Pulled Pork

Name: Pulled Pork
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 9 h
Ingredients: Pork Butt; 250ml / 1 Cup Apple Juice; 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar; Olive Oil; 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar; 2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika; 2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper; 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder; 2 Tbsp Onion Powder; 3 Tbsp Celery Salt; 2 Tbsp Black Pepper

Smoked with Apple Juice and Vinegar

Grab some rolls and invite the whole neighborhood. This is the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and drippy, and there's enough for everybody.

Complexity

Nice and Easy

Prep Time

0 H 30 M

Appliance

Smoker

Cook Time

9 H 0 M

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Let’s Cook

Ingredients:

Pork Butt

5kg / 11 lbs recommended Bone in recommended Should be thawed to fridge temperature before starting cook

250ml / 1 Cup Apple Juice

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Olive Oil

Just enough to lightly coat the pork

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika

2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

2 Tbsp Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp Onion Powder

3 Tbsp Celery Salt

2 Tbsp Black Pepper

Tools:

Smoker Fuel

Applewood recommended

Foil

Paper Towels

Shredding Claws

Large forks can be used

Baking Dish

Large Knife

Chef's knife or boning knife recommended

Small Bowl

Dish Towel

Cutting Board

Heat-Resistant Gloves

About This Recipe:

If you're panicking because you accidentally invited way too many people to your barbecue, this recipe is for you. It keeps well at warm temperatures and feeds a lot of people, so it's perfect for big get-togethers. Plus, if you pick up some rolls, you can put together little sandwiches and make everyone think this was way more planned out. Even though pulled pork is hard to mess up, it's still important to cook it properly so that the meat doesn't dry out. Not only will MEATER let you know when your pork is at its juiciest and most shreddable, but you can also set custom alerts to remind you to wrap it, which means you can focus all of your attention on party prep. Pulled pork can be served with any of your favorite barbecue sides, so have fun creating your own personalized barbecue platter. Personally, we like fresh coleslaw to offset the heaviness of the pork, and cornbread to go with the sweetness of the apple flavors. When it comes to drinks, there's nothing like cracking open a cold beer at a barbecue, and bitter varieties like IPA will balance out the sweet taste of the pork.

Cooking Method:

Pre-Heat Smoker

Pre-heat your smoker to 250°F (120°C). This can take up to 15m.

Low and slow cooking keeps more moisture in the meat, which is especially important since you'll be removing the thick fat from your pork butt. A longer cooking time is also the key to a nice and crispy bark on the outside of the meat.

Mix Rub

Combine your dry ingredients.

Dry rubs are best for pork butt because they caramelize and create a crust as the pork cooks, which means more flavor and more color. For this recipe, we went with classic seasonings for a sweet and smoky pulled pork. Our unique contribution is celery salt, which works with the garlic and onion powders to give the pork a slightly fresh taste so you can feel good about eating your vegetables while loading up on starchy side dishes. Since pork doesn't absorb as much smoke as as other proteins like beef, we also cheated a little bit and opted for smoked paprika.

Pour Apple Juice

Pour your apple juice into a bowl.

Mix In Vinegar

Stir your vinegar into the apple juice.

It's pretty common practice to spritz pork butt with apple cider vinegar, because it gives the meat moisture and adds a slight tangy flavor. Mixing in apple juice makes the pork sweeter, and the sugar content in the juice helps to form the crust on the surface.

Trim Excess Fat

Trim any hard, thick fat from the surface of your pork butt.

Obviously you need some fat in the meat if you want to end up with really succulent pulled pork. The trouble is, not all pork butts are created equal, and some have extra fat on them or just haven't been trimmed as much by the butcher. When you've got a super chunky and hard layer, it isn't actually going to render while you're cooking. Trimming off this extra fat also makes it easier for the smoky flavor to get into the meat.