pressure-cooked pulled pork shoulder in a nightshade-free, no-mato BBQ sauce built on pumpkin, molasses, cinnamon, and horseradish

Barbecue asks a lot of this protocol, because the sauce that makes it barbecue usually runs on tomatoes and peppers, both nightshades. Standing at a summer cookout with a plain piece of meat while everyone else has real barbecue is a small, specific loss, and this sauce closes that gap: pumpkin for body, molasses for depth, cinnamon for warmth, and fresh horseradish standing in for the bite pepper usually brings.

Pork gives you generous protein for tissue rebuilding, plus zinc, which the body draws on to steady immune function and gut-lining repair. The Instant Pot gets a tough shoulder tender and shreddable in about an hour, plenty to carry you through several dinners, which matters on the weeks this protocol asks a lot of you.

Cook the full pot on a Sunday and portion it into the fridge. Having real barbecue already made and waiting is the kind of thing that gets you through a hard Tuesday on this protocol without much of a fight.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup molasses (blackstrap preferred)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons smoked salt (a nightshade-free smoked sea salt)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon fresh horseradish root, grated

Method

(Instant Pot)

Cut the pork shoulder into a few large chunks and season with some of the smoked salt. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, molasses, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, the rest of the smoked salt, and the grated horseradish to make the no-mato BBQ sauce.

Set the Instant Pot to saute and brown the pork chunks on a couple of sides if you want deeper flavor, then turn it off. Add the diced onion and crushed garlic, lay the pork on top, and pour the sauce over everything. Lock the lid, set to high pressure, and cook for about 60 to 75 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before opening.

Lift the pork out and shred it with two forks. Spoon the cooking sauce through a strainer or blend it smooth, then toss the shredded pork with as much sauce as you like. If the sauce is thin, simmer it on saute for a few minutes to reduce before combining. Serve warm.

Slow cooker variation

Brown the pork in a skillet if you like, then layer the onion, garlic, pork, and sauce in the slow cooker the same way. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork pulls apart easily. Shred, reduce or blend the sauce as above, and combine.

Oven variation

Heat the oven to 300 F. Brown the pork in a heavy pot, add the aromatics and sauce, cover tightly, and braise for about 3 to 4 hours until fork-tender, turning once partway through. Shred and finish the sauce as above.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*