Directions: |
Directions:Preheat oven to 225º F
Allow 10 hours for 5 lbs. of meat or 2 hours per pound at 225º F.
Pulling time: 30 minutes if you do it with your fingers, 10 minutes with Bear Claws or for forks (15 minutes).
Rinse and thoroughly dry the meat. Coat all surfaces of meat with liquid smoke. Oil the meat with olive oil, coating all surfaces. This will help the rub adhere and also help dissolve the oil soluble flavors in the rub and carry it into the meat. Apply rub to all surfaces of the roasts.
Place the meat, (fat side up) on a rack in a large roasting pan, side by side if roasting two, but not touching each other or the sides of the pan.
Is it ready? At about 170º F, collagens, which are part of the connective tissues, begin to melt and turn to gelatin. the meat gets very tender and juicy when this happens. At 190º F, it may be ready, and it may not be ready. But it is time to check. The exterior should be dark brown. Some rubs and cookers will make the meat look black like a meteorite, but it is not burnt and doesn't taste burnt. There may be glistening bits of melted fat. On a gas cooker or in an oven it may look shiny pink. If there is a bone, use a glove or paper towel to protect your fingers and wiggle the bone. If it turns easily and comes out of the meat, the collagens have melted and you are done. If there is no bone, use the "stick a fork in it method". Insert a fork and try to rotate it 90 degrees. If it turns with only a little torque, you're done. If it's not done, close the lid and check again in 30 minutes. If the internal temperature reaches 190º F but the meat is still not tender, reduce the heat in your cooker to about 190º F and hold it there for as much as another hour. It should then be done. If not, you've just got a tough butt. Wrap tough butts in aluminum foil and let them go for another hour, but don't take them above 200º F or else the muscle fibers will start giving up moisture and toughen. If you can't control the temperature on your cooker, wrap the meat in heavy duty foil and move it indoors into a 190º F oven. Do not add sauce while it is on the cooker. That comes after you pull it.
Pulling pork: Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and 'pull' the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and puling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl.
Serve and enjoy! |
This recipe for Pulled Pork is from