Barbecue, Meat, Pork

Barry’s Brined Pulled Pork

Posted by Barry on
Barry's Brined Pulled Pork
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Barbecue
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Save Print
This has become one of my most requested, crowd favorites. In most cases, you can't mess up pulled pork, but you can make it outstanding. It's the little things that make the difference.
Ingredients
  • Pork Butt(s) (Bone-in or Boneless) 7 to 10 lbs each
  • Barry's Pork Rub
  • ½ Cup Smoked Paprika
  • ⅓ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • ¼ Cup Kosher Salt
  • ¼ Cup Granulated Garlic
  • 2 Tbs Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 Tbs Chili Powder
  • 2 Tbs Granulated Onion
  • 2 Tbs Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
  • 2 Tbs Sugar in the Raw
  • 2 Tbs Chipotle Chili Pepper
  • 1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Tbs Cumin
  • 1 Tbs Dry Mustard
  • Brine Recipe
  • 4 Cups Apple Juice
  • 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbs Granulated Garlic
  • 2 Tbs Granulated Onion
  • 1 Tbs Tony Chachere's Seasoning
  • 1 Tsp Whole Black Pepper Corns
  • 1 Cup Kosher Salt
  • 2 Cups Cold Water
  • 2 Cups Ice
  • Smoking Pellets
  • Hickory, Apple and Cherry Traeger Pellets
Instructions
  1. Mix up one batch of brine per Pork Butt
  2. Submerge pork butt in brine in sealable container (large ziplock bag or plastic container)
  4. Allow to brine in refrigerator for at least 12 hours (I typically do 24 hours)
  6. Remove from brine and pat dry
  8. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees
  10. Inject pork butt with remaining brine. Brining meat actually removes some of its internal moisture through the process of osmosis as the saline solution is exchanged for its natural juices. To get the pork back to its normal finished product, I inject it with as much of the remaining brine as it will absorb. You will notice the butt swells from its size after removing from brine, but it will be larger than it was before brining.
  12. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross-hatch pattern in the fat cap to aid in rendering fat. This aids the final rendering of the fat that is captured in the wrap in the second half of the cook.
  14. Coat pork butt with olive oil to aid in application of Rub
  15. Rub pork butt with Barry's Pork Rub, thoroughly coating all sides of the pork butt.
  17. Place pork butt(s) on smoker, fat cap side up, carefully placing internal thermometer so it does not touch bone if cooking bone-in pork butt(s)
  19. As each pork butt reaches 170 degrees, pull from the smoker
  20. Wrap in two wraps of food service grade film making sure second wrap goes in opposite direction of first so all ends are sealed and no rendered juices are lost
  22. Wrap in two wraps of heavy duty aluminum foil
  24. Return to smoker to finish
  25. Remove each pork butt as its internal temperature reaches 203 degrees
  26. Place wrapped, finished pork butts in Cambro or oven set at 175 degrees to rest for at least an hour
  27. Prior to time to serve remove pork butt from Cambro or oven to pull
  28. Remove foil in secondary pan
  29. Move film wrapped butt to serving pan and remove film allowing juices to collect in pan
  31. Remove the film, working to capture all the juices
  33. Using temperature protective food prep gloves, pull the pork, disposing of bone if bone-in
  34. Mix pork in collected juices to make sure all the meat is coated
  36. Seal pan and return to Cambro or oven until time to serve

 

Leave a Reply