I just watched an episode of the newest season of Sex Education on Netflix where a character uses chili crisp oil as a lubricant by accident. Funny as it was, I nearly passed out just imagining it. People often think that because I was born and raised in India, I love spicy food, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. When I go to see my aunts, I always tell them not to use too many chilies because I’d like to stay healthy. To be clear, I do use chiles in my cooking. I just don’t use them too much. I like just the right amount of heat—not so much that my ears ring and my eyes and nose feel like a broken faucet.
Chiles are also not all the same; there are many beautiful varieties that are different shades of green, red, yellow, and orange, and they have different smells and levels of heat. Even though I try to avoid too much spice, I still love these spicy berries (yes, botanically they are fruits) because they do so many great things.
Pulled pork is a versatile and delicious staple of barbecue cuisine But things can quickly go awry if your pulled pork rub or sauce ends up being too spicy Fear not! With some simple fixes, you can easily tame the heat and make your pulled pork enjoyable for all palates.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore useful methods for cooling down overly spicy pulled pork using ingredients you likely already have on hand. Follow these tips to save your pulled pork dish from spice disaster!
How Spicy Rub Impacts Pulled Pork
Before we talk about how to cool the pulled pork, it’s helpful to know what happens to it when you use a spicy rub.
The level of heat and spice in your rub will be concentrated on the exterior of the pork. As it slowly cooks over several hours, those spices infuse into the outer layer of meat.
After cooking the pork all the way through, you shred it and mix the spicy outside with the meat inside. This evenly distributes the heat throughout the pulled pork.
So if the rub had very high amounts of chili powder, cayenne paprika or other powders, chances are your finished pulled pork will end up quite spicy.
Easy Ways To Reduce Spice In Pulled Pork
If you take a bite of the finished pulled pork and find it uncomfortably hot, don’t panic. With a few simple fixes, you can temper the burn and make it enjoyable for all palates
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Mix in additional dry rub (leaving out the spicy elements) to dilute the existing spices.
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Finish with a sweet barbecue sauce – the sugar will counteract the heat.
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Stir in cooled cooked rice to absorb some of the spice and give bulk.
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Shred extra pork that didn’t get the rub and combine it in.
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Add acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon/lime juice or diced tomatoes. Acidity helps mute heat.
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Mix in plain Greek yogurt – the dairy cools the burn. Sour cream works too.
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Incorporate diced raw onions – they have a natural cooling effect.
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Fold in some chopped pineapple for sweetness and fruit enzymes that tame heat.
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Moisten with apple juice or soda – sweet liquids offset spiciness.
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Finish with a splash of cream to smooth out the flavors.
With these simple additions, you can easily tame an overly spicy pulled pork and make it right for your taste buds. Now let’s look at them in more detail.
Use Acidic Ingredients To Balance The Heat
One of the most effective ways to reduce spicy heat in pulled pork is by incorporating acidic ingredients. Things like vinegar, citrus juice and tomatoes will help mellow out the burn.
Some great options to stir into hot pulled pork include:
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Lemon Juice – The bright acidity will cool the spices. Use the juice of 2-3 lemons per batch of pork.
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Lime Juice – Similar cooling effect as lemon juice. Use the juice from 3-4 limes.
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White Vinegar – The tang balances the heat. Add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup per batch.
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Apple Cider Vinegar – Its sweet-tartness tempers the spices. Use 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup.
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Ketchup – It has natural acidity. Stir in 1⁄2 to 1 cup per batch.
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Chopped Tomatoes – The acidity counters the burn. Use 2-3 large tomatoes.
A splash of any of these ingredients will help take down the spicy flavor a few notches. Start with small amounts and increase to your desired spice level.
Add Sweetness To Overpower Spicy Heat
Using sweet ingredients is an easy way to get spicy pulled pork back to a palatable flavor balance. Things like sauce, juice and soda will help extinguish the fire.
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BBQ Sauce – Sweet tomato-based sauce cools heat. Add 1⁄2 to 1 cup per batch.
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Honey – Its sweetness balances spiciness. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons as needed.
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Maple syrup – The rich sweetness mellows the burn. Add 2-4 tablespoons.
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Brown sugar – Sprinkle in 1-3 tablespoons to caramelize and temper heat.
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Apple juice – The fruity sweetness cools things down. Use 1⁄2 to 1 cup per batch.
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Pineapple juice – Another sweet fruit juice that will tame the spices.
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Cola – The carbonation and sugar cuts the heat. Use 1⁄2 to 1 cup.
Drizzle in these sweet ingredients bit by bit until your pork reaches the desired mildness. The sugar and fruitiness work to counteract an overly hot and spicy flavor.
Use Dairy Products To Smooth Out Spicy Flavors
Dairy is highly effective at smoothing out the searing spikes of chili peppers and other fiery spices used in your pulled pork rub.
Here are some dairy additions that will cool down the heat:
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Sour Cream – Its tangy creaminess mellows spiciness. Add 1⁄2 to 1 cup.
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Plain Greek Yogurt – The cool yogurt nullifies the burn. Use 1⁄2 to 1 cup.
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Heavy Cream – Just a splash of cream neutralizes heat. Add 2-4 tablespoons.
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Cream Cheese – Softened cream cheese cools hot spices. Use 4-6 ounces per batch.
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Butter – Fat smothers the heat. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons as needed.
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Shredded Cheese – Melted cheese balances flavor. Use mozzarella, cheddar, etc.
The creamy nature of dairy products help flatten out the pointy bite of chili peppers and other spicy components. For people sensitive to heat, dairy can be a pulled pork lifesaver!
Dilute With Starchy Side Dishes And Vegetables
Another trick is to stretch out spicy pork with mild side dishes and veggies. The additional ingredients dilute the general spiciness.
