One of my absolute favorite food styles is BBQ. I love all sorts of BBQ, from brisket to beans. I love BBQ chicken, hot links, and of course pulled pork.
When the wife and I got married we had some of our Poly friends prep a poly-style whole pig roast (the picture in the post is that pig and great day!) We served a bunch of sides and brought out Hawaiian sweet rolls and corn tortillas so people could make BBQ sandwiches or tacos. It was an absolute hit.
Although we prefer the smoked method, I included two other ways to duplicate pulled pork at home.
Pulled Pork – 3 Ways
3-5 lb pork shoulder
Salt and pepper
Blacksmith Trading Company BBQ Pork Rub
1/2 cup cider vinegar (1 cup if 5 lbs or more)
1-2 t red pepper flakes (optional – really as hot as you like)
Serve with
Buns (we like the Hawaiian sweets best), or butter lettuce if going protein-style.
Favorite BBQ sauce
Slaw
Dill pickles
Depending on the method you choose below, you may need a roasting pan (or those aluminum ones you get at the store that are disposable).
Season with salt and pepper and rub. Sear all sides for approximately 3-5 minutes per side (skip if smoking – see below).
Pulled Pork – Crock Pot
Drop in crock pot with the rest of the ingredients and go low all day (6+ hours)
Pulled Pork – Oven Method
Place in 225 degree oven in your fave braising pan with all the ingredients for 6-8 hours.
Pulled Pork – Smoked Method (this is our preferred method)
With a heavy hand sprinkle Blacksmith BBQ Pork rub over the shoulder. Add a couple teaspoons salt and pepper and let sit overnight to let it dry brine. When you are about 8 hours from serving (note you could do this the night before or during the night and have it run in your smoker if need to be ready for lunch the following day), heat up your smoker to 225 degrees. Place your dry brined pork shoulder directly onto the grate (there is some debate on this as some would say to place in a braising pan so that all the fat that is expelled stays in the pan and therefore bastes the meat. Others, including me, would say that the first part of this process is best on grate, and then later, add to a basting pan where you will add some cider vinegar. The first way, IMO, is TOO fatty).
When the internal temperature reaches about 150 degrees, place in your roasting pan and add the cider vinegar from the recipe. Continue to let is smoke until the temperature reaches 203 degrees internally. Unfortunately there is not exact amount of time as the weight of the shoulder, the ambient temperature, and even the inconsistencies of your smoker all play a part.
When at 203 degrees internally, you should let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes or more and then you can shred and serve. If not ready to serve, wrap TIGHTLY in 2-3 sheets of aluminum foil, then a couple of your old beach towels and you can place in a cooler and it will stay warm, even hot, for several hours if you need it to.
For All
Shred with two forks. Serve with BBQ sauce and rest of your pulled pork program.
Note for all of the above methods, the optimal internal temperature is 203 degrees.
If you would like, you can purchase our rubs below! The link will take you directly to our farm store site, Blacksmith Trading Company.
