2020 TAILGATE FARE WEEK 5 VS Illinois: Pulled Pork, Coleslaw and Baked Beans

Good morning everyone, and Happy Friday!

For today's tailgate fare, I will be posting my pulled pork, coleslaw, and baked beans recipes.

First up, the pork. For this cook, I used an 11lb Pork Butt. To prep, I used a 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar, with a bit of "Killer Hogs" rub mixed in as an inject. I used about a cup of each and tried to inject it in a grid pattern. Once this was completed, I slathered the butt in mustard, and rubbed "Killer Hogs". My goal for this cook was to keep my smoker between 225 and 250, and I was successful for the most part. It was a pretty wet, cold, and windy night, but I pulled through. I used Kingsford Original and Oak chunks.

As you can see, it took about 15 hours from start to finish, which was about 3 hours less than I had anticipated. I also didn't have too much of a stall. Once it is up to temp (I like to take it to 200), wrap it in foil or peach paper, cover it in a towel, and place it in a cooler for a few hours prior to shredding.

Now, for the beans, which was easily the toughest and longest part of the cook. The ingredients:

2 cups navy beans
½ pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

The cook:

Step 1

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid. (Getting the beans tender was the toughest part of the cook.)

Step 2

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 3

Arrange the beans in a 2-quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of the dish, and layering them with bacon and onion.
Step 4

In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over the beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
Step 5

Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Now, the coleslaw; the ingredients:

3 cups green cabbage shredded
2 cups red cabbage shredded
1 large carrot grated or julienned
1 green onion finely chopped

The dressing-

2/3 cup mayo
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice

The cook: mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl, then pour over the shredded vegetables. (For this cook, I cheated and used a shredded cabbage mix; also you may want to adjust the amount of dressing mixed, to taste. I like my slaw a little drier than store-bought.) I like to make this a couple of hours before the meal, so the flavors can blend.