BBQ Pulled Pork Shoulder
ID: 60781b11...
Learn how to make perfectly juicy and flavorful barbecue pulled pork every time using a Boston butt pork shoulder. By trimming, injecting with an apple spice brine, layering seasonings, and tightly wrapping in foil to braise, you get exceptionally tender pork that easily shreds and reabsorbs its own rich cooking juices.
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Trim the fat cap and cartilage off the pork shoulder, then inject it with a prepared apple spice brine. → Layer a fine poultry rub and a coarse coffee-steak rub over all surfaces of the meat. → Smoke on a pellet grill at 250°F for 5 hours until a dark mahogany bark develops. → Wrap tightly in foil with the reserved marinade, increase heat to 325°F, and cook until the bone slides out easily (approx. 206°F internal). → Shred the pork, toss it with the accumulated foil juices, and serve on toasted buns with BBQ sauce and pickles.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Trim the fat cap and cartilage off the pork shoulder, then inject it with a prepared apple spice brine. → Layer a fine poultry rub and a coarse coffee-steak rub over all surfaces of the meat. → Smoke on a pellet grill at 250°F for 5 hours until a dark mahogany bark develops. → Wrap tightly in foil with the reserved marinade, increase heat to 325°F, and cook until the bone slides out easily (approx. 206°F internal). → Shred the pork, toss it with the accumulated foil juices, and serve on toasted buns with BBQ sauce and pickles.
Introduction
Learn how to make perfectly juicy and flavorful barbecue pulled pork every time using a Boston butt pork shoulder. By trimming, injecting with an apple spice brine, layering seasonings, and tightly wrapping in foil to braise, you get exceptionally tender pork that easily shreds and reabsorbs its own rich cooking juices.
Step 1
Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. Trim off the entire fat cap to expose the red meat, allowing better seasoning and smoke penetration. Save the fat scraps for sausage making.
Step 2
Inspect the pork shoulder and remove any hard cartilage, sinew, or silver skin from the surface and the seam.
Step 3
Prepare the injection by mixing 1 part brine concentrate (Sweetwater Spice Smoked Apple Spice) with 2 parts water. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove large solids. Reserve 1/4 cup of the strained liquid and the solids for wrapping later.
Step 4
Inject the pork shoulder in a grid pattern (every inch or two) into the center of the muscle using a meat injector, using about 1 cup of injection in total. Rub the leaked juices over the surface as a binder.
Step 5
Season the pork shoulder. Apply a fine base rub (Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub) first, coating all sides, followed by a coarser rub (Cattleman's Grill Smoky Chipotle Coffee Steak Rub) to build a beautiful bark.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Trimming the fat cap completely allows the seasoning and smoke to penetrate directly into the meat, yielding more bark.
Straining the brine concentrate is crucial to prevent clogging the meat injector nozzle.
There is no need to rest the pulled pork for a long time since shredding it and tossing it in its own juices immediately locks in the moisture.
Wrapping the pork tightly in foil traps the steam, which braises the meat and speeds up the stall period while keeping it incredibly juicy.
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