Pulled Pork

Sounds good doesn't it.  Pulled pork makes me think of the summers I spent in North Carolina with my grandparents.  They would take us to a place called Simms Country Barbecue, located in the southeastern part of the state.  There we would have pulled pork, BBQ chicken, sweet tea and country music and dancing.  It is a great memory of my childhood that comes to mind whenever I think of pulled pork.

This recipe is easy but it does take time.  I use a home smoker that cost just $40 at a local discount store.  I use charcoal to create the smoke and heat.  You can use whatever smoker you have.

Special equipment:

Smoker

Ingredients:

6 lb pork shoulder
prepared yellow mustard
BBQ rub (recipe below or at http://homemadeonli.blogspot.com/2011/09/bbq-pork-rub.html)
One - two gallons of liquid ie: water, stock, juice or wine
BBQ sauce (recipe at http://homemadeonli.blogspot.com/2011/05/bbq-ribs-with-homemade-bbq-sauce.html or your favorite)

BBQ Rub:

Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

Here's how to make the rub:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Here's how to make the pork:

Place the pork in a large bowl.

This is a 5.5 lb piece of pork

Slather it with the prepared yellow mustard, completely covering it with the mustard.

Covered in mustard

Cover the pork with half of the BBQ rub.

Covered in rub

Place the shoulder in the fridge for 2 hours or over night.

This is after 2 hours in the fridge

Prepare the smoker as per the directions and get it up to temperature.  My smoker has a gauge that says "Ideal."  This is between 225 and 250 degrees F.

Pour a liquid into a pan in the smoker.  You can use water, chicken stock, apple juice, orange juice or wine.  I use whatever I have on hand.  I think a mixture of apple juice and chicken stock is best, but use up what you have at home.

Place the pork into the smoker.  Let it cook for 6-8 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.  Make sure the liquid bowl is not empty.  If it gets to less than 1 quarter full, refill it.

When the meat reaches 170 degrees, slather it with 1 -1.5 cups of the BBQ sauce.

Once the meat reaches 190 degrees, remove from the smoker and let it cool for 30 minutes.

Pull the pork using 2 forks or your hands (with heavy duty gloves on!). 

Serve plain or with some of the remaining sauce.  Eat on a plate or on a roll as a sandwich.