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Cooked Rice – Fluffy rice absorbs flavor. Fold in 1-2 cups per batch of pork.
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Baked Potato – Diced potatoes diffuse heat. Add 1-2 cubed potatoes.
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Coleslaw – Cabbage and mayo cut spice. Mix in 1⁄2 to 1 cup.
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Cornbread – Crumbled cornbread soaks up heat. Use leftovers or make a batch.
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Lettuce – Crisp lettuce leaves balance fiery flavors. Mix in chopped romaine.
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Onion – Raw onion mellows heat. Dice up 1⁄2 of a large onion.
Adding in these neutral, starchy sides will complement the flavors of your pork while lowering the overall spiciness. Get creative with your own favorite filler ingredients too!
Adjust Spice With More Plain Pulled Pork
You can also control the spice level by incorporating additional pulled pork that hasn’t been coated with the hot rub.
For example, rub only half the pork shoulder with the spicy blend. Smoke the other half with just a basic salt and pepper rub.
Once cooked, shred both halves and mix together. The plain pork will cut the overall heat and spice of the batch.
If it still ends up a bit too fiery, you can repeat the process and adjust the ratio of spicy to plain pork as needed.
Having some unseasoned pork on hand gives you the flexibility to fine tune the end result. You get full control over the final flavor and heat.
Prevent Spicy Pulled Pork In The First Place
Of course, the best way to avoid over-spiced pulled pork is being cautious when initially adding rub and sauce:
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Use small amounts of dried chiles and spice blends. Test a tiny bit first.
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If guests don’t like heat, make a special mild dry rub for them.
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For wet rubs and marinades, use very little or omit hot sauces and peppers.
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Opt for sweet, tomato-based barbecue sauces over spicy, vinegar-based sauces.
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Inject pork with fruit juices or soda instead of broth spiked with chili paste.
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Smoke mild woods like apple or pecan rather than intense mesquite.
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Allow guests to season their own pork to their personal spice preference.
With some care and planning up front, you can avoid having to tame an overly feisty finished pulled pork.
Quick Recap Of Heat-Taming Tips
Here’s a quick recap of effective ways to cool down pulled pork that comes out too spicy:
- Fold in acidic ingredients like lemon/lime juice, vinegar and ketchup
- Add sweetness using BBQ sauce, fruit juice, honey or maple syrup
- Incorporate dairy products like yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese
- Dilute with starchy sides and veggies like rice, onions and slaw
- Mix with additional plain pulled pork not coated in spicy rub
- Use small amounts of spicy rub and sauce initially
With these handy techniques, you can easily adjust pork’s spice level at any time. Just add ingredients bit by bit until the heat hits your preferences.
While pulled pork benefits from some spice and heat, too much can ruin the experience, especially for folks sensitive to chilies. With a few simple fixes, you can easily tone down pork that turns out overly fiery.
Keep acidic, sweet and creamy ingredients on hand to balance the flavors. And consider smoking a portion of the pork without a bold rub to give you more control over the end results.
With the methods in this guide, you can take Charge of the heat and confidently make pulled pork that satisfies all palates. Just stay flexible and have fun dialing in the ideal spice level. Your crowd will be grateful for pulled pork without the atomic burn!
Capsaicin, a spicy player
The highest concentration of capsaicin is located in the placenta of the chile fruit—the soft and fleshy pale area close to the stem and in the seeds. In mammals, including humans, the capsaicin molecule binds a receptor called TRPV1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ion channel. This binding sends an electrochemical signal that irritates the nerves, which the brain interprets as heat and pain.
The brain gets confused by the response from the nerve receptors. Your body temperature doesn’t go up, but your mouth may feel like it’s on fire. You’ll likely start sweating, too; that’s the body’s way of trying to cool you down. The first thing that might come to mind is to drink a glass of ice-cold water to quench your thirst. However, if you’ve seen any episode of Hot Ones, you know that drinking water usually doesn’t help and only makes things worse.
Chile plant growers, scientists, and agricultural organizations use various ways to determine the heat level in chiles. In 1912, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville created the Scoville test to grade the intensity of heat experienced by a person when eating chiles. Seeing as this test is a sensory test, or an organoleptic test, that measures a person’s response to a substance, the results are subjective.
That’s why most Scoville Heat Units (SHU) for chiles are reported in ranges. Between 855,000 and 1,041,427 Scoville units are found in the ghost pepper, which is very hot. Mild peppers like poblanos have between 1,000 and 1,500 units. The hottest upper limit is defined by pure capsaicin, which has a pungency of about 16 million SHU.
Why chiles are hot
Chiles may be associated with Indian and other South Asian foods, but they come from Mesoamerica and were brought to Asia by European settlers. They quickly became a part of these cultures and an essential ingredient in many local cuisines. In Mexican cooking chiles are an integral part of the diet. The word “chili” (often spelled as “chile” in North America) is derived from the American Nahuatl word “chilli. ”.
While black peppercorns get their heat from a chemical called piperine, chiles owe their heat to a chemical called capsaicin that, according to scientist Josh Tewksbury, evolved as an evolutionary advantage to the plant. Capsaicin or 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide is a fat-soluble pungent substance, and in mammals, it acts as a chemical irritant and neurotoxin by creating a burning sensation—we’ll get to how it works in a little bit.
Chile plants started to synthesize capsaicin as a way to protect themselves from rodents. In places where the soil is wet and full of fungi and insect pathogens, it also keeps the plant from getting hurt. Dr. Tewksbury found that in countries like Bolivia, chile plants that grow in wet climates are hotter. The number of insect bites on the chile fruit was directly related to how hot the plants were. In general, plants that were hotter did not get damaged as much as plants that were not as hot.
Pulled Pork AKA Smoked Pork Butt
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