LOW-AND-SLOW PULLED PORK (SMOKED PORK SHOULDER) RECIPE
A
Boston butt is a wondrous cut of meat, juicy and tender when cooked slowly over
low heat. Serve it piled onto potato
buns with coleslaw on top, for an epic and iconic sandwich.
Active
Time : 3 hours
Total
Time : About 15 hours, plus 8-hour
dry-brining time
Servings : 6-8
INGREDIENTS
·
One
10-pound (4.5kg) skinless, bone-in pork butt, or one 6-pound (2.7kg) skinless,
boneless pork butt (see note)
·
Kosher
salt
·
Brown
or yellow mustard, for slathering
·
Hot
sauce, such as Texas Pete, for slathering (optional)
·
Lean
and Mean Dry Rub for Pulled Pork
·
Eastern
North Carolina Vinegar-and-Pepper Barbecue Sauce
·
Potato
buns, for serving
·
Coleslaw,
for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
The
Day Before You Begin Smoking: Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Season pork shoulder generously all over with salt and set on the wire rack.
Refrigerate at least overnight (8 hours) or up to 24 hours.
2.
Lift
pork shoulder and remove wire rack, then set shoulder directly on rimmed baking
sheet. Turn pork shoulder fat cap side down. Rub a generous and even coating of
mustard and hot sauce (if desired) all over the exposed sides of the pork
shoulder.
3. Sprinkle
dry rub evenly all over the slathered sides of the shoulder, creating a coating
that's thorough but not too heavy. Turn pork shoulder fat cap side up. Repeat
slathering and sprinkling of dry rub on that final side.
4.
Preheat
smoker to 225°F (107°C) and prepare with the hardwood of your choice. (How you
do this will depend on your smoker; some burn logs of wood, some burn charcoal
with wood chunks or chips sprinkled on top, some burn pellets, some are
electric, and some use gas.) You'll want to maintain a relatively even 225°F
temperature for the duration of the cooking time, with a continuous supply of
clean smoke. (The smoke should look like thin blue wisps, not heavy white
clouds.)
5.
Set
pork in smoker, fat cap side up. Fill a disposable aluminum roasting pan with
an inch or two of water and set it in the smoker as well. If your smoker
doesn't have a drip tray, put the pan of water below the pork to catch grease;
if it does, set the tray wherever there's space.
6.
Smoke
pork shoulder until a leave-in probe thermometer registers 195°F (90°C) in the
center; make sure the thermometer is not touching a bone. This can take roughly
12 to 15 hours. It's impossible to give a more precise time estimate, since
this depends on several variables, including how even the smoker temperature
is, the size and thickness of the shoulder, and other factors. A boneless
shoulder will cook faster than a bone-in one, but in either case, monitor the
temperature frequently as it approaches its goal. Remove pork shoulder from
smoker and let rest 20 minutes.
7. Using
two forks or a set of bear claws, shred pork into thin, stringy strands,
breaking up any un-rendered fat into small pieces. Discard bones and/or
butcher's twine used to truss a deboned shoulder (see note) as you find them.
Break up the bark (the dark crust on the pork) into small pieces and mix into
the pulled pork. Mix well again to distribute the bark and fat. Chop pork more
finely, if desired.
8. Sprinkle
barbecue sauce on top of pork to your taste, stirring to mix it in thoroughly.
Season with additional salt, if desired.
9. Pile
pulled pork onto potato buns, then top with coleslaw. Close sandwiches and
serve, passing more barbecue sauce at the table.
SPECIAL
EQUIPMENT
·
Smoker,
forks or bear claws (optional), wire rack and rimmed baking sheet, disposable
aluminum roasting tray (or other container to hold water in the smoker),
leave-in probe thermometer
NOTES
·
Pork
butt, a part of the shoulder, is also called Boston butt. We recommend bone-in
if you can get it, but a boneless one will work as well; if using boneless, tie
the shoulder up into a uniform shape with butcher's twine (or ask your butcher
to do this for you) before beginning the recipe, so that the meat cooks evenly.
Try to find a shoulder that still has a nice, even fat cap attached.
MAKE-AHEAD
AND STORAGE
·
Leftover
pulled pork freezes well. To store in the freezer, transfer to a zipper-lock
bag, push out excess air, then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the
fridge, then reheat pulled pork in a skillet along with just enough water to
lightly moisten.
Recipe
from seriouseats.com
Delicious Food Recipes
Post a Comment