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Okay, I'm back. Didn't even seem like I was gone, did it! :) Anyway, I just put a foil "smoking packet" of hickory chips that have been soaking in water for a couple of hours on the grill. It's basically just a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil folded around the wet wood chips, with a few holes punched in the top to let out the smoke once it starts to build up inside the foil. I also put some of the soaked wood chips straight onto the coals, to get a bit stronger/quicker smoke action. The temperature probe was reading 171 degrees already, and the meat's only been on the grill for 2 hours. So I've almost completely closed the top and bottom vents, to cool the coals down and give the wood chips a chance to do their job. The meat cooked a LOT faster than I was expecting it too, but as long as it's the right temperature internally, and it pulls apart easily, it's all good!
Before I put the pork on the grill, I let it sit out for about 30 minutes or so, to bring it a bit closer to room temperature. Then I rubbed on a basic barbecue rub mixture and placed the meat in the center of the grill, with a drip pan filled with water below it, and a ring of coals circling the meat and the pan, but leaving the area directly below it open (that's where the drip pan goes.) This is known as an indirect cooking method, and is used for larger and/or tougher pieces of meat, and anything that needs to be smoked. Ultimate you'd want to use an external smoker box for your coals, but I don't have that type of grill yet, so this is the method that must be used. You can either stack the coals to one side of the grill, and place the meat on the other side, away from the coals, or you can do what I've done and circle the coals around the outside of the grill, placing the meat in the middle. You can also add a second pile of coals on the other side of the grill, if you choose to use the first method. It all depends on what kind of grill you have, and how much space you have to work with. At any rate, the object is to cook the meat slowly, over several hours, bringing the internal temperature up gradually to the desired range. Then, when the meat is cooked to the temperature you need it to be, you remove it from the grill (and this bit is important), cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This allows the meat to cool slightly (although it will continue to cook internally over this time), making it easier to touch if you plan to do something like pull it apart for barbecue. More importantly, it allows the juices that will have risen to the surface of the meat during the cooking process, to be pulled back into the meat, increasing it's tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Otherwise, if you just cut straight into the meat as soon as it comes off the grill, you'll end up with a dry piece of meat, that will have lost a lot of potential flavor. The "burned" bits on the outside of the meat ad a lot of flavor to the final product too. Often referred to as the "bark" these crispier bits, when mixed in with the rest of the meat, ad all sorts of interesting textures and flavors that you would otherwise be missing out on!
Okay, my Boston butt is now at an internal temperature of 175 degrees. The probe's alarm will sound once it hits 180 degrees, but I want to take the temperature a little higher, bringing it closer to 190 degrees. This will make the meat fall off the bone that much easier.
Now I have all sorts of recipes and whatnot for rubs, sauces, marinades, etc., but I thought I'd share the ones with you that I plan to use (and have already used) today. These come straight from the wonderful "Weber's Real Grilling" book that I picked up at Home Depot several months ago. So here is the simple recipe for what I'm doing today.
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Smoked Pulled Pork
in Hot Chile Sauce
Prep time: 30 minutes
Grilling time: 5 to 6 hours
Rub
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast [Boston butt],
5 to 6 pounds
2 handfuls hickory/mesquite chips, soaked in
water for at least 30 minutes
Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Mayonnaise (only if you like it)
1. To make the rub: In a small bowl, mix the rub ingredients with your fingertips. Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Massage the rub mixture all over the roast.
2 Grill over Indirect Medium heat until the meat is very tender but still juicy [the internal temperature next to, but not touching, the bone should be 180 degrees F to 190 degrees F], 5 to 6 hours, turning every hour or so. Add the smoked wood chips to the smoker box or coals about halfway through the grilling time. When done, remove the pork shoulder from the grill, lightly cover it with a piece of aluminum foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep warm.
4. Pull the pork into shreds with two forks or your fingers, or chop it with a knife. Discard any out sections that may have burned or any large bits of fat inside. In a large bowl, moisten the shredded meat with the sauce [you may not need all of it] and mix well. Serve warm on toasted buns brushed with mayonnaise.
Makes 12 sandwiches
This is where patience has its rewards. When you barbecue pork shoulder slowly, until the internal temperature climbs nearly 190 degrees F, the meat tears into shreds of pure satisfaction. If the outside gets dark, that's even better. Barbecue aficionados call that the "bark", and its crispy texture is fabulous in combination with the rest of the meat.
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I also made up a small batch of cola barbecue sauce, but I'll save the recipe for that for another day.
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I hope you have enjoyed this first installment of "Cooking With Matt!" From time to time, as I cook or grill different things over the summer, I will be adding new items to this blog. Also, at times, I will post recipes I've found that I enjoy, or ones that I've come up with on my own, so keep checking back to see what's been added!
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Peace.
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