This dish is prepared using a traditional smoking method that infuses the pork with a delicious hickory essence. Perfect for barbecue enthusiasts and anyone seeking that authentic pulled pork experience.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: Approximately 8 hours
Servings: About 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed
- 3 cups hickory wood chips
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
Instructions:
Step 1: Prepping the Wood Chips
- Begin by soaking the hickory wood chips in water for about 30 minutes. Drain them, and while they’re soaking, let’s prepare the spice rub.
- Combine dark brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper in a bowl, ensuring they’re thoroughly mixed.
- Rub this flavorful blend evenly over both sides of the pork shoulder. Once the pork is coated, cover it loosely with foil and allow it to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Step 2: Grill Setup
- Set aside the grill rack.
- Now, prepare your grill for indirect grilling by heating one side to high heat while leaving the other side with no heat. Take a disposable aluminum foil pan and pierce its bottom several times with a knife. Place this pan on the heated side of the grill and add 1 cup of the soaked wood chips to it.
- On the unheated side of the grill, place another disposable aluminum foil pan without piercing it, and pour 2 cups of water into it. Let the wood chips stand for 5 minutes until they start smoking, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Step 3: Grilling the Pork
- Give your grill rack a light coating of cooking spray, then set it in place. Position the pork shoulder on the grill rack over the indirect heat. Close the lid and grill for 3 hours, maintaining a constant temperature of 275°F.
- Every 45 minutes, add 1/2 cup of soaked wood chips to enhance that smoky flavor. Grill the pork an additional 3 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the pork registers 170°F.
- To finish, wrap the pork in heavy-duty aluminum foil and cook an additional 1 1/2 hours or until the pork reaches 190°F. Finally, remove the pork from the grill and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before shredding.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):
- Calories: 260
- Fat: 10.8g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 4.7g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2g
- Protein: 35.5g
- Carbohydrates: 2.6g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Cholesterol: 113mg
Please keep in mind that these nutritional values are rough estimates and may vary depending on your choice of ingredient brands and portion sizes.
Cooking Tips:
- Set up your grill for indirect grilling by heating one side to high and leaving the other side with no heat. You’ll be smoking the pork over indirect heat.
- Place a disposable aluminum foil pan (with several holes pierced in the bottom) over the heat source or coals and add 1 cup of the soaked wood chips. On the unheated side of the grill, place another disposable aluminum foil pan without piercing it and add 2 cups of water to this pan.
- Allow the wood chips to smoke for about 5 minutes or until they start smoking. Then, reduce the grill’s heat to medium-low.
- Coat the grill rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking.