In the tales of ancient Greek mythology, there existed a heavenly substance which was called ambrosia. It was the food of the gods, and ever since these myths were first written, many great minds have wondered what substance ambrosia was made out of. Well folks, after 27 years of eating many different foods, I have come to the conclusion that the fabled ambrosia must be none other than pulled pork. I mean how could the food of the gods be anything other than juicy, tasty, and tender pulled pork.
Ok, ok, that’s enough lame jokes for today, but I think you get the point, pulled pork is great! Now like always we are going to have to talk about a few things you need to understand in order to properly make pulled pork.
First, you will need the right cut of pork, one that is labeled either a pork shoulder, pork butt, or Boston butt. I know that this might sound confusing but all of those names refer to the same cut, so just look for one of them and you’ll be ok.
Secondly, you are going to need a good dry rub for your cut of pork. I recommend that you try out my dry rub recipe as it goes great with pork, however, if you have your own recipe or a store-bought brand that is your favorite, then use it.
Now as for smoking the pork, I think it goes without saying that it is easiest if you have an actual smoker. However, if you don’t own a smoker then don’t worry, you can still make this recipe on the grill, or even in the oven.
For the grill, all you have to do is purchase some smoker boxes, which as the name suggests, are little boxes that you can fill with wood chips in order to produce smoke on any grill. Then simply use these boxes and cook the pork on your grill at the same temperature, and for the same amount of time as instructed for smoking. Now as for the oven simply place the cut of pork in a roasting pan and place it in your oven at the same temperature, for the same time as I instruct for smoking. So if you are ready to make food worthy of the gods then read on.
Pulled Pork Recipe
Prep time: 8 to 24 hours
Cook time: 4 to 6 hours
Servings: 20
Ingredients
3 ½ to 4 ½ Lbs Pork shoulder
½ Cup of BBQ dry rub
For the mop
½ Cup of apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder
Some wood chips (apple, or peach is my recommendation)
Instructions
- Rub the pork: Wash and pat dry the pork with some paper towels. Then dust the pork with the dry rub on all sides, and use your hands to make sure that it is rubbed in. After this has been done then you simply let the pork shoulder sit in your fridge for 8 to 24 hours so that the flavors of the dry rub can sink into the meat.
- Preheat smoker, or oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
- Smoke the pork: Take the pork out of your fridge 1 hour prior to cooking it so that it can get to room temperature. Then place the pork into your smoker, or oven and let it cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound.
After about 2 hours of cooking, you will want to start brushing on the mop every hour or so.
The mop will help to ensure that the pork stays moist, and it provides a little extra flavor.
- Let it rest: Once the internal temperature of the pork reads 160 it is done. Take the pork out of the smoker or oven and place it on a cutting board and cover it with aluminum foil. Then let the meat rest for 30 minutes to an hour. This is done to redistribute the juices of the pork shoulder. Also don’t worry about it being cold, as it will still be plenty warm.
- Pull: Use either two forks, or better yet your hands, and pull apart the pork shoulder until it is in small strips and pieces.
- Serve & enjoy
Make pulled pork sandwiches by making my coleslaw recipe
Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ to 4 ½ Lbs Pork shoulder
- ½ Cup of BBQ dry rub*
- Some wood chips apple, or peach is my recommendation
For the mop
- ½ Cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder
Instructions
- Rub the pork: Wash and pat dry the pork with some paper towels. Then dust the pork with the dry rub on all sides, and use your hands to make sure that it is rubbed in. After this has been done then you simply let the pork shoulder sit in your fridge for 8 to 24 hours so that the flavors of the dry rub can sink into the meat.
- Preheat smoker, or oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
- Smoke the pork: Take the pork out of your fridge 1 hour prior to cooking it so that it can get to room temperature. Then place the pork into your smoker, or oven and let it cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound. After about 2 hours of cooking, you will want to start brushing on the mop every hour or so. The mop will help to ensure that the pork stays moist, and it provides a little extra flavor.
- Let it rest: Once the internal temperature of the pork reads 160 it is done. Take the pork out of the smoker or oven and place it on a cutting board and cover it with aluminum foil. Then let the meat rest for 30 minutes to an hour. This is done to redistribute the juices of the pork shoulder. Also don’t worry about it being cold, as it will still be plenty warm.
- Pull: Use either two forks, or better yet your hands, and pull apart the pork shoulder until it is in small strips and pieces.
Notes
Inspiration from other blogs
From Hey Grill Hey
From Dinner Then Dessert
