Our friend Peggy recently requested a good recipe for Pulled Pork – this is Brett’s secret Pulled Pork recipe. Be sure to allow 10-14 hours for this – it will be the best use of your time you’ve had in a long time – there’s just nothing better.
Mop Ingredients:
6 bottles Beer (I like a dark lager)
1 medium Red Onion
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
1 cup Cider Vinegar
5 cloves Garlic
2 tablespoons Pork Barrel BBQ All American Spice Rub
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Prepare the mop at least an hour prior to when you plan to start cooking your pork shoulder – you can make and refrigerate the mop up to 24 hours prior to when you plan to start cooking. To make the mop, combine all the mop ingredients and bring them to a boil.
Place wood chips in a bowl and soak in water for 30 minutes.
Preheat your grill to 225-250 degrees. I use a Weber grill and put the charcoal on one side, leaving space for the pork shoulder to sit on the opposite side so it can get indirect heat.
Place a handful of wood chips on the charcoal and let the smoke begin! Add chips approximately every 45 minutes for the first three hours.
Place the pork shoulder on the grill with the fat side up (You put the fat side up so that the fat drips into the meat as it slowly cooks causing it to be moist and tender.). Let it cook for 10-14hours, applying the mop with a brush every 45 minutes after hour eight. One key to success is to not move the pork shoulder and to keep it moist with the mop – this creates a sweet, spicy and smoky outer crust. The pork shoulder is done when the internal temperature hits 190 degrees.
Remove the pork shoulder from the grill and place on a cutting board. Allow the shoulder to rest for at least 15 minutes prior to pulling. With 2 large forks, “pull” the meat – it should shred easily.
1. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees – the pork won’t pull correctly unless you get the core temperature to this level.
2. Keep a constant smoking temperature of between 225 and 250 degrees – resist the temptation to peek – it just makes it take longer.
3. Stop adding wood chips after the third hour – once you’ve reached this point in the cooking process you are unlikely to get any additional benefit from additional wood chips.
Try this out and let us know what you think – we guarantee that you will make friends with this recipe and be the life of the party!
Ah, pulled pork – how I do love thee pulled pork? Let me count the delicious ways. We have a lot of folks ask us via email, twitter, or at food shows how to smoke pulled pork. We almost always make the following pulled pork BBQ recipe – its simple, and turns out perfect BBQ’d pulled pork every time! We are big Kansas City BBQ fans, but this pulled pork recipe should make folks from all BBQ regions happy!
We researched the origins of pulled pork – some folks say pulled pork originates from Mexico – known as Carnitas. Of course, don’t even get Americans started in which region pulled pork was created – Memphis pulled pork, Alabama pulled pork, Kansas City pulled pork – it quickly sounds like a scene from Forrest Gump. Whatever the origins of pulled pork – we love it and here is our recipe:
Easy Smoked Pork Shoulder / Pulled Pork Recipe
1 – 7 pound pork shoulder (also known as Boston Butt – bone in or boneless work great)
Get your smoker’s temperature up to 225-250 degrees. When lighting your charcoal, be sure to only use hardwood lump charcoal and always start with a charcoal chimney starter. If you are using a BBQ grill, you can still smoke! Just place the charcoal in a pile on one side of the grill, and place the meat on the other side.
There are several keys to making great pulled pork. While the smoker gets to temperature rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the first side of your pork shoulder and then rub 2-3 tablespoons of Pork Barrel BBQ’s All American Spice Rub into the meat. Repeat on opposite side. Allow meat to rest with rub on it for at least 30 minutes (this can be done ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours). Be patient – amazing pulled pork is only a day away!
Place your drip pan into the smoker directly under where the pork shoulder will be sitting and pour the beer into it. If using a grill, simply put your beer into a disposable aluminum pan and place under your pork shoulder. Since we are both from Missouri, we like grilling with (and drink!) Bud Light (but we sometimes use PBR)! We like to have Bud Light around when we actually eat our Pulled Pork – Pulled Pork and Bud Light – a great combo.
Here you can see our perfect beer foam – ready to make some great BBQ pulled pork!
