Pulled Pork

Next to pork ribs, pulled pork is one of the most popular BBQ dishes in the country.

Indirect cooking or offset smoking such as on our Meadow Creek PR, TS, SQ units, Kamado Grills and Gas Grills (click here for smoking on a gas grill)

Ingredients

• 1 Pork butt (also known as Boston butt) 7 to 9 lbs. bone in or out is OK.
• ¼ cup of Apple Juice
• ¼ cup Honey or Agave
• ¼ cup Brown sugar
• Butcher Pork Injection
• Vegetable Oil
• Obie Cue’s Double Garlic Pepper
• Smokin Guns Hot
• Meat Church Honey Hog
• Blues Hog original BBQ Sauce

Directions

Cooking temperature between 225 and 275.
Approximate cooking time 7 to 9 hrs.

 Preparation

If you can do the following the night before the better:

1. Remove the “fat cap” leaving virtually no fat on the butt.
2. Mix the Butcher Pork Injection according to the label and let it sit. Even overnight if possible.
3. Inject through the fat cap side penetrating ¾ of the way into the butt and inject on the way out. Inject every inch to inch and a half in a grid pattern. Keep injection agitated.
4. Rub vegetable oil on the entire butt. This helps to “glue” your rub to the meat.
5. Layer the seasonings in the order above in a medium coat. Do not mix, layer one on top of the other.
6. Wrap the butt in foil and place back in the fridge injected side up.

 Cooking

1. Start a charcoal bed fire and stabilize temperature at 225 to 275.
2. Add a few chunks of apple, pecan, peach or our favorite blend 60% pecan and 40% cherry to the charcoal. For a gas grill use pellets or chips of the same.
3. Remove the butt from the fridge or cooler and place on the smoker or grill COLD (see our article on smoking).
4. Place the butt in the cooker with the injected side up.
5. Place a digital thermometer probe in the thickest part of the butt. It is always wise to also measure the grate temperature with a digital grate thermometer for better accuracy.
6. Close the lid and leave it closed.
7. Smoking of the butt will take place in the very early stages (first 1 ½ to 2 ours) of the cooking process.
8. When the butt reaches 160 degrees take it off and place it on two layers of tin foil.
9. Cup the foil around the butt and pour in the apple juice, sprinkle the brown sugar and the honey or agave on the top.
10. Wrap the butts up in the two layers of tin foil and put back in the cooker.
11. Place the probe back into the meat.
12. Side Note-Don’t freak out if the cook time stalls at around 160. This is normal.
13. When the butt reaches an internal temp of 190 you need to pay attention.
14. Take the temp. probe and push it in sideways into the meat in a few places. If it’s done, the probe should feel like it’s being pushed through soft butter.
15. If not, continue cooking for another 20 minutes and check again. Continue this probing until the meat is tender.
16. Once done remove the butt from the cooker and wrap in a third layer of foil and put in a small cooler. Fill the open air space with crumbled up newspaper, beach towels etc.
17. Let the butt sit in the cooler for a minimum of two hours, longer is better.  This process allows the fluids that have gathered in the foil to return to the meat.
18. Unfoil the meat being careful to retain the juices in the foil.
19. Place the juices in a bowl.
20. Now it’s your choice to pull the meat or chop it.
21. If pulling, the best tool is a pair of bear claws used for lifting cooked turkeys. If chopping a mezzaluna works well.
22. Shred or chop the meat, paying attention to remove any fat.
23. After shredding, make a mixture of 1/3 pork juices (in the bowl), 2/3 Blues Hog BBQ Sauce.
24. Lightly mix this in with your pulled pork to taste.

Serve on a potato roll along with our signature coleslaw recipe and you will be loved by all!!