recommended), sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper, and toss with the dressing and the prepared carrot until juicy.

Toast and Assemble

1. Heat a grill pan over medium (slightly under medium if necessary), spray with avocado oil, and toast brioche buns in the pan for about 3 minutes until crunchy.
2. Assemble sandwiches: place pulled pork on the bottom bun, spoon reserved onion jam and chipotle barbecue sauce over the pork, top with coleslaw, and cap with the top bun.