Apple-Smoked Goan Masala Pulled Pork

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole pork shoulder rubbed with Kashmiri chilli, garam masala and garlic-ginger, then smoked low and slow over apple wood at 250°F until it pulls apart at 203°F. The vinegar in the Goan-style rub keeps it tangy and bright, so it needs nothing more than warm naan or soft rolls and a spoon of yogurt. Almost all of the eight hours is hands-off.

Ingredients

• 5 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or sweet paprika)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 chunks apple wood chunks (or 3 cups apple wood chips)

Instructions

1. Stir the salt, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, oil and 2 tablespoons of the cider vinegar into a thick paste. Pat the pork shoulder dry and rub the paste over every surface, including under the fat cap. Leave at room temperature for 45 minutes while the smoker heats (or refrigerate overnight and pull it out 1 hour before cooking).
2. Set up your smoker for indirect heat at 250°F and add 2 apple wood chunks once the temperature is steady and the smoke runs thin and blue. Keep the water pan full if your smoker has one.
3. Place the pork fat-side up directly on the grate and smoke undisturbed for 3 hours, adding the remaining 2 apple wood chunks after the first 90 minutes. Do not open the lid otherwise.
4. Pour the remaining cider vinegar into a spray bottle or small bowl. After hour 3, spritz or mop the pork lightly every 45 minutes and continue smoking until the internal temperature in the thickest part reads 165°F, about 5 hours total.
5. Wrap the pork tightly in a double layer of heavy foil with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar splashed inside, return it to the smoker and cook until a probe slides into the meat with no resistance and the internal temperature is 203°F, roughly 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
6. Leave the pork wrapped and rest it in a cooler or turned-off oven for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours. Resting is what keeps it juicy, so don't skip it.
7. Unwrap over a tray to catch the juices, pull out the bone (it should slide free) and shred the meat with two forks. Toss the pork with the collected juices and a final splash of vinegar, taste for salt, and pile into naan or soft rolls.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem