Easy pulled pork
Experience the joy of making pulled pork at home with Liz Evans' simple, yet delicious, recipe. It's a perfect dish for any low-key gathering or family meal.
Ingredients
1.5kg rolled pork shoulder
1 tbsp kosher salt (or sea salt)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp chilli flakes
2-3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
¼-½ cup apple cider vinegar
2-4 tbsp blackstrap molasses
Method
1. The night before you plan to cook it, remove any packaging from your pork shoulder and pat dry with kitchen roll. Then, coat it with the salt so that all surfaces are covered fairly evenly. Return it to the fridge (uncovered, if possible) to dry brine overnight.
2. The following morning, remove your pork shoulder from the fridge allowing it to come to room temperature. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion granules, ground cumin, sweet smoked paprika, mustard powder and chilli flakes. Rub this mixture over your pork shoulder, again making sure to cover it evenly. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar over top of your dry rub, patting it in well and paying particular attention to the skin side – this will give you some lovely crispy caramelised bits later.
3. Using good quality charcoal and one lump of smoking wood (apple or hickory are my favourites), bring your barbecue to just above smoking temperature (around 150-200°C). Insert a temperature gauge into the thickest part of your pork and place it skin-side down on to the grate to allow the skin to get some direct heat and caramelisation. Shut the lid and adjust your grill vents to bring the heat down to low smoking temperature (100-105°C).
After 10 minutes or so, adjust your BBQ setup to indirect heat, and leave your pork shoulder skin-side down on the grate to smoke.
4. Once the internal temperature reaches 60°C, carefully move your pork to a roasting tin, pour the apple cider vinegar and molasses into the bottom and cover tightly with foil. Return the tin to the BBQ, allowing your pork to continue to cook low and slow while infusing it with more lovely flavour and moisture. Your pork is ready to ‘pull’ when it starts to come apart with gentle pressure – I usually check it when it reaches 90°C.
5. When you lift the foil, you’ll find the vinegar, molasses and cooking juices have combined to form a lovely sauce. Using two forks, pull your pork apart letting it mix and combine with the sauce. Use tongs to serve