Apple-Smoked Porchetta-Style Pulled Pork

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A boneless pork shoulder rubbed with crushed fennel seed, rosemary, garlic and lemon zest, then smoked low and slow over apple wood until it pulls apart with two forks. All the flavours of Italian porchetta with none of the rolling and tying — just a long, easy afternoon at 250°F and a pile of impossibly juicy pork for ciabatta rolls.

Ingredients

• 5 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp coarse black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 chunks apple wood chunks (or 3 cups apple wood chips)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 8 ciabatta rolls, split

Instructions

1. Crush the fennel seeds coarsely under the bottom of a heavy pan or in a mortar. Mix them with the kosher salt, rosemary, grated garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
2. Pat the pork shoulder dry, rub it all over with the olive oil, then press the fennel rub into every surface, working it into the seams and folds of the meat. Let it sit uncovered on a tray in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight for deeper flavour.
3. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add the apple wood chunks. Apple gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke that suits pork and fennel; cherry works too. Let the smoke run clean and blue before the meat goes on.
4. Place the pork fat-side up directly on the grate and smoke undisturbed for 3 hours. Pour the cider vinegar into a spray bottle (or use a brush) and spritz the surface every 45 minutes after that, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and the bark is deep mahogany — roughly 5 hours total.
5. Wrap the pork tightly in two layers of heavy foil with any leftover vinegar splashed in, return it to the smoker, and cook until a probe slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the internal temperature reads 203°F (95°C), about 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
6. Rest the wrapped pork in a dry cooler or turned-off oven for 45 minutes — this is not optional, it is what keeps the meat juicy.
7. Open the foil over a bowl, pull the pork apart with two forks, discarding large fat pockets, and toss the shredded meat with the collected juices. Pile onto split ciabatta rolls and serve.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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