Taming the Heat – A Guide to Cooling Down Spicy Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is a quintessential BBQ dish that can easily become the star of any meal When rubbing and smoking a pork shoulder or butt, it’s tempting to be liberal with spices and create an explosively flavorful bark However, you may find yourself with abatch of pulled pork that packs more heat than you bargained for. Not to worry! With a few tricks up your sleeve, you can effectively cool down and balance out spicy pulled pork.

How Spicy Rub Impacts Pulled Pork

First, it’s important to understand how a spicy rub impacts the end result when making pulled pork. A dry rub only penetrates the outer layer of the meat. When smoking a pork shoulder low and slow, those spices have hours to get deep into the pork’s surface. Then as you pull and shred the meat, the spiced exterior layers mix throughout the batch. The result is pulled pork that carries the entire rub’s punch.

If you accidentally overdid it with cayenne, chili powder or other heat-inducing spices, chances are your pulled pork will emerge quite fiery. The good news? You have options for cooling it down post smoke.

Quick Tips for De-Spicing Pulled Pork

Before diving into specific approaches. here are a few quick tips that can immediately tame spicy pulled pork

• Pull the pork into two batches – one with more interior meat and one with extra bark. Mix them to control spice level.

• Add more of the pork’s sauce or rub a new sauce into the meat. More liquid and fat helps dilute spice.

• Stir in plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. The creamy dairy helps counteract heat.

• Toss in some refrigerated potato salad or coleslaw. Starchy, cool salads absorb spice.

• Add extra sweetness via minced fruit, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc. A little sweet balances heat.

• Sprinkle in more salt. It may seem counterintuitive, but salt suppresses the burn.

Now let’s explore some specific methods to truly cool down and redeem over-spiced pulled pork.

Method 1: Finishing Sauce or Juice

A finishing sauce is one of the easiest ways to instantly add flavor and tame heat in pulled pork. As the name implies, simply stir in or drizzle over the sauce after pulling and shredding the pork.

Some easy, pork-friendly finishing sauce options:

Apple Cider Vinegar Sauce – 2 parts apple cider vinegar, 1 part apple juice, plus brown sugar and pepper to taste

Carolina Vinegar Sauce – Cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, crushed red pepper and black pepper

Ketchup-Based Sauce – Ketchup, apple cider vinegar, light brown sugar and your favorite spices

Fruity Barbecue Sauce – Ketchup, pineapple juice, molasses and sriracha for just a touch of lingering heat

You can keep finishing sauces chilled and add as needed to pulled pork to control the spice level. The sweet and tart ingredients help counteract an overly spicy rub.

Method 2: Marinade or Broth Soak

Another option is to soak the pulled pork in a liquid that will simultaneously add flavor and dilute spice. Try marinating the hot pulled pork in:

• Apple or pineapple juice

• Coconut milk

• Sweet and tangy vinaigrettes

• Gentle tomato-based sauces

• Fruit juice blends

• Wine, beer or liquor

You can also use this technique pre-pulling by placing spice-crusted pork in a broth bath after removing it from the smoker and before shredding. The pork will gently absorb the liquid flavor.

Aim for marinade or broth solutions that offer acid, sweetness, fat and saltiness to balance the predominant spice flavors.

Method 3: Incorporate Starchy Side Dishes

Pulled pork is often served piled high on a bun or tucked into tortillas. Taking advantage of starch-heavy accompaniments is another great cooling method. Stir small portions of these items right into your pulled pork batch:

• Coleslaw or potato salad

• Diced potatoes or baked beans

• Rice, quinoa or couscous

• Mac and cheese

• Mashed or roasted sweet potatoes

• Cold pasta or potato salad

Starch absorbs and dilutes spice amazingly well. Just a handful of starchy goodness per pound of pork can make a difference. And you still get delicious meat and sides in each bite!

Method 4: Mix in More Pork

When dealing with a single spicy smoked pork shoulder, you can control the heat level by separating the meat as you pull it. As mentioned earlier, pull the pork in batches, keeping the extra hot outer bark portions separate from the milder interior meat.

Once the pork is separated into mildly spicy and extra spicy portions, you can mix and match to get the ideal spice blend. Add more of the mild pork to tame the heat. Or go bold with more bark if that’s your thing.

For a large batch of pulled pork from multiple shoulders, try mixing in some pre-made milder pork from the freezer to balance out the hotter freshly smoked batch.

Method 5: Spritz While Smoking

Obviously, it’s ideal to prevent over-spicing in the first place. If using an aggressive spicy rub, you can keep the heat in check right on the smoker with a spritz.

Try misting your pork shoulder with apple cider vinegar, fruit juices or even just water a few times during the long smoking process. This will create a protective layer to prevent too much spice absorption. You want just enough to flavor – not overwhelm – the pork.

Method 6: Serve it Sammie Style

Pulled pork sandwiches are a prime way to enjoy this BBQ specialty. And they also present an ideal opportunity to cool down spice.

Use milk-based condiments like mayonnaise and ranch dressing on your bread or rolls to provide cooling creaminess. Add sliced pickles, pickled onions or relish for lots of vinegary tang. Serve the sandwiches with a side of creamy, peppery pasta or potato salad to balance each bite.

Layering a spicy pulled pork sandwich properly helps keep the pork’s heat in check.

Spice-Balancing Rubs for Next Time

To avoid having to tame heat after smoking, use these tips to create spicy – but controlled – rubs from the start:

• Include sweet spices like brown sugar, paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg

• Use smoky spices like garlic, onion and chipotle powders

• Incorporate umami-boosting ingredients like mustard, soy sauce and Worcestershire

• Mix in citrus herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano and marjoram

• Limit the salt, which accelerates spice absorption

• Go easy on the cayenne and other pure chile powders

• Always add heat spices sparingly – you can add more later

Don’t Toss It! Rescue Your Spicy Pulled Pork

With so many uses for pulled pork, you certainly don’t want to waste a batch that got too spicy. Fortunately, cooling down and redeeming over-peppered pulled pork is totally doable. With a little creativity and some spice-taming ingredients, you can transform mouth-burning pork into a new favorite BBQ dish.