Pulled Pork

By greeneyes718

Ingredients

• For the Pork:
• 1 bone-in pork shoulder (Boston Butt), 5-8 lbs.
• 1 recipe rub of your choice (see below)
• 1 recipe barbecue sauce of your choice (see below)
• hickory chunks or chips, presoaked at least an hour
• 1 disposable 13 X 9 aluminum roasting pan
• hamburger buns, for serving
• North Carolina Rub:
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• South Carolina Mustard Rub:
• 3 tablespoons ground dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• North Carolina Barbecue Sauce:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce:
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

1. Mix all the ingredients for the rub of your choice into a bowl, using your fingers to break up any lumps. Pat the meat dry with paper towels, then sprinkle the rub all over, using your fingers to pat the spices into the meat. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

2. Make the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients until well blended. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reserve about 1/3 cup of sauce to brush onto the meat during Step 5.

3. Fire up your grill, leaving the bottom vents open about halfway. You'll want to use an indirect cooking method, banking the coals on either side of the grate. Set the cooking grate in place, toss some of the wood chunks or chips on the hot coals, open the lid vents halfway and cover the grill to preheat for 5-10 minutes, or until heavy smoke is apparent.

4. Clean and oil the cooking grate, then place the pork, fat side up, on the side of the grill opposite the coals. Cover the grill, then allow the pork to cook for 3 hours until it has a nice rosy crust. You'll want to add wood chunks or chips ever hour or so, and you may need to add more coals after about two hours. Ideally, the cooking temperature should be about 325 degrees. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

5. Transfer the pork from the grill to the roasting pan. Brush the pork evenly with the reserved sauce, then cover tightly with foil and continue roasting the pork in the oven until tender, 2 to 3 hours longer. You can tell it's perfectly tender if you can pull the bone out with no resistance, or if you stick a fork in it and it comes out cleanly. Look for an internal temperature of about 190 degrees.

6. Take the pork out of the oven, and let it rest, 30 to 45 minutes. Leave the foil on. When cool enough to handle, unwrap the pork, and pull it into thin shreds using your fingers or two forks. Discard excess fat and gristle. Toss the shredded pork with the remaining sauce and serve, piled high on hamburger buns.