Fiddynut
Active member
One of my favorite things is BBQ pulled pork. There are so many styles and it varies so much by region but here is how I do it. I use to struggle and get very inconsistent results. Then a friend of mine who was serious about BBQ gave me some tips. With the fundamentals down I could perfect my method.
The first thing I needed was a smoker that would hold a good temp and make nice thin blue smoke. A friend suggested a kamado style cooker and once I started using it I loved it. They are so versatile that I can use it for anything from an 18 hour cook at 225 deg to stakes and pizza at 700 + deg.
I like to go low and slow for pulled pork. I cook at between 200 and 225 deg for 8-10 hours then wrap in foil and continue cooking until it's nice and tender and usually up over 200 deg internal temp.
So first let's set up the smoker.
I use lump hardwood charcoal with 4 or 5 fist size chunks of hickory and cherry wood. I like the mix of hickory and fruit wood like cherry or apple. Here is how my fire box looks before startup.
And here is my acorn kamado with pitmaster iq controller. The pitmaster gives me the ability to get the meat on then get a good night sleep while the cook happens. It has a thermometer and uses a fan to stoke the fire and keep temps right.
While the pit is coming up to temp it's time to rub the pork butt down. If this was a competition cook I'd be injecting with apple juice and stuff but that is a lot of extra work and I don't do it for something I'm just going to eat with friends. Injecting can make meat more flavorful and juicy but also changes the way you should cook it. If injecting you need to get temp from 40 deg up to 140 deg in less that 4 hours because it is no longer an intact unpierced mussel. I think it turns out great without all that.
I have made my own rubs but I really like the smoking guns and the smoking guns hot rubs. You can win a BBQ competition with these rubs. So get out your favorite rub and give it a nice heavy coating. A pork butt can take a lot of rub so don't be shy. I rice the butt with cold water then dry it and coat with olive oil than a heavy layer of rub.
Now your butt is ready and once your pit is up over 200 deg it's time to put it on. I like anywhere between 200 and 225 deg.
The first thing I needed was a smoker that would hold a good temp and make nice thin blue smoke. A friend suggested a kamado style cooker and once I started using it I loved it. They are so versatile that I can use it for anything from an 18 hour cook at 225 deg to stakes and pizza at 700 + deg.
I like to go low and slow for pulled pork. I cook at between 200 and 225 deg for 8-10 hours then wrap in foil and continue cooking until it's nice and tender and usually up over 200 deg internal temp.
So first let's set up the smoker.
I use lump hardwood charcoal with 4 or 5 fist size chunks of hickory and cherry wood. I like the mix of hickory and fruit wood like cherry or apple. Here is how my fire box looks before startup.
And here is my acorn kamado with pitmaster iq controller. The pitmaster gives me the ability to get the meat on then get a good night sleep while the cook happens. It has a thermometer and uses a fan to stoke the fire and keep temps right.
While the pit is coming up to temp it's time to rub the pork butt down. If this was a competition cook I'd be injecting with apple juice and stuff but that is a lot of extra work and I don't do it for something I'm just going to eat with friends. Injecting can make meat more flavorful and juicy but also changes the way you should cook it. If injecting you need to get temp from 40 deg up to 140 deg in less that 4 hours because it is no longer an intact unpierced mussel. I think it turns out great without all that.
I have made my own rubs but I really like the smoking guns and the smoking guns hot rubs. You can win a BBQ competition with these rubs. So get out your favorite rub and give it a nice heavy coating. A pork butt can take a lot of rub so don't be shy. I rice the butt with cold water then dry it and coat with olive oil than a heavy layer of rub.
Now your butt is ready and once your pit is up over 200 deg it's time to put it on. I like anywhere between 200 and 225 deg.
