Memphis Barbecue Spaghetti
At its most basic, barbecue spaghetti is what you would think: barbecue sauce with pulled pork atop some pasta. The trick is finding a balance between the barbecue and the Italian aspects.
Sure, it’s fine to add pork to store-bought sauce and pour it on noodles. But for something closer to the original vision, this recipe makes a slow-cooked, velvety spaghetti sauce with barbecue seasonings. The result is neither Italian nor Southern, but a hybrid.
Pulled pork is available at barbecue joints, at some deli counters and butcher shops.
The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces canned, no-salt-added tomato puree
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 1 pound chopped or pulled pork, preferably smoked (see headnote)
Directions
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and bell pepper, stirring to coat. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it releases its aroma, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
Stir in the tomato paste; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in the powdered mustard, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato puree and brown sugar.
Step 3
Pour in the water, stirring to form a sauce. Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, for about 2 hours, stirring regularly to keep the sauce from scorching. The consistency should be a bit thin -- more like barbecue sauce than a thick spaghetti sauce.
Step 4
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
Step 5
While the pasta is cooking, stir the pulled pork into the sauce to warm through.
Step 6
Drain the cooked pasta; divide among individual bowls or plates. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over each portion. Serve warm.
