Carlsbad Gourmet Pulled Pork

Brines can be made spicy hot with peppers and cayenne, savory with herbs and garlic or sweet with molasses, honey or brown sugar, whichever you prefer. To properly make pulled pork you need to start the night before you plan to cook by brining the pork. Brining adds moisture and flavor to the pork and keeps it from drying out.

Combine the kosher salt, water and brown sugar. Add pork shoulder, making sure it is completely submerged in the brine, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. You can also place pork in a plastic bag (new garbage bag) along with brine mixture and place in a cooler and cover with ice for 8-12 hours.

 

Make the rub by placing the paprika, chili powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, white pepper, mustard powder, onion powder and granulated garlic in a small bowl and mixing together. When ready, remove the pork shoulder from brine and pat dry. Gently sprinkle the  rub evenly over the shoulder and pat onto the pork. For added flavor, you can smoke the pork butt in a barbecue grill for one hour using wood smoking chips.

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan and cover to lock in the moisture. If possible, place the shoulder on a cooling rack before placing in the roasting pan to keep it from touching the bottom. Add about a ¼ inch of water to the bottom of the roasting pan and cook for approximately six hours or until roast is falling apart. Temperature should read 170 degrees in the thickest part of the butt.

 

Remove pork from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Take two forks and begin pulling apart the roast to form shreds.  Pour any of our Carlsbad Gourmet barbecue sauces over the top of the pulled pork and enjoy as a sandwich with coleslaw and side dishes as desired.