Pork / Pulled Pork

There are two schools of training when it comes to pulled pork although they probably both require sweet tea. One school makes a vinegar based sauce, East Carolinas. The other makes a tomato base sauce, West Carolinas. Both are excellent.

Traditional pulled pork, comes from devoting hours to make a perfectly cooked, preferably smoked pork butt. Other names for this cut of pork are Boston shoulder roast, Boston roast, Boston butt, Shoulder butt and Shoulder blade roast. These are all considered pork butt.

It is common for a pork butt to be slow smoked for 12 hours or more. This creates pork that falls off the bone and is perfect for a pulled pork sandwich. Left-over pork can also be used but cooking pork specifically for this recipe is preferred.

Preparing pork butt for cooking

A large pork butt (8 lbs) is prepared a couple ways and in combination. You can trim the fat or leave it, both are good.

In recent years "injecting" marinades has become more familiar to the general public. We prefer injecting pork butt as well as applying a dry rub before cooking. A simple injected marinade for pulled pork is as follows;

Pork Marinade for injecting into pork butt

• 1 cup Apple juice or cider
• 1/4 cup Cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Knox's Chipotle BBQ rub or your favorite dry rub for pork, ground into fine powder
• 2 tablespoons Corn syrup

Mix all the ingredients together and stir before loading your injector. Inject a fair amount of marinade every couple of inches all over the pork but.

We also prefer using a dry rub, for obvious reasons. You may purchase a dry rub or follow the recipe below.

Dry rub for pork butt

• 1/4 cup ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Rub all over butt massaging it into the meat to infuse the flavor. This will make enough rub for an 8 lb. pork butt.

Cooking Pork Butt for pulled pork

Pork butt for a pulled pork sandwich is generally cooked on a grill with indirect heat using chunks of hickory for a rich smoky flavor. If you have a smoker with a side smoker box you are probably already familiar. If not, you can pour hot coals from a chimney starter over soaked hickory chunks to achieve a thick smoke. There are resources listed at the bottom of the page that will help you learn to perfectly smoke a pork butt.

Cook the injected and rubbed pork butt between 225-250°F. Your goal is to achieve an internal temperature of 190°F over a 8 to 15 hour period. You should turn the butt about halfway through the process. It is very important that you do not open the cooker except when turning the butt. With a good remote thermometer you will be able to check the temperature without opening the cooker.

When the internal temperature is met. Take the pork butt off and wrap it in foil and place in a small cooler and loosely pack with balled up newspaper. This will allow the butt to slow rest and is very important to the process. Slow resting allows the juices to redistribute and become very tender. Allow to rest for about an hour.

When you have perfectly cooked pork you are halfway to having excellent pulled pork. Take the cooked pork and with a fork pull it apart by pulling the fork along the grain of the meat. You can also use your hands to break apart the meat as it will be very tender. Pick your sauce below and pour it over the pulled pork until covered. You will also find a list of breads and toppings for your sandwich. Experiment, enjoy and eat well.

Vinegar based barbecue sauce recipe (in jar)

• 1 Cup white vinegar
• 1 Cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 Teaspoons salt
• 1 Teaspoon black pepper

Mix together and let stand overnight. You can also put split fresh chilies in this recipe for really spicy sauce and you can add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.

Tomato based barbecue sauce recipe (in bowl)

• 1 Cup ketchup
• 1 Cup chicken stock
• 1⁄4 Cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3 Cloves crushed and minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 2 Tablespoon dry ground mustard
• 1 Teaspoon cayenne or one fresh cayenne chili cut into ringlets with seeds

Mix together in a sauce pan and heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes and let cool.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

One of the most coveted of sandwiches is the pulled pork sandwich. Now with sauce recipes in hand you are ready to build the ultimate sandwich. The only true rival to this sandwich is the Pressed Cuban.

The bread: toasted. Below is a list of tasty breads to place your sandwich.

• Hamburger Buns
• French Bread
• Sandwich Rolls
• Onion Roll
• Kaiser Roll

Once you have piled on the pulled pork smothered on sauce you can add your toppings. This is only limited by your imagination and product availability. Some of our favorite toppings are listed below.

• Cole Slaw
• Hot Pepper Relish
• Corn Relish
• Pickles
• Shredded Lettuce
• Cheese
• Hot Peppers
• Pickled Hot Peppers
• More Barbeque Sauce

Serve warm with a giant slice of pickle and don't forget the sweet tea, please.

If you have a pulled pork sauce recipe you would like to share, please send it to info@knoxspice.com