# Looking for good pulled pork recipes. Help please!



## Mingooch (Jun 14, 2012)

I need them to be low carb with no sugar/mollases based stuff in them for a diabetic friend. Hoping to find some great ideas, maybe some mustard based sauces? Any and all ideas are appreciated.

Will be grilling pork shoulder for this, but can cook other ways like slow cooker, crock pot, over, etc if someone's recipe thinks it is better that way.

Thank you,

Chris


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## The Edge (Jun 14, 2012)

My personal opinion would be to add a rub to the shoulder, then smoke it low and slow for 8-12 hours. You won't even need a sauce to go with it if you don't want, and just pair it up with some cole slaw. The rub will most likely have some sugar in it, though roughly 2-5 tablespoons of sugar for a 10 lb. shoulder shouldn't be horrible for even a diabetic, though I'm no expert when it comes to that. Otherwise, just cut out the sugar in the rub, and do a spice mix. Currently my rub goes along the lines of:

5 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of any type of chili powder
1 tablespoon each of coriander and cumin
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
and just enough salt in the mix to when you dip a wet finger in to taste, it doesn't scream salt, but accentuates all the flavors.

If you don't have a smoker, and you're just using a propane grill, only heat one side to get an overall temp of 225-250, add a tin foil packet of soaked wood chips over the heat, and place the shoulder on the other side. Other spices can be thrown in the rub, what's important is it tastes good all by itself, and another tip would be to let the shoulder sit at least over night with the rub on it, then take it out of the fridge to warm up an hour before placing it on the grill. Last tip, let it rest slowly covered by foil after it's done, and I've even gone so far as to cover the foil with a couple towels to slow the cool down even more. Anyway, these are just my opinions, and Lucretia just did a post about some butt she smoked that is the epitome of what the end product should look like!


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## Deckhand (Jun 14, 2012)

I saw some pulled pork recipes swap equal for sugar.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jun 14, 2012)

Deckhand said:


> I saw some pulled pork recipes swap equal for sugar.



The problem with Equal is that aspartame loses sweetness when heated. Splenda is sucralose, and stands up well to heat.


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## Namaxy (Jun 14, 2012)

I don't have direct experience using it for barbeque, but what about agave nectar? I only use it for making margaritas, but my cousin, who is diabetic, uses it as a sweetener. You could smoke the pork butt using a dry rub without sugar, then use the agave nectar in a sauce to sweeten it for balance.


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## Deckhand (Jun 14, 2012)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> The problem with Equal is that aspartame loses sweetness when heated. Splenda is sucralose, and stands up well to heat.


Hmm... Yep just looking at the diabetic pulled pork recipes. Hadn't thought of that. I think Stevia stands up to high heat too. As usual you have good advice:biggrin:


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## mr drinky (Jun 14, 2012)

You could always go a spicy pork tinga route instead of a traditional pulled pork. I've done the below recipe from America's Test Kitchen a couple of times and really liked it. Very low carb, and you could always use sprouted wheat bread/rolls instead of tortillas if you really wanted to lower the carbs.

You can find other pork tinga recipes on the web. I've always wanted to try Rick Bayless' recipe.

k.

SERVES 4 TO 6
The trimmed pork should weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. Tinga is
traditionally served on tostadas (crisp fried corn tortillas), but you
can also use the meat in tacos and burritos or simply served over
rice. Make sure to buy tortillas made only with corn, lime, and
saltpreservatives will compromise quality. For tips on baking
tostadas, see How to Bake Tostadas (related). Our winning brand of
ready-made tostadas, Mission, is also an excellent choice. We prefer
the complex flavor of chipotle powder, but two minced canned chipotle
chiles can be used in its place. The pork can be prepared through step
1 and refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 days. The tostadas
can be made up to a day in advance and stored in an airtight
container.
INGREDIENTS
Tinga
2 pounds boneless pork butt , trimmed of excess fat and cut into
1-inch pieces (see note)
2 medium onions , 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
5 medium garlic cloves , 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed
through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
table salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder (see note)
2 bay leaves
Tostadas
3/4 cup vegetable oil
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (see note)
table salt
Garnishes
queso fresco or feta cheese
fresh cilantro leaves
sour cream
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE TINGA: Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves,
thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan
over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface.
Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is
tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
Discard onion, garlic, and thyme. Return pork to saucepan and, using
potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½-inch pieces (see
Step-by-Step below); set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook,
stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.
Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, reserved pork cooking
liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated,
5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to
taste.

4. TO FRY TOSTADAS: Heat vegetable oil in 8-inch heavy-bottomed
skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke center of
each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even
cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright
position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged (see photo below),
until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is
necessary). Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to
taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5. TO SERVE: Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each
tostada and serve, passing garnishes separately.


