Beer Basted Pulled Pork

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sprinkle the pork evenly with 1 tablespoon of salt, massage into the meat and let sit for 20 minutes.

Bring the first 9 ingredients, minus 1 tablespoon of salt (which you used on the pork already), to a boil in a very large pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Place the pork in a large Dutch oven and pour half the liquid over the pork. Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the preheated oven with a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips.

Braise the pork for 4-5 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork.

While the pork cooks bring the remaining braising liquid to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until reduced to the consistency of syrup about 40 minutes or so. Keep a careful eye on it so that it does not burn or reduce too quickly after about 25 minutes. Once the liquid is syrupy, discard the bay leaves and let the mixture cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.

When the meat is fully cooked, remove the pork from the cooking liquid and shred the pork with 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then mix the pork with the reduced liquid and serve.

We like to serve this as sandwiches with caramelized onions or tangy slaw on a soft potato roll.