Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw

Happy 4th of July!  This year turned out to be a quiet holiday weekend for us, so I decided to make a quick run to the grocery store yesterday to pick up a boneless pork butt, or as some people call it, pork shoulder.  I walked into my neighborhood supermarket to get a latte’ and pick up the ingredients necessary to complete my mission only to discover that the power was out and I would not be able to purchase my latte’, much less my pork.  An hour or so later, the power was back on and I was back in business.  The first step in creating the kind of pulled pork sandwich I had in mind is to get a good piece of pork and then to mix up my special rub.  This should be done at least 12 and up to 24 hours prior to cooking your pork.  My rub changes a bit every time, but I will give you the basics of the rub at the end.

If your pork isn’t already tied, you can ask your butcher to do it for you or you can do it yourself.  I purchased my pork from Costco this time and it was not tied, so I did it myself.  The goal is to end up with a uniform piece of meat.  If it is not tied, the smaller pieces will cook before the the thicker pieces and dry out.  Once your pork is tied, give it a light massage with a thin coating of yellow mustard.  The purpose of the mustard is to simply help the rub adhere better.  (This is a messy process and you will be washing your hands alot!  You may want to consider preparing the meat close to the sink)  Once the meat is lightly coated with the mustard it is time to apply the dry rub.  Generously sprinkle the rub over the pork, taking care to ensure that it is completely covered with the rub.
Once the pork is prepared, you will need to tightly wrap it, first in a layer of plastic wrap, then with a second layer of foil.  If you want to keep your refrigerator from stinking in the morning, I would recommend that you put the entire package into a large ziplock freezer bag.  Not only will it keep your refrigerator clean, but the rest of your food won’t end up smelling like barbeque.

In the beginning

Double Wrapped

Bagged

Your pork will probably take at least 10 and possibly 12 hours to cook.  I use an electric smoker with wood chips, made by CookShack.  My smoker takes wood chips, and my wood of choice is pecan, although applewood is also good.  I would not use a strong wood, such as mesquite for this recipe.   It is important not to use too much wood or your meat will just end up tasting like smoke and you will not achieve the subtle smoky flavor you are after.  I only used 4 ounces of chips.

Every smoker works differently, but for my procedure, I put the pork into the smoker at 7:00 a.m. with a digital meat thermometer inserted through the smoke hole and set the temperature to 225 degrees.  At noon, I pulled the pork and sprayed it well with apple juice.  I continued letting it cook until it reached 180 degrees, which was 6:30 p.m.  Some people prefer to let the pork come to 195, but I feel it dries out too much.  Loosely tent the pork, and let rest for approximately 1/2 hour.  Pull the meat apart, discarding any fat pieces.

7 am - Ready to go in the smoker

In the smoker with meat thermometer

Noon – ready to spray with apple juice

Out of the smoker - Nice Bark!

Coleslaw - great on the side, even better on the sandwich!

  The sweet, smoky, salty shredded meat is heaven on a sandwich with crispy coleslaw and barbeque sauce.

Basic Pork Rub

  • 2 tbsp. Hungarian Paprika
  • 2 tbsp. Chili Powder
  • 4 tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp. Oregano
  • 1 tbsp. Raw Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Black Pepper
  • 1 tbsp. White Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Cayenne

 

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