– Kezza Packer
Succulent pulled barbecued pork is a great introduction to low n’ slow barbecue . A forgiving cook that when executed well provides versatility on the plate. Whether it is tacos, burgers, sandos, pies, chilli or as a pizza topping, flavoursome pulled pork will make almost any meal “pop!” and impress your guests.
So let’s get stuck in…
Ingredients:
- 2 – 5kg bone-in pork shoulder
- Pork rub (NZ MADE: Rum & Que – Rib Rocker or The Four Saucemen – The Pork)
- American style mustard
- Apple Juice / Water
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- BBQ Sauce
Equipment:
- Charcoal barbecue
- Sharp knife
- Clean spray bottle
- Quality barbecue grade tinfoil
- Meat thermometer
- Chillibin
- Oven tray
Method: (NB: allow aprox 8 hours)
- Bring the pork up to room temperature.
- Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking (Google this if unsure) to aprox 275F with smoking wood chunks of choice – I prefer cherry, apple or pohutukawa.
- With a sharp knife trim away the skin and any hard fats.
- Lather pork with a coating of mustard to act as a binder for the rub.
- Evenly sprinkle your preferred rub on all surfaces of the pork
- Place pork in to barbecue away from heat source and add meat probes if you have them – the internal temp goal for the pork during the first phase is aprox on average 160F.
- In a clean spray bottle add 50/50 apple juice to water.
- At aprox 2 hours in, open the lid and inspect coals to gauge where your cook is at, add more fuel if need be and lightly spritz the surface of the pork with the apple/water spray- close lid. Spritz regularly every 30-45mins from here on in.
- Prepare some quality barbecue tinfoil to wrap the pork entirely in for the next phase. Make a “bed” of cubes of butter (3 or 4), a splash apple juice, a sprinkle of brown sugar and squeeze of
barbecue sauce. - When your thermometer registers an internal of 160F, remove pork from barbecue and place on top in tinfoil and wrap up tightly, you may need a second length of tinfoil to achieve an airtight seal. Add more coal if needed to keep a consistent 275F, place pork back on the barbecue and replace temperature probes.
- When internal temperature arrives at between 203-205F your pork is ready to be rested. Wrap in towels and place in chillibin for no less that 1 hour but can rest up to 4 hours.
- In an oven tray open tin foil wrap – caution the butter mixture in step (9) will be hot! Save any liquid aside in a jug, remove the bone (this should slide out with no resistance) and with forks or bear’s claws pull apart the pork. Pour the liquid over the pulled pork, toss around to add flavour and rehydrate.
That is it, succulent pulled pork ready to be deployed to a multitude of dishes.
Keep the coals fired up till next time.
PS: Pulled pork can be barbecued a few days in advance, kept in an airtight container in the fridge and slowly reheated in a slow cooker and rehydrated with apple juice.