If ever there were polar opposites among Christ’s Chosen, it had to be Peter and Paul. Both men were Jews who lived in the time of Christ. Both reacted to Christ’s teachings and conversion in very different ways.
Peter was chosen by Christ to guide the Apostles in small things while He was still among them, and in all things once Jesus had ascended once more to His kingdom in heaven. Paul, also a Jew, grew up not in Galilee the countryside of Judea but in the Roman province of Cilicia. Since Tarsus (Modern-day Tersous in southeastern Turkey) has never been systematically excavated to the first-century levels, archaeological data regarding Paul’s everyday life is lacking. We do know from his own testimony that he was a Jew in terms of his circumcision, Benjaminite lineage, Hebrew ancestry and Pharisaic training. As Jews were converting to the teachings of Christ, Paul (or Saul as he was known at the time) became increasingly hostile toward this latest and most virulent messianic movement. Peter on the other hand was instrumental from the very beginning in spreading the good news of penance and redemption. They saw Christianity from opposing perspectives.
Peter had sat at the feet of the Master, soaking in His holy words first hand. He saw Saul as the enemy, hunting down Jewish converts and handing them over. It was while Saul traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus; armed with the legal authority necessary to hunt down and dispose of Jewish Christians, that he encountered the Risen Lord. While miraculous; Paul’s conversion experience was never the focal point of his preaching. His focal point was the Word, the teachings of Jesus and the conversion of the Gentiles. You would think with his conversion that Peter and Paul would become friends. They did not. Peter struggled with forgiving Paul for his persecution of converts. Furthermore he strongly opposed Paul’s preaching the Gospel to Gentiles. Peter felt the Messiah had come to rescue the Jewish People as promised, and not to reconcile the whole of the world to God.
Just as Peter was chosen by Christ to be His Rock, the one to establish His church, Paul was also chosen by Jesus. He would spread the Word beyond the Jewish converts. Both were instrumental in the spread of Christianity in very different roles. Because they were equal in many ways, we celebrate their feast day as one celebration. Peter and Paul were the foundation of the Christian Faith in very different but equally important ways.
My family has many recipes that have been handed down over the years. Much of what I share is a way to keep those recipes alive. Hubby’s family is different. Golden Eagle Barbecue Sauce is one of those rare family treasures. We’ve shared this recipe before, but not in the way it was first served. Once upon a time people came from miles away to a little roadside diner that was known for the best pulled pork sandwiches. This is how Joe and Nelda Goodwin had served up their barbecue sauce at the Golden Eagle Tavern and Grill some 80 years ago.
Golden Eagle Smoked Pork Sandwiches
Smoked Pulled Pork
1/4 cup Smoked Paprika
1/4 cup Black Pepper
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Salt
5 lbs Pork Butt Roast
1 bag Smoking Wood Chunks
4 cups Smoking Wood Chips
In a bowl combine paprika, pepper, brown sugar and salt. Pat roast dry with a paper towel; rub evenly with spice mixture. Wrap meat in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about an hour.
Fill chimney with large chunks of wood for smoking. Place chimney in the wood side of the smoker. Stuff some paper into the holes in the chimney, light. Once the wood has caught fire, dump and spread out in the chamber. Place wrack over the wood chunks. Fill a disposable foil pan with wood chips. Place chips over the burning wood chunks. Adjust vents to allow smoke to build; then draw over the chips and into the smoking chamber of the smoker. The heat will rise and then drop back as the wood chunks begin to smolder more than burn. Maintain a temperature of about 225 to 250 degrees in the chamber.
Clean and oil the grate in the smoking chamber. Place the pork butt, fatty side up, on the prepared grate. Smoke for about an hour until the crust builds to a beautiful dark smoky color. Turn on side, continue to smoke another 40 minutes, adjusting vents as needed to maintain both the smoke and desired temperature in the chamber. Turn again, continue to smoke another 40 minutes. Turn one last time, smoke another 40 minutes for a total of 3 hours in the smoker.
During the last 20 minutes of smoke-time, heat oven to 300 degrees. Position rack in the oven to the lower-middle of the oven.
Transfer pork to a roasting pan with a lid, preferably a clay roasting pan. Add enough water to the bottom of the pan to fill about an inch deep. Cover with lid, place in the oven and roast another 2 hours undisturbed. Remove from oven, check for tenderness. Meat should be falling off the bone and easy to shred. If not yet there, continue to slow roast another hour, checking again in 30 minutes.
While the pork butt finishes in a slow oven; make the Golden Eagle Sauce.
Golden Eagle Barbecue Sauce
1 (32 oz) bottle Hunt’s Ketchup
3 tablespoons Dry Mustard
2 teaspoons Black Pepper
1/2 tablespoon Barbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon Hickory Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup Water
Empty ketchup into a sauce pan. Add dry mustard, black pepper, barbecue seasoning, Worcestershire Sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Whisk to blend. Add smoke, thin with water.
Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; lest sauce steep unit ready to sue for the flavors to fully blossom and develop.
Finish and Serve
12 Hearty Hamburger Buns
Once the pork has finished slow-roasting, remove from oven. Transfer pork to the clay lid portion of the roaster; if using or to a large baking pan. Retain the cooking liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan to use as needed. (That is pure smoky flavor)
Let pork cool to the point it can be handled easily. Shred the meat in sections using the two fork method, a hand held mixer or a shredding claw. Add cooking liquid from the roasting pan as needed to keep the shredded meat moist.
Once fully shredded, stir in about half of the barbecue sauce. Cover shredded meat and return to the warm oven for about 20 minutes to heat through.
While the pulled pork warms, light toast the buns.
When ready to serve, brush buns with more sauce, then pile on the pulled pork, serve with plenty of napkins and enjoy. Great with Steak Fries, Tater Tots or even a deli-style potato salad.
Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress He saved him.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 