Pulled pork is the American South's greatest contribution to barbecue — a whole Boston butt smoked for 12–16 hours until the connective tissue dissolves and the meat falls into tender shreds.
Serves 10–12 peoplePrep 20 minCook 15 hr
What you'll need
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Ingredients & method
Ingredients
- Bone-in Boston butt (pork shoulder), 4–5 kg
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp cayenne
- Apple wood or hickory chunks for smoking
- Burger buns and coleslaw to serve
Method
- 1Combine all the dry rub spices. Score the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
- 2Set up your smoker at 110–115 °C with apple wood or hickory. Place pork fat-cap up.
- 3Smoke for 6–8 hours, spritzing with apple cider vinegar every hour after the first 3. Expect a temperature stall around 70 °C — maintain patience.
- 4When the bark is set and the internal temperature stalls, wrap in butcher paper and continue cooking to 95 °C internal — another 4–6 hours.
- 5Rest wrapped in a cooler for 1–2 hours. Pull the meat apart by hand into strands, discarding the bone and any large fat pieces. Season with more rub or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Chef's tip
The fat cap should face up so the rendered fat bastes the meat throughout the cook — do not trim it before smoking.