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Pulled Pork Finishing Sauce

Grey poupon mustard sauce on bbq is...well, if it works for you.
 
I prefer mine without sauce, but if I serve it to family/freinds, I always have a few sauces available in squeeze bottles on the side. I usually put a few different types out to give folks a choice.

I'd always prefer they taste the meat first before slathering with anything though
 
Grey poupon mustard sauce on bbq is...well, if it works for you.
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Don't knock it until you tried it :becky:

The mustard helps with emulsification. The vinegars,hot sauce, and wooster add a lot. The OP asked for a finishing sauce,which this is. Not a sauce to pour on for sure. Just add some while pulling along with a little rub that smoked with. 1 to 2 T per cup of PP.

Paul
 
samann said:
This is the ticket, I always wrap and use the rendering for added moistness and flavor on the finished product, well made pulled pork doesn't need BBQ sauce.
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Amen brother. Some people pour a can of Coke over it if it needs some moisture. But in my opinion, if you have to add anything, you messed up.
 
milehigh said:
Don't knock it until you tried it :becky:

The mustard helps with emulsification. The vinegars,hot sauce, and wooster add a lot. The OP asked for a finishing sauce,which this is. Not a sauce to pour on for sure. Just add some while pulling along with a little rub that smoked with. 1 to 2 T per cup of PP.

Paul
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Wouldn't commented if I hadn't. As much as I like dijon mustard on sandwiches, me and my crew didn't care for it, not as a "moistener", and certainly not as a table sauce.

The first really good mustard sauce I ever had was a sauce they serve at Famous Dave's called "Georgia Mustard", and something a little better is Mike Mills "Similar to Maurice's Carolina Mustard". I've tweaked the recipe some, and I'd love the chance to compare it to the stuff they used at M. Bessinger's "Piggie Park".

Too be clear, I think that the dijon distracts from the flavor of the pork, even if used just a little, and since pork shoulder is so rich already no oil is needed, thus no emulsifier is needed.
 
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I like to pull my pork butts ahead of time and remove any fat. I will mix about one cup of apple sauce for a 8-10 pound butt. Sauce it any way you want, or serve naked. Remember that the sugars in the sauce burn in roaster ovens or crock pots and they get hotter at the edges first, so mix from the outer edges to the middle often if sauced. If it is a bd party, do as much ahead of time so you are still part of the party and not the pooped cook...
 
kevin robie said:
I like to pull my pork butts ahead of time and remove any fat. I will mix about one cup of apple sauce for a 8-10 pound butt. Sauce it any way you want, or serve naked. Remember that the sugars in the sauce burn in roaster ovens or crock pots and they get hotter at the edges first, so mix from the outer edges to the middle often if sauced. If it is a bd party, do as much ahead of time so you are still part of the party and not the pooped cook...
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So I can heat it up in the oven or a crock pot? That is if I do it the day before?


I am not a fan of Djon mustard in the pulled pork either but Im still going to try it out. There may be those select few that might find it enjoyable. Like I said all sauces will be on the side so peeps have their own choice.
 
milehigh said:
Don't knock it until you tried it :becky:

The mustard helps with emulsification. The vinegars,hot sauce, and wooster add a lot. The OP asked for a finishing sauce,which this is. Not a sauce to pour on for sure. Just add some while pulling along with a little rub that smoked with. 1 to 2 T per cup of PP.

Paul
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"Not a sauce to pour on for sure...1 to 2 T per cup of (pulled pork)"

Just to be sure you understand, this is something that will flavor ALL the pulled pork. Why try if you don't care for Dijon mustard????? I don't follow, and I even like Dijon.
 
As to your plans, pulled pork is better right off the pit, but can be reheated if required. I'd do an all-nighter and hold in an insulated cooler (up to 6 hrs or so) when done, pulling right before serving. Plan on 10 oz uncooked butt per person attending, and yes, the crock pot can used to keep hot, but I prefer chaffing pans in frames over the cans. (cheap at walmart, etc) Good luck with it.
 
Dave Russell said:
As to your plans, pulled pork is better right off the pit, but can be reheated if required. I'd do an all-nighter and hold in an insulated cooler (up to 6 hrs or so) when done, pulling right before serving. Plan on 10 oz uncooked butt per person attending, and yes, the crock pot can used to keep hot, but I prefer chaffing pans in frames over the cans. (cheap at walmart, etc) Good luck with it.
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Id rather serve it fresh for sure. Like I said this is only the trial run before his bday in late Oct. Im picking up the Butt from my butcher tomorrow so I know the weight and how long of a cook Im in store for. I have a fridge in the garage that is stocked for that purpose :whoo:

My plan is to foil at 160 so I can gather some juices. Off at 190 and put in cooler for an hour then pull it.
 
If foiling at 160, I wouldn't add anything to the pork after pulling. It should be plenty moist, but you might want to cook it a little more in the foil, more like 200 or so. I'd go by tenderness though, not necessarily the temp. Sometimes meat temps in the foil don't seem to correlate with the tenderness, especially if cooking at higher temps. For instance, I don't usually cook hot-n-fast briskets, but I find they usually get tender around 205, but usually done about 190 if doing low-n-slow with no foil.
 
boatnut said:
i've never done a finishing sauce but sleepy smoker may be onto something. Me likes a vinegary sauce on me pulled pork! I think as long as it just keeps things moist then it's fine. Lots of people don't like any sauce....so I usually make couple different sauces and serve on the side.
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^^^ Yep. No sauce at all needed. However, we usually present many
sauces, as one sauce never pleases everyone. We do usually present
a mixture of Blues Hog Original and Tennessee Red, and from what I've
seen 50% or more of the folks go for that one (the mix), or then take that
mixture and mix it with our own sauce which is basically tomato sauce,
cane syrup, grape jelly, worchestershire sauce, a little cayenne, and a
small amount of our rub. That works pretty well too. And, there's always
some *nut* in the crowd that wants their mustard sauce... :crazy::-D
 
Sleepy Smoker said:
I found this recipe on the internet a few months ago and have used it twice with outstanding results.

