How to Cook the Best Kamado Pulled Pork
I like to cook pulled pork when I’m expecting to have a few friends over for lunch or dinner. It’s a big cut of pork which, when cooked properly, will be really juicy and and seriously tender. Cooking the best kamado pulled pork isn’t difficult but it takes time. Actually, it takes a lot of time, 8 hours or more!
About Kamado Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder, AKA pork butt or Boston butt, is a real crowd-pleaser. It’s a fairly tough cut of pork, but when it’s cooked low n’ slow, it becomes tender and delicious. It has a perfect amount of marbling of fat running through it. So, when the fat renders down during the cook and it gives a fantastic taste and the meat just crumbles in your hands. Cooking it low n’ slow guarantees a great bark and fall apart pork. I used to cook pulled pork regularly in my Kamado Bono Grande. Since upgrading to my Kamado Bono Grande Limited, I now use it regularly to cook pork ribs, pulled pork and more.
Is Boston butt a good cut of pork?
Boston butt is a tough cut of pork. However, when it’s cooked just right, the fat within it renders down and it becomes fall-apart tender and just delicious.
What is the difference between a pork shoulder and a Boston butt?
Boston butt (also called pork butt) is a cut from just above the pig’s shoulder blades, while pork shoulder meat extends all the way down from the shoulder to the pig’s front hoofs.
What cut of meat is a Boston butt? And where is the Boston butt on a pig
Boston butt and pork shoulder are a similar cut from the shoulder of the pig. Unlike as the name suggests, it doesn’t come from anywhere near the pig’s butt!
Pork Dry Rub Recipe
When I’m cooking pulled pork, I like to be fairly aggressive with my dry rub. I use several ingredients including:
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Cinnamon
- Cayenne pepper
- Onion powder
You can add your own twist to your pork dry rub. Try adding different spices or changing the quantities of the different ingredients of this pork dry rub recipe. You can read my full recipe for sweet & spicy pork dry rub here.
How do you make pulled pork in Kamado?
- Use a paper towel to pat the pork dry
- Trim the pork so that there are no obvious loose pieces or hard bits of fat that will burn
- With a sharp knife, score the surface of the fat cap, making sure not to cut into the muscle
- Generously apply the dry rub (allow it to rest it if you like, but it’s not essential)
- Fill your kamado with charcoal, light and aim for a temperature of between 120-135 °C (250-275 °F)
- Configure your kamado with both heat deflectors installed and place a drip tray under where you’re putting the pork
- Place the pork on the grill, fat side up and leave it to cook for about 5 hours
- Check for any cracks in the fat – these will indicate it’s cooked and ready to be spritzed and wrapped
- Remove from the kamado and place on two sheets of tin foil. The tin foil needs to be strong enough to support the weight of the cut of pork and also big enough to cover it completely – we want to keep all those juices in the wrap
- Next, spritz or mop with water, apple cider vinegar or apple juice. Then seal it up as best you can
- After another 3 hours or so, open up and probe for tenderness
- At an internal temperature of 68 °C (155 °F), remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for 30 minutes (1 min per 100 g)
- Transfer the pork and juices into a big bowl and shred completely
- Eat and enjoy!
How long do I cook pulled pork for in Kamado Joe?
The amount of time you cook pulled pork for in any kamado depends on size of piece of pork. So, for a 2 kg piece of pork, you can expect to cook it for 8 hours. 5 hours unwrapped and then 3 hours wrapped in heavy duty tin foil.
What is the best temp to smoke pulled pork?
The best temperature to smoke pulled pork is between 120-135 °C (250-275 °F).
Tips for Cooking the Best Kamado Pulled Pork
- Use a towel to take the meat off and on the kamado. You’ll prevent burning your hands
- Check for doneness by pulling the shoulder blade bone. If it falls out, then it’s done!
- Allow the cooked pulled pork to rest for about 30 mins after cooking. This will allow the muscles to loosen up and absorb all those juices from cooking. If you don’t, then it’ll dry out quickly