BBQ Bucatini with Secreto Ibérico & Burrata
If you’ve never thought about combining smokehouse BBQ with Italian comfort food, this dish will change your mind. BBQ Bucatini takes rich, buttery Secreto Ibérico pork, grills it to juicy perfection, and folds it into a velvety Mutti passata sauce spiked with dry rub, pitmaster BBQ sauce, fresh garlic, and basil. Twirled with thick bucatini pasta and crowned with creamy burrata, it's an absolute game-changer for backyard grilling.
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor Grill (Charcoal or Gas)
Ingredients
The Pork
- 2 lbs Secreto Ibérico (rich, heavily marbled Spanish pork cut)
- 6 tbsp Smokin’Hoggz Rib Rub divided:3 tbsp for meat, 3 tbsp for sauce
The Sauce & Pasta
- 3 Jars Mutti Passata
- ¾ cup Smokin’ Hoggz Pitmaster Blend BBQ Sauce
- 1 lb Bucatini pasta
- ¼ cup + 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves Garlic fresh, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp Garlic salt
- 12 leaves fresh basil (6 torn for sauce, 6 sliced in chiffonade for garnish)
The Plating & Garnish
- 3–4 Fresh Burrata cheese balls 4 oz each
- Pecorino Romano cheese (preferably Locatelli), freshly grated
- Coarse salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Fire Up the Grill & Prep the Pork
- Heat your grill: If using charcoal, light up your coals and let them burn down until white-hot. If using a gas grill, crank it up to high heat.
- Season: Rub both sides of the Secreto Ibérico evenly with 3 tablespoons of the rib rub.
- Grill: Sear the pork over high heat until it reaches a medium doneness with an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C).
- Rest: Transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let the juices redistribute while you build the sauce.
Step 2: Build the BBQ Passata Sauce
- Sauté aromatics: Heat ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Sauté the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic turns light golden brown.
- Addtomato base:Pour in the 3 jars of Mutti passata. Bring it to a steady simmer and cook forabout 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season: Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of garlic salt and let it simmer for another 1–2 minutes.
- Layer flavors: Stir in the hand-torn basil leaves (cook 1–2 mins), then add the remaining 3 tablespoons of rib rub (cook 1 min) and finally stir in the ¾ cup of BBQ sauce (cook 1 min).
- Add the pork: Slice half of the rested Secreto Ibérico thinly across the grain. Fold it into the simmering sauce, stirring gently for 5 minutes so the pork absorbs the sweet-and-smoky flavor. Season with coarse salt and black pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
Step 3: Boil the Bucatini
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil.
- Drop in the bucatini pasta and cook until al dente, following the package instructions.
- Drain and add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce pot. Toss thoroughly so everystrand is coated.
Step 4: Finish & Plate
- Spoon generous portions of the hot BBQ Bucatini into wide serving bowls or onto a platter.
- Tear open the fresh Burrata balls and nestle them over the pasta.
- Top with the remaining thinly sliced grilled Secreto Ibérico.
- Garnish with fresh basil chiffonade, a shower of grated Pecorino Romano, and a generous drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately!
