Overview
Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork
The real flavours in this dish are developed over a long, slow cook over a wood fire BBQ or Smoker, If you don’t have Seasoned wood then try to use a good quality Charcoal to get the best flavours in your meat. The BBQ sauce is deliberately sweet but pairs extremely well with the smoky flavours in the pulled pork.
The addition of a winter salad means you don’t have the just restrict pulled pork to the confines of a brioche bun, however, in the same breath the winter salad can quickly be turned into a Winter Slaw and then added to your bun of choice.
Preparation Time
30 Minutes
Cook Time
11 Hours (Smoker)
7 Hours (Conventional Oven)
Serves
6 – 8
Ingredients
For the pulled pork
- 3KG bone-in pork shoulder
- 100g Mild Mustard
- 50g Black pepper (Coarse)
- 50g Paprika
- 50g Salt
- Apple juice & cider vinegar in a spray bottle for spritzing
- Optional (Try one of our dry seasonings instead)
For the BBQ Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (finely Chopped)
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves (Finely Chopped or Crushed)
- 85G brown sugar
- 3 tbsp malt vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
For the Winter Salad
- 1/2 red cabbage
- 1/2 Sweet cabbage
- 1 Red Onion
- 2 whole carrots
Method
For the pulled pork (BBQ Smoker)
- Preheat your BBQ to around 130 degrees centigrade. (If using your BBQ you need to be proficient in maintaining a constant temperature For tips on how to do this please see our “low and slow smoking tips).
- Cover all sides of the pork shoulder in mild mustard, This goes to create a good bark on your finished product.
- Combine your dry ingredients into a bowl or shaker. placing the fat side down Sprinkle evenly over the pork. Carefully flip back so the fat side is now facing up (Presentation side) and sprinkle your remaining seasoning onto the top of your pork.
- Place the pork shoulder in your smoker (unwrapped) after the wood or charcoal is now white. (Cook Untouched for 3 hours)
- After 3 hours begin spritzing the surface of the pork every hour until 8 hours have elapsed or the internal temperature is around 65 Degrees Centigrade
- Tightly wrap your pork shoulder in foil, ensuring there are no holes or gaps. (Cook untouched for a further 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 87-90 Degrees Centigrade)
- When you have approximately 1 Hour left in your cook you are looking for not only the temperature but also the feel of the pork. ( Ideally, you want this to feel like a melted pack of butter and with an internal temperature of 95 degrees centigrade.)
- Remove your pork from the grill and leave wrapped to rest for 40 Minutes, before shredding apart with two forks.
- Mix in the BBQ sauce or dollop on the pulled pork.
For the Sweet BBQ Sauce
- Heat your oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes or until the onion is softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, once boiling reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thickened (Don’t be tempted to keep stirring).
- Use a hand blender or blitz in a food processor for a smooth sauce.
Note that this BBQ sauce is really sweet on its own but blended with the pulled pork it matches perfectly.
For the Winter Salad (Slaw)
- Finely Slice your raw ingredients (by hand or food processor)
- Combine in a bowl and serve
- Optional (Stir in some mayonnaise for instant winter slaw)
We find that it pays to keep a store of this handy for the week as it pairs well with most comfort foods during the winter months.