For years I watched Memphis in May and other barbecue events on the Food Network and other channels. The stuff they pulled out of those smokers you could just about smell and taste right through your television. Having grown up in Brooklyn and now living in Wisconsin, I had eaten plenty of ribs and pulled pork, much of it good; but I knew I was looking at a different animal when I watched these events. Eventually I got to taste the real deal in a stopover flight in the Memphis Airport. As soon as I stepped off the plane I could smell it and I just followed my nose. I soon found myself standing in line at Interstate Barbecue (The Neely's place for Food Network Fans). It smelled even better than I imagined, and I waited anxiously trying to decide between pulled pork or ribs. I made the Solomon-like decision to order both. I would eat the pulled pork sandwich in the airport, and have the ribs packed to take back to Madison. I was soon in pork Nirvana. I was totally hooked. I broke down, and bought a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker aka The Weber Bullet.
I really didn't have much experience with this type of cooking, so I did what we all do when confronted with this type of dilemma; I Googled. I came across the Weber Virtual Bullet Website. This was all I needed to get started on cranking out some amazing 'Q'. One of the first things I tried was pulled pork. Pork butt is fairly cheap so I figured if I screwed up it wasn't a big loss. When I tasted what I had made, I was amazed at how good it came out. The Weber is a great smoker and 4 years later I can say it is one the best investments I have ever made.
Pulled Pork
I make pulled pork using boneless butt, which is actually the shoulder. I coat the pork with a layer of honey mustard. It helps the rub stick better, and the vinegar in the mustard helps break down the connective tissue. The rub I use is based on this recipe from the classic 'Smoke and Spice':
Southern Succor Rub
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar
2 Tablespoons table salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
I cut way down on the cayenne and add other ingredients. I cook the pork at 225-250 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 195, adding a coating of barbecue sauce when it reaches 185. It's about 1 1/4 hours per pound. I use about 1 fist size chunk of wood for each pound of meat, and generally use a combination of oak and hickory for pulled pork. This is what it looks like when taken out of the smoker:
I then wrap it in foil for fifteen minutes before pulling. You can see in this next picture the beautiful pinkish-red smoke ring around the outer edge of the meat:
The smoke ring is the Holy Grail of the backyard 'Q'er. It's what we all want to achieve. This is how it looks after it's been completely pulled:
You can see the mixture of light and dark meat, and plenty of the coveted 'bark' mixed in. Finally we place it on a bun:
I like it with some jalapeno mustard on the bottom of the bun, a little barbecue sauce and some cole slaw on top.
If you've ever wondered if you can make 'Q' like you see the pros make, take it from me, it's possible; with the right equipment, the right resources, and the desire to be the envy of your friends and neighbors.