2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons red pepper flake
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/3 cups water

After the pork is pulled and placed into whatever you plan to serve it from, pour roughly half of the sauce over the meat to keep it nice and moist. Then I take the remainder and pour it into a squeeze bottle so that each person can finish off their sandwich with more sauce. You may need to strain out the red pepper flake to avoid clogging up the squeeze bottle. I needed to do that the first time I prepared it and I think it turned out better that way.

When tasted on its own the sauce is pretty strong, and you may not think much of it. But when mixed with the pork something magical happens. Give it a try.

As far as what is necessary when serving your sandwiches... do whatever you'd like. You could serve it with multiple sauces so everyone can choose their favorite. If I went all out I would probably serve some of the vinegar pepper sauce I posted above, a nice bbq sauce like Blues Hog, and finally a mustard-based sauce.

Heck, I'll post that one too. This was also found on the internet pretty easily and was great as well.

1 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Mix all ingredients (besides butter, soy sauce & liquid smoke) and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the butter, soy sauce & liquid smoke and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

I'd probably skip adding the liquid smoke all together since you are adding it to a butt you smoked yourself.
Click to expand...


So we made these 2 sauces on Monday. We had about 12 people over to taste test sauces to see what everyone liked.

Vinegar Sauce

I made this sauce and wasn't sure to simmer this, chill or it leave it at room temp. So I pm Sleepy to make I didn't mess this up. This sauce is not cooked and sits at room temp. Thanks for the quick reply as well Sleepy!

Not many liked this sauce, me included. Its not that it tasted bad but I think this sauce needs to be made well before your cook. It really tasted all vinegary. You really didnt taste anything else in it. This is why I think this sauce needs some time to set. I know what this sauce is trying to do which reminded me a lot like Tennessee Red.

So Im going to keep this sauce refrigerated until the Bday party to see how it works then. I think the sauce should be plenty of set by then. I will come back and let you know how it goes as well.


Mustard Sauce

This sauce was made the day of cook as well. This sauce turned out to be liked by about 1/2 the people. This mustard sauce is very bold and has a nice pop. Its not overly spicy but will take your breathe away smelling it.

The people who liked this sauce were fans of mustard to begin with. I am a mustard fan as well but never really had it on PP. I liked the sauce as a change from the normal traditional way. This is that one sauce you feel you should try before before you leave.



BBQ Sauce


Blues Hog Sauce
Well we all know about this one right? All my guests and I mean ALL raved about the BHS. This was the 100% winner in the house. I served MOINK balls as well and everyone used this sauce to dip in.

Big Buttz

This was a big winner as well. Just about everyone who ate Blues said they really enjoyed the smoothness of the Butz. I myself prefer this just because Blues is so sugary. Butz does it job without being over whelming.


So in conclusion the sauces that will be used are going to be:

1. Vinegar Sauce - Im not going to give up on this sauce. Like I said I just think it needs some time to set. I also think if the sauce can be thickened it might be more enjoyable as a side sauce than a finishing sauce.

2. Mustard Sauce - Never realized how many mustard lovers in my area lol. I will def put this one out for them. I also think its a nice change from BBQ sauce.

3. BBQ - Butz & Blues will make it on the table as well. Just because the sauces are just so different make its a nice option.


So thanks to everyone and especially Sleepy for the ideas. We had a great time sampling everything. BTW no pork was left. I had a 8lb butt and I made almost 24 sammies. I actually let people make their own just to see how much they were going to use. I think most were just being polite but I know a couple of the guys downed like 4 sammies each. So it ended up feeding 14 people and no one left hungry.

If anyone has any ideas on how to thicken the vinegar sauce Im all ears!!
 
It was my pleasure to help out. Happy to hear you had pretty good results and got a better feel for what you want to do for the party next month.

The vinegar sauce might be better if it had a little time to come together. The times I have served it I have prepared it about 24 hours in advance. Never intentionally to give it time to set, just the way it worked out. I could see the comparison with Tennessee Red. I actually tried that for the first time last Friday (alongside the vinegar sauce) and can definitely taste similarities. This is the sauce I really thought you and your friends would like, and as it turns out it looks like it was by far the least popular! :doh: I myself really enjoy it and I couldn't believe the positive response I got from 20+ people the first time I served it. I guess everyone has different tastes, this is just another example. It also proves that you setting up this sauce "tasting party" beforehand was a good idea. You gotta use what works for you.

Sounds like the mustard sauce went over a bit better. In a way this isn't surprising. I live in Illinois just like you (lived in Elmhurst for quite a while!) and this one is more recognizable as a typical sauce for our area over the vinegar. Glad to hear you got good feedback on this one. It isn't for everyone, but for those that prefer something besides typical barbecue sauce on their pork, it is a nice option.

I served Blues Head Sauce for the first time this weekend. It was used on a couple of racks of spare ribs. Some used it on the pulled pork too. I couldn't believe how tasty it was. It will definitely be a staple in my pantry from this day forward.

So all-in-all it sounds like you had good results and accomplished your goal. Wish the vinegar sauce would have worked out better for you, but I am glad to have helped out. Good luck getting everything just right for your party.
 
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