BBQ Pulled Pork - Kurt Doles

Stuff we need, not edibles:

-Charcoal (preferably lump, not briquettes; I prefer Royal Oak, but Cowboy is good, too, though it sparks a lot when you light it). Kingsford briquettes are ok, I’m just used to how lump burns through its heat cycle, so you’d have to be extra diligent. If you want to go gas, that will work too, I just need to send you separate instructions. 

-A Chimney Starter!
For said charcoal. We can do this if you want to light in your grill as opposed to outside of it, but if you have a patio and a paving stone to spare, this is more efficient. Especially if and when you have to replenish coals, you’re just dumping more in, vs. adding fuel that the existing fire has to ignite. The Weber ones are about $20, but I’ve also purchased a decent model at Aldi for about $12. I go through a chimney starter every 24 months before it warps and rusts and the welds on the handle and heat shield fail. You’ll need newspaper to fire one up, my parents still save a percentage of their Chicago Tribunes and bring them when they visit so I have chimney fodder!

-Wood chips! 

This is personal preference. I would advise purchasing a bag of hickory and a bag of whatever fruitwood – apple, cherry, etc – that is available. It’s important to temper strong wood flavors like hickory with something else (though anything but mesquite) on a long smoke. They’re only a couple of bucks at Meijer. For pork, I like hickory and apple, or maybe maple.  

-Let’s talk grill set-up!

Assuming you’re using a Weber-style kettle, I’m going to let a much more qualified person describe the set-up:
https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/grill-and-smoker-setup-and-firing/how-set-charcoal-grill-smoking-or

What we want is as indirect as we can. Your meat will be closer to the heat source than mine , so it will probably cook faster.  Which leads us to our next point…..

- A probe thermometer! 
I’ve been through a BUNCH. I’m done with the “leave it in, wireless, Bluetooth” nonsense, I have a simple handheld probe that is very accurate (hell, I bought it at Meijer for $13 a decade ago), while I’ve also blasted through three other “smart” thermometers that all broke or failed in the same timeframe. Having something that’s digital and accurate is important, though.

- a small, foil drip tray!

Just a little something with about a cup or so of water in it to put under the meat to catch fat drippings. No need to fill it with beer or herbs or whatever, those don’t do squat. Just purchase a small (depending on your grill space) foil baking pan. It could be a cake pan for multiples, it could be a bread pan for one butt. This is purely to help keep your cooking apparatus clean.

-Let’s talk software! 

Here’s what you’ll need for prep: 

1 3.25#-3.5# ish Boston butt (I will probably do two, but I have the grill space for it, and they cook at the same rate….something about the laws of thermodynamics….)

Kosher salt (about ½ teaspoon per pound, maybe a little more)

For the dry rub (per 3.25#-ish Boston butt):
            ¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup paprika (not the hot kind)

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp powdered ginger

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp mustard powder

We’ll talk barbecue sauce later!

-Method!

I’m basically cutting and pasting this from Meathead Goldwyn/Amazingribs.com, with some edits. It’s what I’ve always done, but articulated better than I can:

1.) Prep. Trim most of the fat from the exterior of the meat but not all of it. The goal is to season the meat not on the fat, allowing the meat to get a flavorful, seasoned bark.         

2). If you have the time, Season the pork butt all over with salt and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours before cooking. Called dry brining, this gives the salt a chance to start penetrating. Feel free to apply the rub the night before as well, but salt first, then rub. I’ve done this both wrapped in plastic and unwrapped, there isn’t much of a difference. You could also apply the rub the morning of cooking, that’s ok as well.

3.) Fire up. Prepare a smoker for cooking at about 225°F or set up a grill for 2-zone or indirect smoke cooking (cooker setups are described in the technique section of this site) and adjust the vents to bring the temperature to approximately 225°F. add about 4 ounces (a handful) of wood chips, pellets, or chunks to the fire.

4. ) Put the meat on the smoker (or on the indirect heat side of a grill), right on the grate and not in a pan so that a flavorful bark can begin to form on the entire exterior. Allow the pork butt to smoke uninterrupted, but be sure to check your cooker every 30 minutes or so to make sure the fuel is sufficient and that you are holding at 225 to 250°F. Don't worry if the temperature temporarily goes up to 300°F, since pork butts are very forgiving, but try to keep it under 250°F. Add additional doses of wood sparingly during the first two hours, about 4 ounces every 30 minutes. The key is to add a pleasant smoky flavor to the meat without overpowering it. (KD Ed. Every time I open the grill to check temps, I spray the meat with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon or two of Worcestershire sauce, just to keep it from drying out. You might not need to do this)

5.) The stall. If you are cooking at 225°F to 250°F, when the meat hits about 150°F internal temp, it will probably stall. The internal temperature may not go up for hours (KD Ed: this is a bit shorter with a 3.5# hunk of meat). That's because the moisture evaporating from the surface is cooling the meat at the same rate as the hot air is warming it, and the internal temperature stalls. You can just ride it out, or you can bust through the stall by cranking the heat to about 300°F or by wrapping the meat tightly in foil. This is called the Texas Crutch. To learn more about the stall click here. But the beauty of the stall is that it forms the bark, the dry, flavorful, jerky like crust.

6.) Continue cooking. When the pork butt hits an internal temperature of about 170°F, collagens, which are part of the connective tissues, begin to melt and turn to gelatin. The meat gets much more tender and juicy when this happens. Allow the pork butt to continue cooking past 170°F.  

7.) Finishing. When the internal temperature hits 203°F (KD Ed: about 6-7 hours, maybe less on a Weber) a total of approximately 6 hours total cooking time) it's time to check if the pork butt is ready. The exterior should be dark brown. Some rubs and cookers will make the meat look black like a meteorite, but it is not burnt and it doesn't taste burnt. There may be glistening bits of melted fat. On a gas cooker, the meat may look shiny pink. If there is a bone, use a glove or paper towel to protect your fingers and wiggle the bone. If the bone turns easily and comes out of the meat, the collagens have melted and you are ready. If there is no bone, use the "stick a fork in it method." Insert a fork and try to rotate it 90 degrees. If it turns with very little pressure, you're ready. Keep in mind, these are animals not widgets and there can be variations depending on breed, diet, weight, your cooker design, and even ambient air temp. The meat is ready when it is ready. So it is really good advice to start 10 to 12 hours before dinner, and if it finishes early, wrap it and put it in a faux cambro or in your indoor oven at about 150°F.

8.) If the pork butt is not ready, close the lid and allow it to continue cooking. After, say, an hour, it is still not soft, you've just got a tough butt. Wrap tough butts in aluminum foil and let them go for another hour at 225°F. If you can't control the temp on your cooker, wrap the meat in heavy-duty foil and move it indoors into a 225°F oven.