PULLED PORK

Serves 2 people per pound When people think barbecue, they usually think pulled pork. It sounds hard to do, though; most people think they can’t cook it at home. Well, as one of our favorite foods we wanted to figure out how to do it at home. And so we did, with just a plain ordinary gas grill! It was fun to learn about the different cuts of pork while looking into doing this ourselves. Did you know they call a pig’s shoulder either “picnic” or “Boston butt”? We dare you to give this a try and not like it. The pork is tender and juicy, while the skin remains nice and crisp. It’s a perfect party food, too–sure to impress all your guests! We’d love for you to feel as awesome as we did when we made something that tasted as good as you can get at a restaurant with a pig on the sign. It’s even better with our Texas Barbeque Sauce. INGREDIENTS • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) salt • 1 tsp (5 ml) paprika • 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder • ½ tsp ground dry mustard • ¼ tsp pepper • 2 tsp (10 ml) unrefined cane sugar (optional) • 6-10 lb (4536 g) pork shoulder, bone-in is best • 1½ C olive oil • ½ C apple cider vinegar INSTRUCTIONS AND HOW KIDS CAN HELP 1. Combine all spices and sugar in small bowl with a fork. 2. Rub mixture over the shoulder, applying on all sides. 3. Add two handfuls of soaked chips to metal pie pan or baking dish, cover with foil and poke about a dozen ventilation holes in foil with a fork. 4. Place pie pan on heated side of the grill and shoulder on unheated side, close lid. 5. Mix together olive oil and vinegar. 6. Each hour, baste the shoulder with the oil and vinegar mixture to keep it moist. 7. Smoking will take about one hour per pound of shoulder or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. 8. When finished cooking, pull pork apart with forks.

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Pulled pork you can make on an ordinary gas grill, no smoker required: a salt-paprika-garlic rub massaged into a bone-in pork shoulder, slow-cooked over a foil pan of soaked wood chips, and basted every hour with olive oil and apple cider vinegar until it hits 190°F and falls apart under two forks. It's the project cook that turns any weekend into a barbecue — plan on roughly an hour per pound.

Pro Tips

• Choose a bone-in shoulder — the picnic cut or Boston butt both come from the shoulder, and the bone keeps the meat juicy through the long cook.
• For smoke on a gas grill, put two handfuls of soaked wood chips in a metal pie pan, cover tightly with foil, and poke about a dozen fork holes in the top so the smoke can escape around the meat.
• Set the pie pan of chips over the heated burner and the shoulder on the unheated side with the lid closed — indirect heat is what keeps the outside from drying before the inside is done.
• Mix 1½ cups olive oil with ½ cup apple cider vinegar and baste the shoulder every hour; this is what keeps the skin crisp and the meat moist through hours of cooking.
• Start checking internal temperature before the hour-per-pound estimate is up — the pork is ready to pull at 190°F, when the meat gives no resistance to a fork.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to smoke pulled pork on a gas grill?

About one hour per pound of shoulder, or until the internal temperature reaches 190°F. A six-pound roast is a six-hour afternoon, so build the time into your day.

Do I need a smoker to make pulled pork at home?

No — a plain gas grill does the job. Soaked chips in a ventilated foil pan on the heated side, the shoulder on the unheated side, lid closed.

What cut of pork should I buy?

Pork shoulder, sold as either the 'picnic' or 'Boston butt' half, bone-in if you can get it. Figure about two people per pound of meat.

Why pull the pork at 190°F instead of when it's cooked through?

At 190°F the connective tissue has fully melted, so the meat shreds cleanly between two forks instead of slicing dry — that's what makes it pulled pork.

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