Pulled Pork (Shaun Brannon)
★★★★☆
Ingredients
- Pork butt (~6 lb)
- Apple juice
- BBQ rub (e.g., Salt Lick BBQ rub)
- Mopping sauce: 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- Mopping sauce: 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- Mopping sauce: 1 tsp salt
- Mopping sauce: 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Optional additions: Thai chilies, red pepper flakes
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 1 tbsp butter
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 1 small onion, finely chopped
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 1 clove garlic, minced
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 1 cup Dijon mustard
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 3/4 cup brown sugar
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: 1 tbsp hot sauce (e.g., Crystal)
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: coarse salt
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: freshly ground black pepper
- Buns
- Coleslaw (broccoli slaw suggested)
Instructions
- Score the top and bottom of the pork butt with 1/2-inch crosshatch cuts.
- Baste with apple juice and apply a liberal coating of rub.
- Stabilize BGE at 225–250°F.
- Invert heat deflector shield (legs up); place drip pan half-full of apple juice and water in center.
- Baste with apple juice every 1–1.5 hours for first 3 hours.
- After ~2 hours, begin basting with vinegar/mustard mopping sauce every 1.5–2 hours.
- Flip pork butt halfway through cooking.
- Cook 1.5–2 hours per pound until internal temperature ~170°F.
- Remove, wrap in foil, rest in cooler 1 hour.
- Pull pork with forks; serve on buns with coleslaw and mustard BBQ sauce.
- Mopping sauce: combine vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper; add optional chilies.
- South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce: cook butter, onion, garlic; add mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, 1/2 cup water; simmer 6–10 minutes; season and cool.
Wine Pairing: Bold Red (Zinfandel) — Smoky pulled pork pairs with Zinfandel.