Pulled Pork
Next to pork ribs, pulled pork is one of the most popular barbecue dishes in the United States. Master this delectable backyard staple, and your skills will be in demand anywhere barbecue lovers gather.
In this post, you'll learn our step-by-step process for cooking consistently tender, delicious pulled pork you can be proud to serve anywhere.
Note: The process described here involves indirect or offset smoking. Our Meadow Creek pig roasters, tank smokers, and backyard offset units are ideal for this style of cooking, and a kamado-style grill works great too.
If you'd like to rent a charcoal smoker for an event or gathering, we offer a popular Meadow Creek model here. But don't worry if all you have is a gas grill: with a few adjustments, you can absolutely cook show-stopping pulled pork on your gas grill. (Click here to learn how smoking works on a gas grill.)
Ingredients
Directions
Cooking temperature: 225–275 F
Approximate Cook Time: 7–9 hours
Meat prep
If you can, do your prep the night before. This gives the meat time to take on the flavors of the seasonings.
- 1Use a sharp knife to remove the “fat cap,” leaving virtually no fat on the butt.
- 2Mix the Butcher BBQ Pork Injection according to the label and let it sit for a while. If you have the time, let the injection sit overnight before using it.
- 3Inject through the fat cap side of the meat in a 1-inch grid pattern. Push the injector 3/4 of the way through the meat, then inject as you withdraw it. Agitate the injection as you work to keep it from settling out.
- 4Spread vegetable oil over the whole surface of the butt to help the rub stick.
- 5Coat the butt with a medium layer of each of the 3 seasonings in the recipe. Do not mix them, just layer them in the order they appear in the list.
- 6Wrap the butt in foil and return it to the fridge with the injected side up.
Fire Prep
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The Cook
Stage One
- 1Leave the butt in the fridge or cooler until you're ready to put it on the smoker. When the smoker is ready, place the COLD butt on your smoker or grill, injected side up. (See our article on smoking).
- 2Place a digital thermometer probe in the thickest part of the butt.
- 3If you have one, place a digital grate thermometer probe on your grate. This will give you a more accurate read of your smoker temperature than relying on the hood thermometer.
- 4Close the lid and leave it closed until Stage Two.
Stage Two
- 1When the meat's internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, take it off the smoker and place it on two layers of foil big enough to wrap the whole butt. (Wrapping at this point will not harm the flavor, since most of the smoke is absorbed during the first couple of hours of the cook.)
- 2Fold the edges of the foil up to form a bowl around the butt, then pour in the apple juice.
- 3Spread the honey or agave nectar on top of the butt, then sprinkle on the brown sugar.
- 4Wrap the butts up in the two layers of tin foil and put back in the cooker.
- 5Place the temperature probe back into the meat, close the smoker, and leave it alone until it reaches 190 degrees. Note: Don't worry if the temperature gets stuck for a while at around 160 degrees. This "stall" is normal. Be patient, and you'll eventually see the temperature start rising again.
- 6When the butt reaches an internal temp of 190, it's time to start checking for doneness. Push the temperature probe sideways deep into the meat in a few places. If it feels like it's being pushed through soft butter, it’s done. If it doesn't, leave it cooking for another 20 minutes and check it again. Repeat until the meat gives almost no resistance when you insert the probe.
After the Cook
- 1When the meat is done, take it off the cooker, wrap it in a third layer of foil, and put in a small cooler to rest. Fill the empty space in the cooler with wadded newspaper, towels, or whatever you have that's insulating and safe to use around food.
- 2Let the butt rest in the cooler for at least two hours. Longer is better. Resting gives the meat time to reabsorb the fluids collected in the foil.
- 3Remove the meat from the cooler and unwrap it, being careful to retain any juices left in the foil. Pour off the juices into a bowl.
- 4Now you'll need to decide whether you want to pull the meat or chop it. For pulling, we recommend a pair of the "bear claws" used for lifting cooked turkeys. For chopping, a mezzaluna is ideal, but you can use any large knife suitable for chopping. Shred or chop the meat, removing any lumps of fat as you go.
- 5Mix the remaining pork juices with Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce, 1 part juice to 2 parts barbecue sauce. Lightly mix this with your pulled pork to taste.
Serve on a potato roll along with our signature coleslaw recipe and prepare to be loved by all!