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## cnochef (Jun 14, 2012)

Agave nectar is still a sugar not a sugar substitute so I don't know how a diabetic could be using it. However, it is super sweet, so the theory is that it's better for you because you'll use less.


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 14, 2012)

Wait, what is not diabetic-friendly about pulled pork?

It's a pork butt with seasoning on it. I use Salt, Pepper Paprika, and Granulated Garlic.

The sauce I make has more to do with wetting the bread you eat with it than the meat--you can eat the meat all day long by itself. Even still, I could just not put molasses in it, use sugar-free ketchup and there you go.


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## SpikeC (Jun 14, 2012)

That sounds a lot like some carnitas recipes that I have seen!


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## obtuse (Jun 14, 2012)

cnochef said:


> Agave nectar is still a sugar not a sugar substitute so I don't know how a diabetic could be using it. However, it is super sweet, so the theory is that it's better for you because you'll use less.



It has a low glycemic index because it's mainly fructose


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## Lucretia (Jun 14, 2012)

You might want to try a vinegar based sauce. There are lots of recipes out there--google "vinegar bbq sauce"--some have a little sugar, but if you wanted you could use a sugar substitute. If you're making a cup of vinegar sauce and you add a tablespoon of brown sugar to it, that's only adding around 9 grams of carbohydrates for the entire batch. Really minimal. I'm thinking about trying to make a batch myself with lots of black pepper and garlic in it--just starting with some apple cider vinegar and adding stuff till it tastes good. Maybe a little brown sugar and mustard, garlic, black pepper, salt. And interestingly enough, searching just now on vinegar I came across this study from Arizona State University that says that vinegar may actually help the body use insulin--a benefit for diabetics.

When I smoke pork I don't use any sugar in the rub. Just paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, allspice, and celery salt.


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## Deckhand (Jun 14, 2012)

obtuse said:


> It has a low glycemic index because it's mainly fructose


Yep.

Sweetener	GI
Glucose	96
Fructose	22
Lactose	46
Sucrose (white sugar)	64
Brown sugar	64
Barley malt syrup	42
Brown rice syrup	25
Raw honey	30
Agave syrup	15
High fructose corn syrup	62
Stevia	less than 1
Sugar cane juice	43
Evaporated cane juice	55
Maple syrup	54
Black strap molasses	55


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## Namaxy (Jun 14, 2012)

My understanding from my cousin is that low GI foods like agave release their sugar more slowly and steadily....making it easier for him to control his blood sugar.


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## Mingooch (Jun 14, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> Wait, what is not diabetic-friendly about pulled pork?
> 
> It's a pork butt with seasoning on it. I use Salt, Pepper Paprika, and Granulated Garlic.
> 
> The sauce I make has more to do with wetting the bread you eat with it than the meat--you can eat the meat all day long by itself. Even still, I could just not put molasses in it, use sugar-free ketchup and there you go.



Some use BBQ sauce based condiments and the person has had some real issues lately and I want full flavor so they and others coming over dont miss anything, but keep this person in the healthy directions. Many seem to have brown sugar, molasses in them. I have a great recipe that have them in it, but want something for this person specifically. Anyone have any really good mustard sauces for the pulled pork? This way I can discuss the others people have given with the people coming over and pick one. Sounds yummy already.


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## The Edge (Jun 15, 2012)

Most mustard based sauces that I've seen contain brown sugar as well. One thing I would consider though if you want a semi sweet smoky sauce is making one from chilies. If I had to make one up off the top of my head, I'd say use:

3 ancho chilies, 4 guajillo chilies, and 3 chipotle chilies (de-seed them and toast in a hot pan about 30 seconds per side, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes, and discard the water)
4 cloves of garlic toasted until browned on all sides
3 cloves
2 tabelspoons of oil
2-3 cups of beef or chicken stock

After the chilies have been reconstituted, add them to a blender with the garlic and cloves, and blend into a puree. You may need to add a little of the stock to get there. Once you have a nice paste, add to the oil in a hot skillet and fry until it reaches a red brick color. Finally, add the stock, and season to taste. Should leave you a bright, slightly sweet (hint of raisin), smoky sauce that goes well with the pork. If you want to get really fancy with it, strain it through a medium mesh strainer, though I don't find that necessary. 

This won't be anything near a bbq sauce, but it'll be damn good regardless. Can't wait to see other people's recommendations as well for some new ideas.


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## Mingooch (Jun 15, 2012)

That does sound good Taylor. I cant wait to see some other options. Love me some pulled pork and BBQ season is just starting up.


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## Mingooch (Jun 18, 2012)

Taylor tried your recipe, was good, but not perfect. Close though. Needs something, havent figrured out what yet...but working on it...very close to awesome.


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## The Edge (Jun 18, 2012)

Glad to hear it came out good. Also glad you're not afraid to tweak it and make it your own. Hope you find the missing ingredient/s.


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