BBQ Without a Grill or Smoker

the warm weather is finally upon us here in providence. every chance i get i am outside walking or biking around the city. coming from VT i try to spend as much time as i can outside. some of that time includes grilling and turning my dad's classic charcoal Weber into a smoker. unfortunately where i live now i have no space for a grill and when the weather gets me in the BBQ mood and i have the time i use other methods.

i will admit wholeheartedly, in my opinion, these methods are no match for open flame or smoke. but they do produce a quality product that temporarily satisfy my cravings.

the meat is prepared the same way for both methods of cooking, except 1 factor. you can use different meats but i love to use pork and to me it screams BBQ. once it's done you can use it for so many different applications (i'll post later). here is my version for no-smoke, no-flame BBQ Pulled Pork!

SLOWCOOKER/CROCK-POT:
.4-5lb Pork shoulder
.1 red onion
.3 cloves of garlic
.your choice of dry seasoning mixed in a small bowl, enough to coat the meat. since i never really use measurements i don't know how much of each. i will list in order of amount from highest to least used and you can go from there.
.ground coffee
.brown sugar
.cayenne powder
.chili powder
.smoked paprika
.garlic powder
.salt/pepper
.cumin
.water, enough that when you place the meat in the pot the water is around the top, not consuming the meat.

coat the pork in the seasoning, rub it in, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. place it in the slow cooker. thinly slice your onion and give the garlic a rough chop, toss in the pot with the meat. pour water into the pot until it reaches the side of the meat, not consuming it. turn the heat setting to low and leave it in for 8hours. possibly more if you get a larger shoulder. when finished, take the meat out of the pot, it will be difficult bc it WILL pull apart, which is exactly what you want. i put mine in a big tupperware container and go at it with a pair of tongs and a big fork. basically just pull it apart and discard any fatty chunks. i don't put any sauce on it b/c i love to use this pork for other dishes.

and there you have it, your own homemade Pulled Pork, technically it's not BBQ b/c that's a reference to how it's cooked.

OVEN:
for the oven method you basically have the same exact ingredients except the water. coat the shoulder in the dry seasoning and place in a big oven-safe dish. add your garlic and onions, then cover with aluminum foil. set it in an oven preheated to 200. it will take approximately four hours perhaps longer depending on the size of the shoulder you get. i use the same method of pulling as my other recipe. in a tupperware container, a fork and a pair of tongs going at it discarding the fatty chunks.

what i like most about these recipes is the ability to use the meat for many other dishes. i will post a few as we go along. i hope these shed a little light onto your grill-less options!

enjoy
.g