Pulled Pork

Blessings Darlings!

After I mentioned that my pulled pork rocked, Grey Raven mentioned that she'd love a good pulled pork recipe.  Well, I can give you PART of one - the Chubby Hubby won't let me share his BBQ sauce recipe!

I usually start with a whole Boston butt/pork shoulder roast, bone-in.  Because I can usually get that on sale cheap.  They weight in at about 8 pounds.

The night before cooking I heavily apply Memphis rub, a Steve Reichlan recipe.  You can see it here http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/aspen-2002-memphis-dry-rub-ribs.  It's one of my favorite rubs, I used it the other day on the wings we had while ignoring the Super Bowl.  Added tidbit - mixed half with brown sugar it's the rub I use on pork ribs, too.

For the smoking, I roll our trusty Char Broil BBQ/Smoker out of the garage.  It has a separate smoker attachment, so you can smoke or grill with it.  And it uses real charcoal or wood - none of this gas grill stuff for us! 

I start before noon, soaking hickory chips (or cherry, I like both for this.  CH only likes oak when smoking briskets).  And, yes, I use chips, not chunks or logs of the smoking wood.  I get more smoke and lower temperatures this way.

After they've soaked 45 minutes or so, I start the charcoal - in a chimney.  I don't like the smell/etc of charcoal starter fluid.  OTOH, I'm using Kingsford charcoal  not natural charcoal, so it's not like I'm a total purist.  Just a somewhat obsessed Foodie!

Coals well started, they go in the smoker attachment.  Rubbed roast in the main body at the middle or far end from the smoker attachment so I can smoke it low and slow.  Add a handful of soaked chips, close it all up (chimney open less than half way), and it's under way.  Every 15 or 20 minutes I'm out there adding another handful of chips for two hours.  At about 1 1/2 hours I add a bit more charcoal, too.

We've now reached the 2 hour mark.  Instead of adding soaked hickory chips I add a hardwood log from our woodpile, and while that catches I plop the roast in a disposable aluminum pan and securely wrap the pan and roast in heavy duty aluminum foil.  Back on to the grill, but now I let the temperature go hot and cook the roast thru - wood logs are the best for that.  Wrapped, it stays juicier.

That goes on until the roast hits about 190 degrees.  At this point my husband takes it in and pulls it.  I know, Alton Brown lets HIS rest before pulling it, but the CH feels that resting makes it too hard to pull.

Once pulled, or at least once enough has been pulled for the family, we slap it on hard rolls, slather it with sauce, eat, and repeat.

Enjoy!

Frondly, Fern