Hi, I’m Chef Tony Matassa with BBQGuys.com, have you ever wanted to infuse your BBQ with
the flavor of your favorite beer?
Well today, I’ll show you how to do just that by brining a pork shoulder, we’ll be
brining it to make pulled pork tacos that we’ll top with a homemade slaw.
Let’s get started by making the brine.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt a little butter and saute diced yellow onions until
they are caramalized.
Next, pour in 16 ounces of water.
Juice a fresh orange, and go ahead and throw in the peel because it will infuse some great
citrus flavor.
Now add in 6 bay leaves, followed by the fresh squeezed juice and peel of one lemon.
I think IPA has some grapefruit flavor similarities, so the lemon and orange will compliment the
citrus notes in this beer.
Here I have some fresh chopped sage.. and rosemary.
For a spicy kick, I like to add in some fresh cracked black and white pepper.
And now for the key components of any brine...granulated sugar and kosher salt.
I also like to add in a little honey to my brine.
Stir everything around until the sugar and salt dissolves, then turn off your burner.
Now you can add in the second 16 ounces of water, preferably cold so that the brine cools
down faster.
Now to complete this brine, grab 5 cans of your favorite IPA, today I am using Tin Roof
Juke Joint from a local Baton Rouge brewery.
Once the beer is incorporated, your brine is ready to be used once it cools.
Now we'll just set the pork shoulder in the brine, and once it's sealed up in here.. it'll
be in here for a good 12 hours or so.. so I'll put this in the refrigerator and then
we can begin making our slaw.
I like to coat some pineapple in a little butter and coconut sugar, then throw it on
the grill to caramelize the sugar.
Just dice up the pineapple and place it in a large mixing bowl with shredded purple and
green cabbage.
For a little extra color and crunch, add in some (grated?)
carrots.
Keep the seasoning simple with some black pepper and coarse salt to taste.
Stir everything to incorporate.. and then you guessed it.. it's time to pour in some
beer.
I'm using the same beer I used in the brine so that the flavor carries over to the slaw.
Sweeten the slaw with some coconut sugar, or brown sugar, and toss to coat.
Finally, finish off the slaw with one to two fresh squeezed limes.
Set the slaw in the fridge and let it marinate until you are ready to serve.
Alright, my Pork Shoulder has brined..
I have my Primo preheated for 225 with my deflector plates in, and about 5 chunks of
cherry wood in there..
it’s time for us to get the Pork Shoulder in.
We’ll check back in about 3 hours, when the internal temperature of the pork hits
about 165 degrees F, were ready to wrap it in foil for the rest of the cook so it doesnt
loose any extra moisture.
Alright, so it’s been about 4 hours, and the internal is at 165 degrees F. I’m going
to remove it, and wrap it in Pachament paper, and then double wrap with heavy duty tin foil.
Once wrapped, return it to the grill and let it cruise at 225 until the internal temperature
of the roast hits 190 degrees F. The Pork shoulder just hit 190, I will remove it,and..
this is the toughest part, you have to let it rest for at least 30 minutes before pulling
it.
After resting, begin by unwrapping, be very careful..
it will be extremely hot.
It's almost time to dig in!
Oh, wow...
look at all those juices, this is what you want to see, when the bone pulls out clean
like this.. you know it is going to be tender!
The pork is still pretty hot, so I am using bear claws to shred it easier.
This is going to taste great, the hardest part is waiting to assemble the tacos..
I want to dive in right now!
Once shredded, pour in some barbecue sauce, this is my homemade amber ale bbq sauce, i'll
post the link to that recipe if you want to use it.
I used amber ale from the tin roof Brewery, here it is a local Baton Rouge brewery.
Making your own bbq sauce is the perfect way to finish a dish like this one, and now to
finish everything off, I think we will pour a fresh brew!
Here is how it looks plated, let’s dig in!
I have to be honest, that is almost too much awesome in one.. thing.
A taco holds together all of the awesome, right?
You have the grilled pineapple bringing a little sweetness to counteract the bitterness
from the beer, the Tin Roof Juke Joint to wash it down as a little palette cleanse,
if you know what I mean..
I can’t say enough about this, you definitely have to try it, hit the like button if you
like it, and subscribe or check back often to see our latest videos.
I hope that you enjoyed this today, I’m Chef Tony Matassa, and remember..
at BBQGuys.com.. we smoke.. the competition!