Pulled Pork
Saddle up, outdoorsmen! Live Fire Republic's Field Guide to Perfect Pork Shoulder BBQ is a wild ride to smokey perfection. Let's go HOG wild!
Prep Time: 12 hours hours
Cook Time: 8 hours hours
Rest Time: 1 hour hour
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ, Midwestern, Southern, Tailgate
Keyword: brining, field guide, how to, pork belly, pulled pork
Servings: 0
Calories: 425kcal
Brine
- 12 cups water
- 4 beers
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup sugar
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated honey
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Injectable Liquid Seasoning
- 1/2 cup dry rub
- 3/4 cup 1:1 olive oil and melted butter combo
Binder
- 1 cup Duke's mayo
- 4 tbsp sriracha
Combine water, beer, salt and sugar to create brining solution. Place pork butt in solution for 8-12 hours, or overnight.
Remove from brine, rinse clean, and discard brine. Rest and return to near room temperature, for 3-4 hours prior to smoking.
Light a full chimney of Kingsford charcoal briquettes and once just ashed over pour onto one side of the grill floor, then add 2 chunks of hickory wood to slowly smolder and smoke.
On the other side of the grill floor place a disposable tin foil pan filled with hot water. Adjust the top and bottom vents until grill temps read 225 F.
Trim and score the pork butt fat cap in cross hatch fashion.
Craft dry rub and set aside. Blitz a 1/2 cup of the combined seasoning in a coffee grinder until in a powder state. Then whisk in with 1:1 olive oil and melted butter combo. Inject the butt with as much of the liquid seasoning as it'll hold
Combine Duke's mayo with sriracha by whisking together. Rub across the pork butt as your binder, then season boldly with remainder of the rub.
Rest the roast fat cap-up, untouched for 2 hours, then begin intermittently spritzing with a 1:1:1 combo of apple cider vinegar, apple cider and beer to build the bark.
Remove from smoker at 165 F internal and lay over a double-layer of butcher paper (or in a high-walled tin foil pan). Top the pork with several pads of butter and pour in a 1/3 can of cheap, warm beer. Wrap tightly and place back in the grill-smoker to slowly braise until 205F internal.
Remove from grill and rest for 1 hour in a dry insulated cooler.
Place on a cutting board, pull that scapula bone, shred, load it all up on a massive sandwich with a pile of homemade slaw and smash!
Calories: 425kcal