This weekend we made smoked-pulled pork. OMG it’s so good.
Preface: I’m sorry I didn’t take any pictures … so very sorry. This was soooo good it should have been immortalized.
THE HEAT – I don’t have a smoker. I have a 26″ round off-brand kettle grill (think: webber, but big). We wanted to slow roast so we split the grill into 4 sections: each half had two levels. On the lower level we had charcoal on one half and a water pan on the other half. On the upper level we had an oak log above the charcoal (about 6 inches) and above the water we had a three pound pork shoulder.
THE SAUCE – We dry rubbed the shoulder with lots (all dry) things including: Peppered flavor bacon salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, cinnamon, and some generic brand “pork rub” as a base. This powder (of which we have enough for another three pound shoulder, which is in the freezer) was liberally rubbed all over the shoulder.
THE COOKING – With this setup we kept the heat low, the smoke high, and the meat on the “smoker for about 6 hours. The goal temperature was 225, but goals are not always met, are they?
THE PRODUCT – The meat shredded with ease and was amazing. Final product was mixed with some Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory Smoked BBQ sauce and this was the most amazing mixed style pulled pork I’ve ever had – not to pat myself on the back or anything 😉
OBSERVATIONS – Our oven thermometer blackened quickly, so I’ll have to come up with a better solution to track the temperature. Also, while this worked and was amazing, in order to control/add heat we had to lift the entire top off including the top level grate. There’s no telling how this effected the final product, but I imagine it limited potential output. I’ll keep that in mind for when I buy a proper smoker …
Again, sorry for not having any pictures to share. I’ll definitely photograph the process for next time.
