Cherry-Smoked Shoyu Pulled Pork

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weekend smoker project with a Japanese accent: pork shoulder rubbed simply with salt and brown sugar, smoked low and slow over cherry wood, then wrapped and finished with a soy-mirin-ginger glaze. Pull it into sticky, smoky shreds and pile it over hot rice with scallions. Only a handful of ingredients and the smoker does all the work.

Ingredients

• 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 4 chunks cherry wood chunks

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Pat the pork shoulder dry. Mix the kosher salt and brown sugar and rub it over every surface, pressing it in. Leave the pork uncovered on a rack or plate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight) so the surface dries — that dry surface is what takes on smoke.
2. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add 2 cherry wood chunks once the temperature is steady. Cherry gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke that suits the soy glaze; avoid heavy woods like mesquite here.
3. Put the pork on the grate fat side up and smoke at 250°F for about 5 hours, adding the remaining 2 cherry chunks over the first 2 hours only. Do not open the lid otherwise. You are looking for a deep mahogany bark and an internal temperature of about 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.
4. While it smokes, simmer the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly syrupy. Stir in the sesame oil and set aside off the heat.
5. Lay the pork on a large double sheet of heavy foil, spoon over one third of the glaze, and wrap tightly. Return it to the smoker, still at 250°F, and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours more until the internal temperature reaches 203°F (95°C) and a skewer slides into the meat with no resistance.
6. Leave the pork wrapped and rest it in a cooler or turned-off oven for 45 minutes — this is not optional, it lets the juices settle and the meat pull cleanly.
7. Open the foil, discard any large lumps of fat, and shred the pork with two forks directly in its juices. Toss with the remaining glaze, taste for salt, and scatter with scallions. Serve over steamed rice or in soft buns.
8. (Not used)

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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