Pulled Pork BBQ

Although I don't know it to be a proven fact, I believe that the phrase "Hog Heaven"was coined by someone shortly after biting into their first pulled pork sandwich. If you have never honored your tastebuds with the flavor of one of these bad boys, you truly haven't lived!

Pulled pork is just what it says - pork meat that has been pulled apart and pulled from the bone. Authentic pulled pork BBQ starts with a pork shoulder, commonly referred to as a "shoulder", "Boston Butt", or simply a "butt".

There are about as many recipes and variations for pulled pork BBQ as there are pitmasters who make pulled pork, but I will attempt to give you the basics for making pulled pork. You start with a 4-8 pound pork butt and rub it down with your own secret blend of herbs and spices the night before you cook. Wrap your butt in plastic and leave it in the refrigerator until morning. Go to bed and set your alarm clock for 0'Dark:30. When you wake up, it should still be dark. If it's not dark, you have slept too long. Go back to bed and get up whenever you feel like it. Go about your day as usual and then go to bed early enough that you will be able to wake up this time.When you finally do wake up early enough that it is still dark, fire up your BBQ pit and bring it up to temperature. The important thing is to cook over indirect heat from hardwood coals at low temperatures (180-225 degrees) for an extended period of time. You will want to baste your pork butt with a mop sauce every half hour to hour. Try not to open your BBQ pit too much as it will be much easier to maintain your temperature if you don't. Also, you should rotate your pork butt a few times during cooking to ensure that all sides and angles get equal heat and smoke. After the low heat and hardwood smoke have cooked your pork butt to an internal temperature of approximately 200 degrees (8-14 hours depending on the size of your pork butt and the temperature control of your pit) remove your butt from the pit and let it stand for a while until it cools a bit. This will make the next part much easier.

How you pull your pork is up to you....... Some people use a food processor to shred it, however I prefer to pull it by hand or by using a fork to tear away big strips of the tender pork meat. If you have cooked your pork butt the correct way to the correct temperature (an internal temperature of at least 180 degrees, preferably even higher), the meat should just about fall off the bone. At any rate, pull the pork into whatever size pieces you prefer and then mix in some sauce. If you want a true Carolina-style pulled pork sandwich, use a vinegar based sauce, however, I have made pulled pork with a tomatoe or mustard based sauce and they are delicious as well. See my SAUCES page if you need a good recipe. Then plop a big old helping of pulled pork on the cheapest white bun you can find, put a big dollop of coleslaw on top of the pork, slap the top on, squash it down and enjoy perhaps the best thing you will ever taste in your life.

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