4th of July

I made my regular pulled pork again this year. WF only sells small sliced pork butts, so instead of the regular 5-6 pound full butt I'd get in Michigan, I ended up with a 2-3 inch thick, 1.7 pound cut. Since I'm only cooking it for me, and don't really need to have the extra pounds, I guess. It didn't have the thick layer of fatty skin either, so I was somewhat concerned about how it'd turn out.  

I put on the rub last night, and had it in the oven around 11:30. I let it cook overnight at 195, and then when I woke up this morning around 8ish, I cranked it all the way up to 210. I figured it was certainly done by the time I was ready for lunch at 12:30.  It shredded nicely with just a quick squeeze of my tongs, and I added a couple splashes of the barbeque sauces in my fridge. I clearly over-toasted the bun, but it wasn't a big deal.  I bought a jar of lilikoi/pepper jam at the farmer's market just for the pulled pork sandwiches, but didn't want to put it directly on, so I put it in a dish for dipping.  It was a nice addition, as the sweetness counters the salty pork, and it has a different kind of pepper spice than the rub.

I threw one of the cobs of corn I also got on Saturday in the oven for the last hour or two, after giving it a quick wash.  I probably should have soaked it longer, since the husk was almost paper dry when I pulled it out.  Having it be local has an obvious difference, since the sugars haven't had a chance to turn into starches.  I'm tempted to roast another one, and just call that dessert.

Pulled pork (largely based on Alton Brown's recipe)

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp regular paprika
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ~1 tbs kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

I don't bother brining, as when I did that in the past, it came out way too salty.  After coating with the rub (I didn't use all of it for this small of a butt), I wrap it in 5-10 layers of foil, and then put it in a baking dish in the oven. I'd probably smoke it if I could, but without the proper apparatus (and due to living in an apartment), the oven is the next best thing.  I set the oven low (~200ish), and let it go for 10-18 hours.  Once it's done, unwrap, pull it apart and remove any chunky fatty bits, and then add a bit of bbq sauce.  I've made my own in the past, but my usual strategy is to mix open pit and cattleman's in equal amounts. OP doesn't exist here in Hawaii, so I've been using Stubb's, which has a similar flavor profile.