Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe - How to BBQ Pulled Pork Picnic Roast with Slow 'N Sear

pork shoulder

🥗Healthier: turkey breast

💰Cheaper: pork butt

Turkey breast is leaner, while pork butt is often more affordable.

bbq sauce

🥗Healthier: homemade barbecue sauce

💰Cheaper: ketchup

Homemade sauce can be healthier with less sugar, while ketchup is budget-friendly.

Remove the skin and excess fat from the pork shoulders.

Dry brine the pork shoulders by applying 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound over the entire surface.

Apply a thin layer of oil onto the outside of the pork shoulders to act as a binder for the barbecue rub.

Generously coat the pork shoulders with barbecue rub, ensuring it gets into all the nooks.

Set up the kettle grill for cooking at 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit using the slow and sear method.

Light 12 to 15 briquettes in the corner of the slow and sear, then fill the remainder with unlit briquettes and add boiling water to the water reservoir.

Place chunks of hickory wood onto the briquettes for smoke flavor.

Place the pork shoulders onto the grill and insert a leave-in thermometer into the center of one shoulder, away from the bone.

Close the lid and cook for just over four hours until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Open the grill to check the bark and aroma of the pork shoulders.

Remove the pork shoulders from the grill and wrap them in a double layer of tinfoil to speed up cooking and promote tenderness.

Return the wrapped pork shoulders to the grill and continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of 203 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes about another four hours.

After seven and a half hours of cooking, check the tenderness by poking the pork with a probe; it should feel like going through butter.

Remove the pork shoulders from the grill and place them in a faux cambro (a cooler wrapped in blankets) for 1.5 to 2 hours to rest.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary