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Collection: BBQ
Recipe By: Chris Bowden
Pulled Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 2-5kgs (5-10 lbs) bone-in pork shoulder/butt
- 4 large wood chunks, soaked
- Butcher's twine
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- DRY RUB
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- 1 tbs dry mustard
- 1 tbs sweet paprika
- 1 tbs dark brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 0.5 tsp ground allspice
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- MOP SAUCE
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- 1 tbs sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups white malt vinegar
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 thinly sliced onion
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- DRIP PAN
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- 4 cups apple cider
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 bell peppers (multicolored)
- 1 onion
- 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- Water
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- COLESLAW
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- 1/4 white cabbage, finely sliced
- 1 granny smith apple, shredded
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbs good quality mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
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Directions
- Massage plenty of rub into a skinless or skin on slab of pork shoulder - there are strengths in both methods. If removing the skin then trim any loose or heavy fat areas down to 1/8 inch, rinse pork shoulder and pat dry. Tie the slab with butcher's twine to help prevent the meat falling apart as it nears the end of its cook, then wrap the pork shoulder well with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove the shoulder from the refrigerator 45 minutes before you plan to cook to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Set your smoker up for low and slow cooking with a water pan, pre-heated to 225°F. Add some soaked wood chunks of your choice.
- In a water pan, add any aromatics or herbs you prefer, for this recipe the bell peppers, onion, rosemary and garlic, then pour in the apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Ensure the water pan is 3/4 full, then fill the rest of the way with water when in the smoker.
- Place pork shoulder inside of your smoker, directly on the cooking grids, fat side down. Allow the meat to cook for two hours undisturbed or until the outside forms a nice bark then baste every hour after.
- Option 1: Continue cooking the shoulder at 225°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°F.
- Option 2: Cook the shoulder until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 to 160°F or better yet until the outer bark is looking dark, rich and jerky like. Remove from the kamado, double wrap with foil and set it back in the kamado (still at 225°F), continuing to cook low and slow until the internal temperature reads 195°F. This method will help speed up the last stages of cooking.
- Remove from the smoker and allow the shoulder to rest, loosely tented for 30 to 45 minutes. Discard the skin if you had left it on and pull the pork apart; using your hands, two forks or one of the grilling claw accessories made for shredding large cuts of meat. If you have time to kill then double wrap the shoulder in foil, then wrap in a few tea towels and place in to a pre-warmed ice chest. Doing this will allow the meat to stay hot for up to four hours and has the added advantage of allowing the meat to continue to break down even further.
- Serve generous portions with a side of your favorite BBQ sauce, with or without buns, and some crunchy vinegar coleslaw which goes really well.
- Shredded pork stores well so vacuum seal any leftovers and freeze for later goodness. Ensure the meat is below 40°F (4°C) before sealing. If time is short allow the meat to cool down as much as possible, vacuum seal and throw the bags in to an ice-water slurry in an ice chest, this process chills the meat much quicker than placing the bag straight in to the fridge. Keep topping the chest with ice as it melts over a few hours and then throw them straight in the freezer.
- Try being prepared for you next succulent meal by transferring the vacuum bag from the freezer to a refrigerator to thaw a day before. When ready to eat drop the bag in a pan of gently simmering water for 10-20 minutes.
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