Meat-by-the-Pound Smoky Pulled Pork with Vinegar Slaw

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A big-batch pork shoulder built the barbecue-joint way: a coarse black-pepper rub, hours of low smoke or low oven heat, a foil wrap to push it past the stall, then a long rest before pulling. You get two to three pounds of tender pork tossed in its own defatted jus, a sharp cabbage slaw, and — most importantly — a reheating method that keeps day-three pork as juicy as day one. Pile it on soft buns with pickles and thin vinegar sauce.

Ingredients

• 5 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt), fat cap trimmed to 1/4 inch
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard, as a binder

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups wood chunks or chips, hickory or oak (optional, for smoking)

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 lb green cabbage, cored and shredded thin (about 6 cups)
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 8 soft white hamburger buns or slider rolls
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for toasting buns
• 1 cup dill pickle chips
• 1/2 white onion, sliced paper-thin (optional)

Instructions

1. The night before (or at least 8 hours ahead), pat the pork shoulder dry. Combine the salt, black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, dry mustard, and cayenne in a bowl. Smear the pork all over with the yellow mustard, then press the rub onto every surface, including the underside and the seams. Set it fat-cap up on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered overnight — the surface will dry into a tacky layer that takes smoke and forms bark.
2. Take the pork out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Set up your heat: for a smoker or kettle grill, build an indirect fire and hold 250°F, adding 2 wood chunks (or a foil packet of soaked chips) at the start and again after 90 minutes. For the oven, set a rack in the lower third and preheat to 275°F; place the pork fat-cap up on a rack in a roasting pan and add 1 cup water to the pan.
3. Cook the pork undisturbed for the first 3 hours. Meanwhile, warm the apple cider, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan until the butter melts; transfer to a spray bottle or keep it with a brush. After hour 3, spritz or brush the pork every 45 minutes.
4. Start checking internal temperature at hour 4 with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part, avoiding the bone. When the pork reads 165°F to 170°F and the bark is deep mahogany and set (it should not smear when you touch it), pull it out. This usually lands between hours 4 and 5.
5. Wrap tightly: lay out two long sheets of heavy-duty foil, set the pork in the middle, pour 1/2 cup of the remaining spritz liquid over it, and seal into a tight package with the seam on top so liquid pools underneath. Return it to the smoker or oven.
6. Cook wrapped until the pork reads 203°F and a probe or skewer slides into the meat with almost no resistance, 2 to 3 hours more. Total time is typically 6 1/2 to 8 hours for a 5-pound butt — go by feel and temperature, never the clock.
7. Rest the wrapped pork in a small cooler or a turned-off oven for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours. This is not optional: it lets the juices redistribute and is the difference between moist pork and stringy pork.
8. While it rests, make the sauce and slaw. Whisk the 1 cup cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a saucepan and simmer over medium-low for 5 minutes, then cool. For the slaw, toss cabbage and carrot with the 3 tablespoons vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, celery seed, and pepper; refrigerate at least 20 minutes and toss again before serving.
9. Open the foil over a bowl and pour off all the accumulated jus — you should have about 1 cup. Let it sit 5 minutes, then skim and discard the clear fat from the top with a spoon or fat separator; keep the dark, savory liquid.
10. Pull the pork while it's still hot: remove and discard the blade bone (it should slide free) and any thick pockets of unrendered fat, then shred the meat with two forks or gloved hands into rough finger-length strands. Chop through the darkest bark pieces and mix them back in for texture. Toss the pulled pork with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the defatted jus and 1/4 cup of the vinegar sauce, tasting and adding salt if needed.
11. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 60 to 90 seconds until golden. Pile on 4 to 5 ounces of pork per bun, top with slaw, pickles, thin onion, and a spoonful of vinegar sauce.
12. To store for later pounds: cool the pork to room temperature within 1 hour, then pack it in 1-pound portions in zip-top bags or containers with 3 tablespoons of the reserved jus per pound. Press flat, seal, and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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