Smoked Pork Shoulder

So a last minute errand to run to the store to get something totally unrelated to this pork shoulder turned into a day of smoking BBQ.  Pork Shoulder was on sale for $1.99 per pound and it made this wonderful pulled pork sandwich.  Just make sure you have 8 hours to spare before you want to eat!

Ingredients:

8 lb Bone in Pork Shoulder

6 TBSP of Dry rub (see below)

1 cup of "mop" sauce (see below)

2 bags of apple or hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

8 hamburger buns

3 TBSP dijon mustard

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Pulled Pork Rub:

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP applewood rub

2 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP hot paprika

3 TBSP BBQ Rub (any kind you prefer. I used a rub from Spice House in Chicago)

1 TBSP oregano

Mop Sauce:

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP white vinegar

3 TBSP ketchup

1 TBSP sriracha

1 TBSP canola oil

Crockpot "Juice":

1/2 cup ketchup

1 beer

1 can of coke

rest of mop sauce

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup of store bought bbq sauce

 and some paprika, pepper, and oregano

Directions:

1. Soak the wood chips in water, heat up your smoker, and let your meat rest on the counter for about an hour.

2. Make your rub.

3. Slather the roast with dijon mustard

4. Rub the roast with spices - making sure to save about 2 TBSP of it for later

5. Fill the water pan in your smoker.  Add about 2 handfuls of wood chips at a time to your smoker. Put the meat on.

6. Every 40 minutes, you will need to add more wood chips and "mop" your meat with the mop sauce. 7. Heat a large crock pot on high when you are about to hit the 4 hour mark. After 4 hours, take the meat out of the smoker. Place in the crock pot on high for 4 hours.

8. The impromptu liquid that I put in the crockpot was, about 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 beer, 1 can of coke, rest of mop sauce, additional 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, about 1/2 cup of store bought bbq sauce and some paprika, pepper, and oregano.

9. 4 hours in the crock pot on high and you have yourself an amazing pulled pork. 

10. By this time, it was 11p.m. - so I pulled the meat out and put it in a container with about 3 ladles of the liquid.

The next day:

Put the crock pot liquid in a saucepan and reduce for about 20 minutes. Add 1 tsp of cayenne, pepper, and salt. Heat up a large 2 burner griddle pan with 1 TBSP of butter spread around.  Using tongs, grab a sandwich-size portion of meat from the container and place on the griddle.  Make as many mounds of meat as you need to heat up.  Sprinkle each mound of meat generously with the leftover seasonings. Heat through for about 5-7 minutes.  Last step is to ladle some of your reduced crockpot Juice over the meat and serve on a warm toasty bun.  

If you want to get serious about BBQ - this is it.  The smoke flavor came through, the spice was totally there and the tenderness of the meat was amazing.  This is by far, by far far, the best pulled pork I ever made!

Enjoy!

Julianne