Project Smoke

PORK SHOULDER

SMOKED, PULLED, AND VINEGAR-SAUCED IN THE STYLE

OF NORTH CAROLINA

U ew to the craft of smoking? Start with pork shoulder. Sheathed in and

11 veined with fat, it stays moist—even with prolonged smoking. And

unlike a tough muscle like beef brisket (page 66), pork shoulder remains

tender no matter how you cook it. It’s mercifully hard to

moist, tender meat add crusty, smoky bark and you’ll understand how

pulled pork went from a regional speciality (of the Carolinas and Tennessee)

to an American—and dare I say global—icon. You don’t even need to worry

about its appearance (although a whole one is gorgeous), as most pork

shoulder winds up served chopped, shredded, or thinly sliced. Pulled pork

is as close to set-it-and-forget-it barbecue

book, and its infinitely customizable. (For example, try marinating it in

the Jamaican Jerk Seasoning on page 157). Don’t be intimidated by the

length of this recipe; it’s really just a series of simple steps.

YIELD: Serves 8 to 10

METHOD: Hot-smoking

PREP TIME: 20 minutes, plus 1

to 4 hours (or more) if soaking

the wood

messup. To the

SMOKING TIME: 6 to 8 hours

RESTING TIME: 20 minutes

FUEL: Oak and hickory logs

or equal parts oak and hickory

chunks or chips—enough for

8 hours of smoking (see chart

on page 6)

as anything you’ll find in this

GEAR: Instant-read

thermometer or remote

digital thermometer; a meat

cleaver or claws, or insulated

rubber gloves, for pulling and

shredding the pork

INGREDIENTS

FOR SOAKING THE WOOD (OPTIONAL)

1 onion, cut in quarters

2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side

of a chef's knife or cleaver

1 or 2 cups cider vinegar

Water

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or

hot paprika

SHOP: Buy a cut from the

upper shoulder, aka Boston

butt, preferably from a heritage

breed like Berkshire or Duroc.

1 Boston butt (upper section of the

pork shoulder— 5 to 7 pounds)

Carolina Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)

FOR THE RUB

4 teaspoons coarse salt (sea or kosher)

4 teaspoons freshly ground black

pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

FOR SERVING

3 tablespoons butter, melted

12 sesame seed buns, split

Smoked Slaw (page 202), Smoked

Potato Salad Slaw (page 206). or

Creamed Smoked Corn (page 213).

• optional


• 
  
  
  
  1. If using logs, place them in a
     watertight container just large enough
  
  
  
  

to hold them. Add the onion, garlic,

2 cups of vinegar, and water to cover.

1 88 I^ PORK
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