Place the wood chunks onto the hot coals in your smoker and then place the grill grate in the smoker. Place your meat directly above the drip pan and close your smoker. If cooking in a smoker, I place the wood into the coals, but if I’m cooking on a BBQ grill, I soak the wood for 30 minutes to allow it to have a longer smoke (you can’t go wrong either way!). Making sure your pulled pork has great smoke is a key to great taste – whether your pulled pork is just for cooking in your backyard, or are entering the pulled pork in competition.
Make sure the temperature remains in the 225-250 degree range throughout the smoking process. Every couple of hours make sure you have enough fuel on your fire to maintain the desired BBQ smoker temperature. A pork shoulder should remain in the smoker for 11-13 hours – and will yield amazing pulled pork. Here’s what it looks like when you put it on the grill:
And here’s what it looks like when its done! The internal temperature (always use a meat thermometer) should reach 195 degrees F – be sure to wrap it in foil immediately after cooking and let it rest for at least 30 minutes – this is one of the keys to juicy pulled pork!
Once its had a chance to rest, it should pull very easily – I just use some forks and pull away! Don’t throw away the brown exterior shell – its the best part – known as “bark” it tastes like candy! Look at the crazy delicious pulled pork below!
I serve the pulled pork on a kaiser or potato roll with Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce and a side of slaw or some sauce – enjoy!!
The greatest honor for us is when our customers send us an email, or call to tell us that they like our Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce or Dry Rub. It’s been a great year, and our bar b que sauce and dry rub has been used on countless pulled pork, bbq ribs, chicken and veggie recipes this summer. We are so thankful for your support and wanted to share what some of our customers are saying:
“We happened to see your stint on Shark Tank – shortly after, our neighborhood store had your goods on display. We tried it, and LOVED it!! My husband is currently eating some sauce on his chicken and stated that it is his favorite sauce on the planet.” – email from Jill, Ft. Mill, South Carolina
“I spent my life trying to create the perfect gourmet bbq sauce, and was given a jar of your Pork Barrel BBQ sauce. I used it on chicken and couldn’t believe that such an amazing taste could come from a bottle – I immediately went to my refrigerator and threw out all the BBQ sauce in it – yours will be the only BBQ sauce I ever use - its the most amazing sauce I’ve ever tasted” phone call from University City, Missouri.
“Pork Barrel BBQ makes cooking a flavorful dinner on a time crunch easy. When I get home from work and want to throw dinner together I can take any piece of chicken, fish or beef, throw on some rub and cook it up. It is delicious, easy, and a staple in my cupboard.” – Krista, Washington, D.C.
“I used the All American Spice Rub to grill chicken for my teenage daughters – they said it was the best chicken I have ever made – I’m a customer for life!” – Jim, St. Louis, Missouri
“I was given a tin of the rub and have used it exclusively on salmon…….fabulous!!!!! I have yet to use it on anything else as I have run out and is time to reorder. You have a winner.” – Dian, St. Louis, Missouri
Not only does our All American Spice Rub taste great – but it is all natural and contains no preservatives and no MSG. The rub is manufactured locally in Virginia to reduce its carbon footprint. Now whats more bipartisan than that?
The video that started it all! Watch Pork Barrel BBQ’s Heath Hall and Brett Thompson on their Pork Barrel BBQ Shark Tank Audition Video. Includes special guests former Sen. Jim Talent, Rep. Max Sandlin, Rep. Ernest Istook, Media Personality Tucker Carlson and Top Chef contestants Carla Hall and Ariane Duarte.
Pork Barrel BBQ was proud to sponsor the Little Lights Ignite the Light Banquet. Thanks to our friend Izzy Ortega for introducing us to this great organization – to learn more visit http://www.littlelights.org/. Here are some cool photos from the evening!
Pork Barrel BBQ was honored to take part in the 2009 Taste for Giving event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Alexandria. The event was at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. It was an evening of fine food and community spirit to benefit many charities in our community. The Alexandria Commission for the Arts is partnering in this event to present the ALEX Awards, which recognizes individuals, organizations, schools, and businesses that have made exceptional contributions to the cultural life in the City of Alexandria.
