Pulled Pork Memorial Day

Okay the pork shoulder has been slathered with BBQ Rub and Sea salt and sweated overnight in the refrigerator. It's now time to cook this very slow in the oven. The actual times for cooking the meat depends on the temperature of your oven, how evenly your oven cooks, how often you open the oven door and when the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C). Once you remove the pork from the oven and cover it with foil the internal temperature will rise to 170°F (76.7°C) and the meat will be ready for pulling.  

Pork Shoulder After 12 Hours

Place pork on roasting rack

Insert meat thermometer

Place pork into a preheated 250ºF (121ºC) oven

1st mop after 20 minutes, or 2 beers

A Crust is beginning to develops after 40 minutes

Wrap pork in foil after 3 hours... No more basting

Pulled pork uncovered after a 2 hour steam bath

Baste the shoulder every 20 minutes, or every 2 beers for the first 3 hours. After the 3 hours remove the shoulder from the oven and add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid smoke to the drippings. Wrap the shoulder tightly in aluminum foil. Return the wrapped shoulder to the oven for another 2 hours and give it a good steam bath. No more basting after that.

Pulled Pork ready to serve

Remove fat from au jus

2/3rds Weight Loss

Serve Pulled Pork Platter

Enjoy

Corn On The Cob

Serve With Cole Slaw

After 2 hours wrapped, remove the foil and return the shoulder to the oven for about 1 more hour, or the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C). Once you remove the pork from the oven. Your minimum temperature for pork shoulder should be 160°F in the center. Be careful that the tip of the thermometer is not on the shoulder bone.

When finished, set on a platter to rest for an hour. After resting, remove the shoulder bone which you should be able to pull right out. Cut the roasts into quarters using a butcher knife. Use two forks or put on the rubber heat resistant gloves, start pulling the pork into bite sized pieces. It should look like the serving platter with sauce picture when it’s done. Strain the au jus and remove the excess fat. 

NOTE: Make sure that you pull the pork as soon as it is cool enough to handle.
Did I duplicate cooking a pork shoulder on the grill? I think I did! TMelle 2012

Mop Sauce

Since you're going to be cooking the pork shoulder for a very long time, you're going to need to keep it moist on the outside while it cooks and develops a great crust on it. You're going to need the following ingredients:

Mop Ingredients

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Dry Rub (or more)
2 Tbsp. Chili sauce (Heinz)
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke (Colgin))My brother uses a BBQ sauce instead of the chili sauce. It's really up to you. You can find many dry rub recipes on the Internet, or buy them in the local grocery store. 

Add honey to vinegar and water

Combine the mop sauce ingredients together in a small non-reactive
pan (stainless steel). Heat until the sauce is hot and the honey and brown sugar is dissolved. 

Add chili sauce to the pan

Feel free to experiment here. A little of this, a lot of that...  

Add BBQ rub

We're cooking indoors so add some liquid smoke

Whisk the ingredients together

When you're ready to use the mop sauce get out your mop. You're going to mop every 20 minutes, or every 2 beers if you don't have a watch.

Get the mop good and wet

For my next trick I'm going to slow cook a pork shoulder indoors and hopefully make it taste just like it was cooked low and slow outdoors. I just can't wait! 

I still need a small gas grill. Any suggestions?

© TMelle 1998-2011

Indoor Pulled Pork

6 Pound Pork Shoulder

I still haven't purchased a grill and need to make some pulled pork indoors. Can I replicate the flavor of cooking a pork shoulder being cooked on an outdoor grill with plenty of smoke chips? Can it be done? I think with a little help from a product called "Colgin® Hickory Liquid Smoke" it can be. In addition to the liquid smoke you're going to need a 1 gallon Zip lock bag, some of your favorite dry BBQ rub and some sea salt. My brother who lives in the south makes a pretty good rub.

Load on the BBQ rub

When you buy a pork shoulder at the store the fatty side is generally not visible to the shopper. No problem with that because we're cooking this low and slow in our indoor oven. Trim any excess fat from the shoulder and massage the shoulder with a generous amount of your favorite dry rub. Next sprinkle the shoulder liberally with sea salt. 

Sprinkle on sea salt

Refrigerate overnight

Once the salt is rubbed into the shoulder, place it into a 1 gallon refrigerator or freezer bag. Store the shoulder overnight in the refrigerator. Buy or prepare your favorite BBQ sauce for you the next day. 

TO BE CONTINUED!    

     

© TMelle 2012