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Classic pulled pork
Serves about 20 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 6-8kg pork shoulder, bone-in, skin removed and fat trimmed to 5mm thick
- Grillstock house rub
- 250ml backyard BBQ sauce
- 250ml apple juice
- burger buns, split and toasted
- damn fast awesome pickles
- house slaw (see smokehouse baby back ribs)
For the damn fast awesome pickles
- 2 large cucumbers, cut into 3mm slices
- 1 onion, cut into 3mm slices
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 3mm slices
- 40g salt
- 500ml cider vinegar
- 250g caster sugar
- 1tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1⁄2tbsp coriander seeds
- 1tbsp pink peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
For the Grillstock house rub MAKES ABOUT 250G
- 2tbsp sea salt
- 4tbsp paprika
- 1tbsp garlic powder
- 1tbsp onion powder
- 2tbsp white sugar
- 2tbsp light soft brown sugar
- 2tbsp cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper
- 1tsp English mustard powder
- tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
For the backyard barbecue sauce MAKES ABOUT 1 LITRE
- splash of vegetable oil
- 1 onion, very finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3tbsp Grillstock house rub
- 500ml ketchup
- 100ml yellow mustard
- 75ml cider vinegar
- 75ml Worcestershire sauce
- 75ml honey
- 180g light soft brown sugar
Method
To make the pickles, put the sliced vegetables in a bowl with the salt and toss until everything is coated. Put something heavy, such as a plate topped with a weight, directly on top of the veg and leave to sit for 3-4 hours until they release their liquid content.
Tip the veg into a colander and rinse thoroughly under a cold tap to remove the salt, then drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
To make the pickling brine, put the vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan with 400ml water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. As soon as the brine starts to boil, add the veg to the pan, return
to the boil, then immediately take the pan off the heat.
Spoon the pickles into sterilised jars and top with tight-fitting lids. Leave the pickles to cool, then place in the fridge ideally for 2 days before eating. The pickles will keep unopened in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Once opened, eat within 1 week.
For the pork shoulder, an hour or so before you plan to start cooking, liberally season the pork all over with the rub and leave to come to room temperature.
Set up your barbecue for smoking (around 110C). Add your choice of smoking wood to the coals (pecan, hickory or fruit wood with well with pork).
Put the pork on the barbecue, fat-side up, and smoke for around 8 hours, or until the outside of the pork has a wonderful dark bark and the meat can easily be pulled away from the bone. The internal temperature should hit 92C.
Transfer the pork to a large tray, cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Pull the meat away from the bone in hunks and then tease the strands apart with a meat shredder or your fingers, making sure the deliciously seasoned bark is distributed evenly throughout.
Mix together the barbecue sauce and apple juice. Pour the mixture over the pork and gently turn until coated, taking care not to break it up any further. Serve the pork in toasted buns with pickles and slaw.
Alternatively, sprinkle the pork with a little more rub and serve it with the barbecue sauce.
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