Spam is simply processed and cooked pork shoulder and ham preserved in a can. Yet this quintessential American product has inspired both obsession and revulsion (not to mention singing Vikings) ever since the Great Depression. How did Spam become one of the most recognizable brand names in history? What makes it so compelling?

Pulled pork at home!It's pretty miraculous how the simplicity of long smoky heat can transform an ornery piece of meat like a pork shoulder, into the succulent and tender masterpiece that is BBQ pulled pork.There is really nothing difficult about making fantastic BBQ pulled pork, all it takes is patience, and a good steady low smoky heat.

I'm on Spring Break this week. For most people in my position that means a week in the Florida/Mexico/Arizona/Texas sun. For me, it means a root canal, laundry, dishes, and homework. However, I did schedule in one me-event: smoking a bone-in pork shoulder roast. And I documented it. Let's play it like a How To.

Facts provide that Spam or Spiced Ham, which is a combo of chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite, made by Hormel Foods. Spam is making appearances in BBQ flavors, in fajitas, Alfredo, soups, dips, vegetable frittatas, scrambles egg nests, in stuffed turkey so on and so forth.

Pulled pork is a form of barbecue. It is a method of preparation in which pork, usually shoulder cut (sometimes referred to as Boston Butt) or mixed cuts, is cooked using a low-heat, long-cook method until the meat becomes tender enough that its weakened connective tissue allows the meat to be "pulled," or broken into individual pieces easily. Pulled pork is found around the world in a variety of forms, but grew into its current popularity by its inclusion in American Barbecue. PreparationThe preparation of pulled pork differs both in region and in methodology. In areas such as Tennessee, pulled pork is typically made from a mix of the blade shoulder and arm shoulder meat and served with a tomato based barbecue sauce. However, in areas such as North Carolina, both mixed cuts of the hog and shoulder alone are commonly used, and the pork is served with a vinegar based sauce, if a sauce is used at all. Pulled pork in the United States is commonly slow-cooked by a smoking method, though a non-barbecue method might also be employed using a device such as Crockpot. Pulled pork is most commonly served on a sliced bun as a sandwich or by itself. Porchetta is an Italian variation of pulled pork commonly made using herbs and large amounts of salt. See alsoPorchetta, sometimes referred to as "Italian pulled pork"Pig pickin', an event where pulled pork barbecue is cooked and served.