Pork
- Keep pork butts cold or partially frozen for the drive.
- If freezing overnight, bag or wrap each butt tightly.
- Pack in the cooler with ice or frozen packs.
- Let them slowly thaw in the cooler during the drive.
Idaho family trip
Idaho Family Trip Cookout.
Hawaiian-style pulled pork, warm Dijon herb potato salad, and Hawaiian-style slaw. Built for cooking from a phone, not reading a blog.
Quick overview
The menu
Main
Hawaiian-style pulled pork
Two big pork butts cooked low on the grill at 250°F, spritzed lightly, rested, then shredded.
Side one Warm Dijon herb potato saladNo mayo. Bright, herby, tangy, and better with rich pulled pork than a creamy version.
Side two Hawaiian-style slawCrunchy, vinegar-based, slightly sweet, and dressed close to serving.
Already handled
What is done
- Bought 2 massive pork butts.
- Dry rub is already mixed.
- Pork will cook low on the grill at 250°F.
- No smoke planned.
- Spritz is apple juice plus apple cider vinegar.
- Keep the pork fairly dry. Sauce lightly at the end.
Day before
Pack and prep
Dry rub
Rub is already mixed. Pack it in a large zip-top bag, mason jar, deli container, or shaker bottle.
Label it: Pork Rub.
Spritz
Do not mix until cook day. Pack apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and a clean spray bottle.
Cook-day ratio: 3 parts apple juice to 1 part apple cider vinegar.
Cook day
Timeline for a 6:00 PM dinner
Adjust earlier or later based on when people actually want to eat.
Pull and season
Pull pork from the cooler, let it sit while the grill comes up, pat dry if needed, and apply rub generously.
Pork on
Grill at 250°F. If heat comes from below, put the fat cap down.
Start spritzing
Once the outside looks set, spritz every 60-90 minutes. Do not soak it.
Watch the stall
Expect the stall around 160-170°F. Wrap in foil if the color looks good and you want to speed it up. Add a small splash of apple juice before wrapping.
Probe tender
Pull at 198-203°F when the thermometer slides in with very little resistance.
Rest
Rest at least 1 hour. Best method: foil-wrapped pork in a dry cooler with towels. Save the foil juices.
Shred and serve
Shred pork, mix with reserved juices, and add only a light amount of sauce. Keep extra sauce on the side.
Pork details
Low, steady, and not drowned
Plan on 10-14 hours total including rest for two large pork butts.
Optional wrap at 165-170°F. Serve after a 1-2 hour rest.
Use as needed once the outside is set.
A long rest is better than making people wait. If the pork finishes early, that is a win.
Side one
Warm Dijon herb potato salad
No mayo. Bright, herby, tangy, and built to sit next to rich pork.
Ingredients for 20
- 8-10 lb baby Yukon Gold or small red potatoes
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- Parsley, dill, and green onions
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Optional: capers, dill pickles, cornichons, lemon zest
Method
- Boil potatoes in salted water until just fork tender.
- Drain well, then halve or quarter larger potatoes while warm.
- Whisk oil, vinegar, mustards, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Toss warm potatoes with dressing so they absorb it.
- Fold in shallots, parsley, dill, and green onions.
- Adjust with more salt, vinegar, or mustard.
Make ahead a few hours if needed. If refrigerated, pull it out early and refresh with vinegar and olive oil.
Side two
Hawaiian-style slaw
Vinegar-based, crunchy, fresh, slightly sweet, and no mayo.
Ingredients for 20
- 2 large bags slaw mix, or 2 small green cabbages
- 1 small red cabbage
- 4 carrots
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 fresh pineapple, or 2 cans pineapple tidbits
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Juice of 2 limes
- Optional: jalapeno, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts
Method
- Combine cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro, and pineapple.
- Whisk vinegar, oil, pineapple juice, honey, Dijon, lime, salt, and pepper.
- Toss 30-60 minutes before serving.
- Taste before serving and add lime, salt, or vinegar if it tastes flat.
Slice vegetables ahead, keep dressing separate, and add pineapple near the end.
Shopping
Grocery list
Produce
Pantry / condiments
Bread / serving
Disposable / supplies
Packing
Gear list
Rules
Do these and dinner works
If the pork finishes early, wrap it in foil, place it in a dry cooler with towels, and let it rest. It can hold hot for several hours.
Do not drown the pork. Use BBQ sauce as a finishing accent so the pork still tastes like pork.
Dress the potatoes while warm. That is what makes the no-mayo version work.
Dress the slaw close to serving. Crunch is the whole point.