Easy Pulled Pork
Juicy smoked pulled pork, spiced up with a knockout homemade BBQ sauce.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Resting Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2-3kgs Pork
Pork Rub:
8 tbsp smoked paprika
6 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp salt flakes
2 tbsp black pepper finely ground
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne powder
BBQ Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1 ½ cup apple juice
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black ground pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Pulled pork:
💨 Remove any silver skin and hard solid pieces of fat, these will not render down during the cooking process.
💨 Trim off most of the soft fat, you can leave some as this will render down.
💨 Trim off any loose bits of meat as these will just dry up during the long cook.
💨 Using a rub shaker, give the pork a generous coating of dry rub from approximately 12” above the meat. This just allows the rub to fall and coat evenly, as opposed to clumping and giving an uneven coverage.
💨 Leave this to sit for around an hour while you get your cooker ready, the dry rub will turn to what looks like a wet glaze this time.
💨 Set up your smoker for high indirect heat using charcoal and wood for smoking.
💨 Once the temps have stabilized at 70°, put the meat in the smoker.
💨 After 2 hours into the smoke check the meat for any dry patches. If there are any, give the dry parts a spritz with apple juice. Keep checking every half hour after this and spritz if needed.
💨 Once the internal temp reaches 70°, wrap in a few layers of tin foil and put back on the heat.
💨 When the internal temp reaches 90°, start probing the pork for tenderness. When you feel no resistance from sticking a metal skewer in, you know it will be time to rest.
💨 Put into a chilly bin wrapped in towels to keep hot for 2 hours.
💨 After 2 hours has gone by, remove from the cooler and transfer to a tray, including all of the juices.
💨 Pull the meat apart, removing and gristle of hard fat. Once all pulled apart, add a sprinkle of the dry rub and squirt of the BBQ sauce.
💨 Serve.
To Serve:
In burgers with a fresh crunchy slaw to help cut through the smoky-sweet pork.
In tacos with some finely sliced lettuce, a drizzle of the BBQ sauce and some spicy mayonnaise.
On some loaded nachos, crunchy and filling but just the perfect comfort food.
