I’ve been wanting to try this for ages, and I finally got up the courage to try to make pulled pork. I had the butcher keep me a bone-in shoulder (aka pork butt) last weekend. When I weighed it this morning, it was a touch over 10 pounds :)
I trimmed the fat and skin off of it, coated it with lemon olive oil and then gave it a good coating of dust:
Meathead’s Memphis Dust Rub Recipe
Adapted from: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_magic_dust.html
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves, ground to a powder
I used the fast-cook method, if only because I can’t control the heat well enough on my smoker. Normally, the cooking time would be to allow 2 hours per pound at 225°F. Even though butts are very forgiving and temp control isn’t crucial, I also wasn’t keen on refueling my smoker for 20 hours.
After 4 hours of smoking at about 225°F with lots of smoke, adding a handful of soaked wood chips every 30 minutes or so, put the meat on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour a cup of water or apple juice into the pan. Cover the meat with foil and fasten the foil tightly to the edges of the pan so the meat is in a nice enclosed environment. Roast in the oven at 350°F for another 2 to 3 hours or until the temp hits 190°F and it passes the fork test.
When it hits about 180°F, collagens, which are part the connective tissues, begin to melt and turn to gelatin. The meat gets much more tender when this happens. And juicy. When it hits 190°F, it may be ready, and it may not be ready. But it’s time to check. If there is a bone, use a glove or paper towel to protect your fingers and wiggle the bone. If it turns easily and comes out of the meat, the collagens have melted and you are done. If there is no bone, use the “stick a fork in it method”. Insert a fork and try to rotate it 90 degrees. If it turns with only a little torque, you’re done. If it’s not done, close the lid and leave it for 30 minutes. If the internal temp hits 190°F but the meat is still not tender, reduce the heat in your cooker to about 190°F and hold it there for as much as another hour. It should then be done. If not, you’ve just got a tough butt. Wrap tough butts in aluminum foil and let them go for another hour, but don’t take them above 200°F or else the muscle fibers will start giving up moisture and toughen.
Leave the butt to rest for 30-60 minutes, then start pulling! Put the meat into a large pan to catch drippings. Pull the clod apart with gloved hands or forks. Discard big chunks of fat. If you wish you can slice it or chop it, but you lose less moisture by pulling it apart by hand since the meat separates into bundles of muscle fibers, hence the name pulled pork. Try not to eat all the flavorful crusty bits when you are doing the pulling, and distribute them evenly throughout. Make sure you save any flavorful drippings and pour them over the meat.
Adapted from: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html