Pulled Pork Recipe

If you are looking for a perfect pulled pork recipe that will become a star dish of any barbecue party, this one is a must try. Founder of Australian Barbecue Alliance, Adam Roberts shares this wonderful pulled pork recipe that will leave your guests asking for seconds. His recipe turns a Boston shoulder or a butt into a perfectly stringy, juicy, tender, smoky flavoured pulled pork. 

So, by now we probably all heard of pulled pork. The pork comes from the neck or the shoulder area. It is called the Boston butt, but in Australia, you can ask your butcher for a neck or shoulder area if he doesn’t know where the butt is.

You can ask your butcher to just leave a thin layer of soft fat on cut. It helps add flavour to the pulled pork at the end of the cook. So, the process of preparing our pork butt for the smoker is really quite easy.

Prep Time: 15m                  Cooking Time: 6-8h                    Serves: 6-8


Ingredients
1. De-boned 4kg Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt
2. Peanut Oil (several tablespoons) to coat
3. BBQ rub of your choice.
4. A digital temperature probe or a digital thermometer

Cooking tips

• Smaller butts take less cooking while larger butts take longer. Adjust your time according to the size of your Boston Butt.
• If your pork butt is rising to the internal temperature very slowly, you can wrap it in a foil to quicken the cooking process. However, ensure there is a decent colour and bark on the outside of the meat before wrapping.
• Pull the pork while it is hot.

Method

To prepare Boston Butt, trim the hard fat off. Leave a thin layer of fat over the butt. This will give the pork the ability to retain its flavour while it cooks.

Just apply a little bit of peanut oil on the meat to allow the rub to stick.
Apply a thin coat of rub right across the outside of the pork butt to get a nice crust or bark. It will also help retain the moisture over the life of the cook.

After applying the rub, the Boston Butt is ready to be placed in the smoker for about 8 hours or so, at about 225F/107C. Smoke until the internal temperature of the smoke hits 203F/95C.

Take the pork off the smoker when it reaches an internal temperature of 203 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow it to rest for 15 min. Use heavy duty cooking gloves, tongs, forks or bear claws to pull the pork apart. You are looking for a little bit of bark, a smoking inner, and a pull apart, tender, stringy juicy meat.

Use this on your soft tacos, nachos, or even on a slider with some coleslaw. The meat is also great on hamburgers or with a side of grilled vegetables. Or have it the best way you can- au naturale.