Pellet Smoked Pulled Pork Kansas City Style Recipes

BOB'S PULLED PORK ON A SMOKER

Steps:

• Place pork shoulder in a large pot and add enough apple cider to cover. Combine white sugar, brown sugar, salt, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl. Mix about 1/4 cup sugar rub into cider; reserve remaining rub.
• Cover pot and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Prepare smoker to about 210 degrees F (99 degrees C). Add enough wood chips to smoker.
• Pour cider brine into the water pan of the smoker; add onion and about 1/4 cup more sugar rub. Spread remaining rub over pork shoulder. Transfer pork to the center of smoker.
• Smoke pork until very tender, about 8 hours. Monitor hickory chips and liquid, adding more wood and water, respectively, as needed. Transfer pork to a large platter and cool for 30 minutes before shredding with forks.

OKLAHOMA JOE'S PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Combine all the spices in a bowl, mix well. Pat the spice rub onto the meat, making sure to heavily season the entire surface area. Cover or wrap the pork and let it sit at room temperature while getting the smoker or charcoal grill fired up. Do not leave at room temperature for longer than 1 hour.
• The grill is ready when the charcoal has burned to a white ash. If using a grill instead of a smoker, arrange the coals on 1 side of the grill, leaving an area large enough for the pork to cook indirectly with no coals directly underneath the meat.
• When the grill has reached 200 to 225 degrees F, scatter 1/4 of the wood chips over the coals, close the grate, put the pork on the grill and close the lid.
• Maintain a 200 to 225 degree F cooking temperature inside the grill, adding coals every 2 hours or as necessary. Add wood chips and spray the pork with apple juice every time you add new coals. Try not to lift the lid of the cooker at any other time.
• When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F on an instant read meat thermometer (after about 4 to 5 hours), remove it from the grill and double wrap in aluminum foil to keep the juices from leaking out. Return pork to the grill (or smoker) The pork is finished cooking when it pulls apart easily and reaches an internal temperature of 190 to 195 degrees F, about another 1 to 2 hours. Let rest for 1 hour, then unwrap the pork butt and pull the bone out. "Pull" the pork by hand, shredding it and discarding any large pieces of fat. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.

KANSAS CITY PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Trim most of the visible fat from the outside of the pork butt leaving about 1/8- to 1/4-inch layer of fat on top. Place pork on baking pan. Rub all over with Sweet and Smoky Rub. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Prepare grill for indirect medium-low heat (250°F to 325°F). Preheat grill by turning all burners to high. Turn burner on 1 side to medium-high. Turn off burner(s) on other side. Carefully place foil pan under grates on unlit side of grill to catch drippings. Place pork, fat-side up, on unlit side of grill. Close grill.
• Grill about 6 hours until internal temperature of thickest part of pork butt is 165°F. Carefully remove pork from grill and wrap in foil.
• Return pork to grill, placing it back on unlit side. Grill 1 to 2 hours longer or until internal temperature is 195°F to 200°F or until meat is tender and bone twists easily.
• Remove pork from grill. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Slice or shred with 2 forks. Serve with warm pan juices or your favorite barbecue sauce, if desired.
• Smoking Tip: Soak 1 cup hickory wood chips in enough water to cover for 1 hour. Drain. Fill smoker box with wet wood chips. (If your grill does not have a smoker box, place wood chips on a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Fold up sides to form a pouch. Poke several holes in foil.) Place smoker box under grill grates on one side of grill. Close lid. Continue as directed on Step 2. The side of the grill with the smoker box should be the lit side. Refill the smoker box with fresh wet wood chips every 1 1/2 to 2 hours.