Barbeques have a few staples you absolutely need: a grilled chicken, burgers, and of course Perfect Pulled Pork. This recipe demonstrates how good low and slow cooking can be, with the pork literally falling apart at a mere suggestion and being as juicy as possible. Perfect Pulled Pork does take a time commitment to make but once you stack this flavorful meat on top of a bulkie roll with barbeque sauce, you’ll know it was worth it.
Ingredients
For the dry rub:
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
For the brine solution:
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 8 cups water, cold
- 3 tablespoons dry rub mix
- 2 bay leaves
- For the pork:
- 6 pounds pork shoulder
Directions
Step 1 –Starting the night before cooking, combine the ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of the salt, pepper, and the 1/2 cup of the brown sugar together to make the dry rub.
Step 2 –In a large pot, combine the 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the cold water, the dry rub mix, and the bay leaves.
Step 3 –Add the pork shoulder to the brine.
Step 4 –Cover the pot and store it in the fridge for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
Step 5 –The morning of, remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry.
Step 6 –Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
Step 7 –Place the meat into the deep roasting pan (an absolute necessity for this recipe).
Step 8 –Start rubbing the dry rub all over the meat. Ensure that you put plenty of rub and massage it really well.
Step 9 –Put the pork uncovered into the oven on the middle rack, and cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 205 degrees F and it falls apart easily, about 12 hours. The high temperature is necessary for the uniquely tender texture.
Step 10 –Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest 1 hour 30 minutes- 2 hours.
Step 11 –With two large forks, shred the meat. It will fall apart and should not take you long.
Step 12 –Serve hot!
