Smoked Pork Shoulder
If you've never smoked a big chunk of meat before, it can be a little intimidating. It takes a long time, the temperature is very important, and the equipment can be a bit tricky. The shoulder, which turns into pulled pork, is the easiest because it's the most forgiving. Here's how you do it.
Get a 6-10lb shoulder, boston butt, with bone. There are two types of shoulder; you do not want the picnic. Make this rub:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 Tablespoons lemon pepper
Mix together and taste, to see if you like it.
Rub the shoulder first wth plain yellow mustard all over. Then, liberally rub the spice mixture over the yellow mustard and massage into the meat. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. Now, you're meat is ready.
If you're using a smoker or electric smoker, soak some hickory, apple, peach or other wood and slowly smoke over the course of 6 hours. The meat at this point should be brown at almost a color of maple syrup on the outside. Wrap the pork in foil and finish for another 6 hours. During the second 6 hours, the meat will take on very little smoke and therefore should just be cooking rather than smoking. Wood is not necessary except as a heat source. A meat thermometer should read about 180 when done. Let the pork sit for an hour before pulling with your hands. Finish the pulled pork with the finishing sauce below.
If you're using a gas grill, get two disposable aluminum bread pans (8"x8"x2") found in your baking aisle at the grocery store. Soak some wood for 1/2 hour and put it in one of the pans. Flip the other pan upside down and staple or crimp the edges together so that you have a box full of soaked wood. Poke a few small holes on top of the box. Make sure you have a full propane, as you'll use about 1/2 can. Turn one side of the grill to low and take the grill surface out on that side. Place the box on top of the heat element cover. Once it starts to smoke, Put the pork on the other side of the grill and cook for 6 hours. Then, wrap the meat with foil and cook for 6 more hours until the temp is 180. Let sit for an hour, pull and finish with the finishing sauce.
With charcoal, light a lot of charcoal and set to one side of the charcoal grill (the bigger grill, the better). Put the same box from the propane example on top of the lit charcoal and smoke just like the propane. It will be necessary to add more charcoal as you're cooking. Just remove the box and add dry charcoal to well lit charcoal already present.
Finishing sauce:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup worchestershire
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Bring to boil and reduce to simmer for 30 mins. Add to pulled pork until it is all moist but it shouldn't be a soup.