Smoked Pulled Pork

Soak the wood. Prep the smoker. You are going to eat well this week. A single large smoked pork shoulder can feed a family some damn good barbecue and make killer leftovers for the week. Prepare for a feast.

Smoking may seem like a lot of work, but once you have rubbed this pork shoulder down, it’s really time to let the magic of low and slow take over and just wait for those mouth-watering results. Keep it simple with the rub, use a classic mop and you have a surefire recipe for classic barbecue. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy. As long as you can maintain that temperature, things will turn out as good as the champions of BBQ.

And who doesn’t want to be a champion.

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Smoked Pulled Pork

Ingredients

For the Rub

• 1/2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 1/4 teas garlic salt
• 2 1/2 teas salt
• 1/2 teas paprika
• 1 teas chili powder
• 1/8 teas oregano
• 1/8 teas cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teas cumin
• 1/8 teas freshly ground black pepper

For the Pork

• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 16 to 18 lbs pork shoulder

For the Vinegar Mop

• 3 1/4 cups white vinegar
• 1/4 cup cayenne pepper
• 1 tbs salt 1 slice fresh lemon

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients for the rub in a resealable container, mix and set aside.
2. Whisk the injection ingredients in one large bowl until the sugar has completely dissolved.
3. Prep your wood by soaking it as necessary and building a fire in your smoker for indirect heat. Aim for a temp around 225 degrees F.
4. Prep the mop by combining the ingredients and placing in a resealable container or clean squirt bottle (my preferred method) for use through smoking.
5. Rub the entire pork shoulder in a heavy coating of the rub. Place pork, skin side down, in the smoker and cook for 14 to16 hours, depending on the size of your shoulder and heat in your smoker adding wood as needed to maintain temperature. Using the mop, baste the pork at about 13 hours and again every half hour until done.
6. The pork is done when it temps at 195 and easily pulls from the bone.
7. Allow the pork to rest for 30 minutes in foil before carefully removing from bone, discarding fat, and serving.
8. Serve with a vinegar base sauce and chopped slaw.

Recipe Notes

Bob Gibson's Big Book of BBQ