There are few dishes in the low and slow BBQ world that are as iconic in America, or dare I say across the globe, as pulled pork. And rightly so… to be honest it is HARD to make a mistake when cooking pulled pork. The “Boston Butt” as it is called, is so forgiving that even “over cooking” it produces great results. However, when done right you produce a melt in your mouth delicacy that can’t be beat.
If you are new to low and slow BBQ or smoking off meats, then this is the recipe you have to try first… I promise you it is hard to be disappointed.
Fall off the bone tender pork, slow roasted for 8 to 10 hours; seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, Kosher salt, and a hint of cayenne pepper adds complexity while a little brown sugar adds some sweetness; serve on a toasty slider roll with some tangy slaw and you have the makings of a perfect BBQ sandwich that your family and guests will rave about for weeks.
Now, don’t freak out about the length of time it takes to cook this delicious master piece… truth is this dish is as set-it-and-forget-it as you are going to find, in fact it is almost impossible to “make a mistake”. Just take it slow and go step by step and you are going to look like a rock star at your next BBQ or party.
Toss pulled pork in our Easy Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce and top with Mamma Rocks Coleslaw.
If you are new to low and slow BBQ and want to learn how to start your grill or smoker check out my Foolproof Easy BBQ Ribs recipe or my How to Light a Charcoal Grill post..
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!
Enjoy…
Brian
- 1 bag Hickory wood chips or chunks
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Boston Butt (pork shoulder) bone in 7 to 8 pounds or boneless 5 to 6 pounds
- 12 slider rolls
- Easy Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
- Mamma Rocks Coleslaw
- Prepare rub in medium bowl, combine; Kosher Salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and brown sugar making sure to break up any lumps with fork or whisk and combine well.
- Remove Boston Butt from wrapping and pat dry with paper towels; take rub and generously rub into pork butt with your fingers (I like to season the pork the day before cooking)… if letting rest overnight then wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge, if cooking same day leave on counter (for no more than 1.5 hours or pop in fridge) and start smoker.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions to set up your smoker and preheat to 225 degrees.
- Place the pork butt in the smoker, fat side up. Add wood chunks or chips to the smoker and cook butt for 6 to 8 hours or until an instant read thermometer measures the temperature of the pork at 200 degrees. Add coals and wood chunks or chips to the smoker every hour to hour and a half through the smoking process to maintain temp of the smoker at 225 degrees.
- Remove butt from smoker and place on baking sheet and tent with foil… let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Pull the pork using 2 forks (be careful the pork is going to be VERY hot); discard and excessive fat.
- Toss pork in BBQ sauce.
- Toast slider buns and top with pulled pork and slaw.
- Enjoy!
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