Pork Shoulder - Picnic - Pulled Pork

For pulled pork, you need to get either a Boston butt, picnic shoulder, or a whole pork shoulder. The Boston butt is the upper portion of the shoulder, the picnic is the lower end.

This is the skin & fat side of the shoulder. It should be cooked the entire time with this side up. Most of the fat will render out of the shoulder, basting the meat as it does.

A view of the inside portion of the shoulder - this one has a good mixture of lean & fat.

Slathering the shoulder with yellow mustard is a good way to help it retain moisture & create a nice, crispy 'bark' - the dark, crispy outer surface of the shoulder. Believe me, you won't taste the mustard. An alternative is olive or vegetable oil.

Since we are doing this cook in a grill, with indirect heat, we will use hickory chips rather than chunks. Soaking them in water, wine, beer or other flavorings helps to make them smolder longer.

Here, we have rolled the soaked chips in aluminum foil and poked some holes all around it for the smoke to escape (about 10-20 holes, depending on the size of the logs, is plenty).

Notice that the coals have been banked to the sides of the grill for indirect heat. The water in the drip pan helps to control the temperature directly above it to the desired temperature of 225°. Low and slow is the name of the game for real barbecue.

As soon as the temperature has stabilized between 225° and 250°, the shoulder is put on the grill. Notice that a remote thermometer has been inserted into the shoulder. Proper temperature (195° - 205°) and NO PEEKING is required. Cooking time will increase at least 15 minutes EVERY time you open the lid.

This remote thermometer transmits to an indoor display (mounted above our answering machine) that gives the current temperature on the left and the target temperature on the right. An alarm will sound as soon as the target temperature is reached. Real handy!

This cook is well underway. Notice that the hickory chips/aluminum foil logs give off plenty of smoke. It's very easy to over smoke; it really doesn't take very much. We only used 3 logs for this shoulder (you can see what size they are in the previous pictures).

This shoulder was taken off the grill when the internal temperature reached 195°. It was getting late and we were all hungry! It was allowed to rest for about 20 minutes before being pulled apart.

Now, just who says you can't do real barbecue in a regular old charcoal grill? After the pork is pulled (I use two serving forks to pull it apart), you can mix in your favorite barbecue sauce or just allow your guests to add it directly to their sandwiches. Get the cheapest, white hamburger buns you can buy - they make the best pulled pork sandwiches. Don't forget the baked beans & cole slaw!