PREP TIME TO BRINE
1 (4-7 pound) whole Boston Butt or pork shoulder (bone-in with a layer of fat on the bottom)
Digital Meat Thermometer with an alarm
DRY RUB
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
BRINE SOLUTION
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 quarts cold water (8 cups)
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons dry rub mix
Butter
Buns
BBQ Sauce (optional)
Directions:
FOR THE DRY RUB
Mix well and store in an air tight container.
FOR THE BRINE SOLUTION
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar, dry rub, and bay leaves and stir well to combine.
PORK SHOULDER PREPARATION
Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container, pour in the brine solution until the shoulder is completely covered. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Remove pork shoulder from brine solution, pat dry with paper towels, place in baking pan that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the shoulder and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides. Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking!
Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 degree F oven on the middle rack. Insert a probe thermometer into the center or thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking (a digital thermometer with an alarm function is the easiest way to do this). Do not remove from the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches 200 degrees.
When the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period.
When the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove from oven. Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks, it will pull apart very easily. Serve for friends and family!
Put a little butter on some hamburger buns, toast under the broiler until lightly browned, and top with pulled pork. It’s so juicy and flavorful, you won’t even need BBQ sauce.
PLANNING AHEAD
An 8 pound pork shoulder took 13 hours to reach 200 degrees. Your shoulder will reach 170-180 very quickly, but those last 20 degrees will take much longer. Plan for at least 12 hours, and maybe 15+ hours for this pulled pork recipe.
Here’s how to do it… Two days before you want to serve this, prepare the brine solution and let the shoulder brine overnight and all day the next day in the fridge. That night right before bed, season the shoulder with the dry rub and put it in the oven and let it cook overnight. Even a small shoulder will take at least 10 hours to cook, so you don’t have to worry about the alarm waking you up the next morning.
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| Our favorite mustard sauce from Charleston, SC |
How Many People Will This Pulled Pork Recipe Serve?
How much does your pork shoulder weigh? Multiply that by 1.5 for an estimate of how many people it will serve.
For example if your pork shoulder is 4 pounds, it will serve around 6 people. If your pork shoulder is 7 pounds, it will serve around 10.5 people.
To be more precise, you want to have about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of meat per person. But remember that a bone-in pork shoulder will only yield around 60% of its weight when cooked. So if you buy a 5-pound pork shoulder at the grocery store, when cooked it will yield around 3 lbs of meat, which will serve 6-9 people.
How To Reheat Pulled Pork
Just pop it in a 350-375 degree oven for about 5 mins. You’ll know when it’s done because the whole kitchen will start smelling so good! Pulled pork also freezes really well, just thaw it and reheat in the oven.
