Pulled pork barbecue

Pulled pork barbecue is made from the pork shoulder but usually it is not the entire shoulder that is smoked but rather just the butt half of it. The lower part of the shoulder known as the “Picnic” will work but is not as good in my opinion.

Another common name for the pork butt is “Boston Butt”.

These instructions will tell you how to prepare and smoke a pork butt so that when it is done it will literally fall apart with no pulling required and it will melt in your mouth just like butter.

If you follow my instructions you will accomplish a great thing and everyone will be talking about your pulled pork barbecue for a long, long time.

Find a Boston Butt at the meat market or grocery store that has lots of fat marbling and still has the bone in it.. try to find one in the 7-8 pound range.

The night before you are going to smoke it, remove it from the package and wash it real good with cool water.

Rub a nice thin layer of regular yellow mustard all over the butt.. this will help the rub to stick and will create a nice crust when it is all done. (don’t worry.. it won’t taste like mustard once it is cooked)

Mix up a batch of Jeff’s Naked Rib Rub (unbelievable flavor) and rub it all over the butt making sure to work it all down into every nook and cranny of the butt.

Put the butt in a pan with a lid and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Note: you can put on the mustard/rub right before smoking but it is better if you let it sit for several hours.

About an hour before smoking, remove the pork butt from the fridge and let it sit on the counter while you prepare the smoker for smoking.

Get a fire going that will maintain 225 degrees using lump charcoal or real wood burned down to coals.

Once the fire is regulated and the smoker is starting to put out smoke, place the butt in the smoker and leave it be for two hours.

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You can count on the pork butt taking about 1.5 hours per pound. If you have an eight pound butt then it will require 12 hours to finish depending on how well you maintain 225 degrees and other variables such as wind, rain, outdoor temperature, etc.

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Making pulled pork barbecue is quite a long process but is worth every minute in the end. Pork shoulder is fairly forgiving so don’t freak if you let it get too hot on you or you let it cook too long. I would not say that for brisket or ribs but pulled pork barbecue is another story.

After two hours in the smoker, you will want to start mopping the butt with apple juice. Now many folks use a little brush or a very miniature tool that resembles a mop but I like to use a spray bottle so as to not disturb the crust that is forming on the outside of the meat.

Regardless of the method you choose, mop once every hour beginning at the end of the second hour.

Keep applying smoke to the pork shoulder until it reaches 140-145 degrees.

Once the butt reaches 145 degrees, remove the butt from the smoker and wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil with a splash of apple juice just before closing it up.

Place it back in the smoker and continue to maintain the heat at 225 degrees with no additional smoke needed.

Using a digital probe meat thermometer, monitor the temperature of the butt and let it cook until it reaches 205 degrees.

Once it reaches this temperature, remove it from the smoker but do not unwrap it yet. Instead wrap it in a thick towel and place it in a tight cooler for about 2 hours undisturbed.

After two hours remove the butt from the cooler, remove the towel and then open the foil slightly to let the heat escape.

Once the heat begins to escape the juices will begin to redisribute throughout the pork butt.

Note: do no open the foil all of the way yet or the meat will fall apart without letting the juices redistribute.

Allow it to rest for about 20 minutes and then open the foil.. the meat will literally fall apart.

You can break it apart a little more if you like, place the pieces in a 9 x 13 cake pan and be sure to pour the juices from the foil over the meat when you are done.

Enjoy as is with my Goodness Gracious Sakes Alive BBQ Sauce or put it on a hamburger bun with coleslaw.

At any rate.. enjoy your delicious pulled pork barbecue!