Memphis Barbecue Spaghetti
Chapter 2 — The Meats
It sounds like a car crash of culinary traditions—Italian starch bleeding into Mid-South smoke—but Memphis barbecue spaghetti is a testament to the working-class genius of former railroad cook Brady Vincent. This is emphatically not cold sauce poured over leftover noodles. It is a deeply unified dish where al dente pasta drinks up a pit-smoked emulsion of rendered pork fat, tangy barbecue sauce, and marinara. It requires patience, pecan wood, and the good sense to let a pork shoulder ride out the stall naked.
Before you start
Prep the pork shoulder.
Apply a thin layer of yellow mustard to act as a binder, then generously coat the entire shoulder with the dry rub, pressing it firmly into the meat. Let it rest at room temperature for forty-five minutes.
Fire the pit.
Configure your smoker, kamado, or kettle grill using the snake method to maintain a steady ambient temperature of 250°F, adding your pecan wood for a clean, blue smoke.
Ingredients
- bone-in pork shoulder6 to 8 lb
- yellow mustard2 tbsp
- Memphis-style dry rub1/2 cup
- pecan wood chunks3 large
- neutral oil2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- green bell pepper1 large
- garlic cloves3 large
- tomato sauce28 oz
- Memphis-style barbecue sauce2 cup
- water or pork broth1/4 cup
- dried spaghetti1 lb
- liquid smoke1 tsp
Method
- 01
Smoke the pork shoulder naked through the stall.
Place the meat directly on the grates, fat side up. Do not wrap it. Around 160°F, you will hit the stall as evaporative cooling causes the internal temperature to plateau. Push through until the thickest part hits a target internal temperature of 190°F to 195°F and the bark is a dark, crusty mahogany.
- 02
Rest the meat in a faux Cambro, then pull it.
Remove the shoulder, wrap it tightly in heavy foil, bundle it in a clean towel, and let it rest in an empty cooler for at least an hour. Discard the bone and pull the meat into long strands. Reserve one cup of the fattiest pieces and chop them fine for the sauce base.
- 03
Build the sauce base.
In a heavy Dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté the diced onion and bell pepper until soft. Stir in the garlic and the reserved chopped fatty pork, rendering the fat for three minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, and broth, stirring to combine.
- 04
Infuse the sauce on the pit.
Transfer the uncovered Dutch oven into your 250°F smoker. Let the sauce simmer and absorb the ambient wood smoke for forty-five minutes until it reduces to a rusty, dark color.
- 05
Unify the pasta, sauce, and pork.
Boil the spaghetti in heavily salted water until strictly al dente. Drain, reserving a splash of pasta water, and return the noodles to the pot. Pour the hot, smoky sauce over the pasta, add two cups of the pulled pork strands, and toss vigorously over medium-low heat until every strand is beautifully coated.
Notes
Bring the smoke inside with an oven workaround.
If you lack a smoker, set your kitchen oven to 300°F. Rub the raw pork with the optional teaspoon of liquid smoke before applying the dry rub, and bake on a wire rack over a foil-lined sheet. Simmer the sauce on the stovetop.
Trust the thermodynamics of the stall.
Memphis shoulder demands a thick, textured bark, which means you must leave the meat unwrapped during the dreaded stall. Rely on your thermometer, keep the lid closed, and let the fire do its work.
From Cook BBQ at Home.