Smoked pulled pork

Difficulty:
1/5

Ease of preparation: easy
Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 Boston Butt (bone in pork shoulder roast) 5-6 lbs, covered with a layer of fat ½ -1 inch thick
  • 12 Fresh Sandwich buns
  • 6 cups of Hickory or Mesquite (or a combination) wood chips
  • (if you prefer a lighter smokey flavour use half of the wood chips)

Dry Rub:

  • 1 cup of Brown sugar (250ml)
  • ½ cup of Kosher Salt (125ml)
  • 1/3 cup of Paprika (84ml)
  • ¼ cup of Celery Salt (62ml)
  • 2 tablespoons of Hickory Salt (30ml)
  • 2 tablespoons of black Pepper (30ml)
  • 4 teaspoons of Garlic Powder (20ml)
  • 2 teaspoons of Thyme (10ml)
  • 2 teaspoons of Coriander (10ml)
  • 2 teaspoons of Marjoram (10ml)
  • 2 teaspoons of Cayenne (10ml)
  • 2 teaspoons of Dry Mustard (10ml)

Basting liquid:

  • See hot vinegar base BBQ sauce

Directions

  1. Place the brown sugar on a baking sheet and spread it around so that there are no clumps. Let the sugar sit at room temperature for several hours. Turn and stir the sugar every 2-3 hours until it is dry.
  2. Sift the now dried out sugar into a bowl. Add all the dry rub ingredients and mix together.
  3. Put on a pair of rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands from discolouring. Apply the rub to the pork with medium to light pressure. Rub the mixture into the pork and ensure that the entire surface is well spiced.
  4. Place the pork butt into a large plastic bag to rest for 5 -8 hours.
  5. Place 2 cups of the wood chips in water and soak for 1 hour.
  6. Drain half (1 cup) of the wet wood chips and squeeze the excess water out. Spread them evenly on a large piece of tin foil. Place 2 cups of the dry wood chips on top and mix them together. Close the foil around the chips to make a sealed foil package. Use a fork and puncture holes in the top and bottom of the foil package to allow the smoke to flow through and infuse the meat.
  7. When the pork has finished marinating, let it rest for approximately 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature. This will ensure that it cooks evenly.
  8. Remove the grill top and place the wood chip package directly over high heat to the far side of the barbecue. Once smoke is visible, turn the heat down to a medium-low heat (220°C).
  9. Place the pork on the opposite side of the grill from the smoke package. Use indirect heat to smoke the pork by ensuring that there is no direct heat under the meat. The only heat on should be the burner underneath the smoke package.
  10. Close the lid and allow the pork to cook for 1 hour before opening the lid. After 1 hour, if you are using a baste (see hot vinegar base BBQ sauce) lift the lid and baste the meat quickly. Baste every 20-30 minutes.
  11. If you would like a more intense smokey flavour on the pork, after two hours, build another smoke package using the remaining wet and dry wood chips and swap it for the now finished first package. If not, continue to cook over indirect heat for another 2 hours.
  12. Continue to cook for the remaining 2 hours, basting every 20-30 minutes. The meat is done when the pork pulls away easily from the skin.