Smoky Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill
By Lan LamPublished on April 30, 2014
Time
5¼ hours, plus 6 hours brining and 20 minutes resting
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Pork
Kosher salt and pepper 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar 1 (5-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed9 ½ ounces wood chips (4 cups)2 (9-inch) disposable aluminum pie plates 1 (13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting panVinegar Sauce
2 cups cider vinegar 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon kosher saltBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. We developed this recipe with hickory chips, though other varieties of hardwood can be used. (We do not recommend mesquite chips.) Before beginning, check your propane tank to make sure that you have at least a half-tank of fuel. If you happen to run out of fuel, you can move the pork to a preheated 300-degree oven to finish cooking. Serve the pulled pork on white bread or hamburger buns with pickles and coleslaw.
Instructions
- Combine 5 teaspoons salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper, paprika, and sugar in small bowl. Cut pork against grain into 3 equal slabs. Rub salt mixture into pork, making sure meat is evenly coated. Wrap pork tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Just before grilling, soak 2 cups wood chips in water for 15 minutes, then drain. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by 4 1/2-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Repeat with remaining 2 cups unsoaked chips. Cut 2 evenly spaced, 2-inch slits in top of each packet.
- Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packets directly on primary burner. Place disposable pie plates, each filled with 3 cups water, directly on other burner(s). Set grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 300 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork on cooler side of grill, directly over water pans; cover; and smoke for 1 1/2 hours.
- Transfer pork to disposable pan. Return disposable pan to cooler side of grill and continue to cook until meat registers 200 degrees, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Transfer pork to carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. Pour juices from disposable pan into fat separator and let stand for 5 minutes.
- While pork rests, whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-size pieces. Stir 1/3 cup defatted juices and 1/2 cup sauce into pork. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
for the pork
for the vinegar sauce
Time
5¼ hours, plus 6 hours brining and 20 minutes restingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
Pork
Vinegar Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork
Vinegar Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork
Vinegar Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
It’s often difficult to imbue pulled pork with rich, smoky flavor when cooking on a gas grill. We cut our pork butt into three pieces to increase the surface area that the smoke could cling to. After salting the pork overnight, we take it directly from the fridge to the grill: The meat’s cool temperature allows more smoke to condense onto its surface.
Instead of inundating the meat with smoke at the beginning, we get the most out of the wood chips by soaking half of them in water to delay when they begin to smoke. Our foil packets are the right size and shape to sit on the grill, and they have just the right size and number of openings to allow in enough oxygen so that the chips smolder, but not so much that they catch fire. Finally, we stir together a bright and spicy vinegar sauce that highlights the pungent smoke flavors of our pulled pork.
Before You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. We developed this recipe with hickory chips, though other varieties of hardwood can be used. (We do not recommend mesquite chips.) Before beginning, check your propane tank to make sure that you have at least a half-tank of fuel. If you happen to run out of fuel, you can move the pork to a preheated 300-degree oven to finish cooking. Serve the pulled pork on white bread or hamburger buns with pickles and coleslaw.
Instructions
- Combine 5 teaspoons salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper, paprika, and sugar in small bowl. Cut pork against grain into 3 equal slabs. Rub salt mixture into pork, making sure meat is evenly coated. Wrap pork tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Just before grilling, soak 2 cups wood chips in water for 15 minutes, then drain. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by 4 1/2-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Repeat with remaining 2 cups unsoaked chips. Cut 2 evenly spaced, 2-inch slits in top of each packet.
- Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packets directly on primary burner. Place disposable pie plates, each filled with 3 cups water, directly on other burner(s). Set grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 300 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork on cooler side of grill, directly over water pans; cover; and smoke for 1 1/2 hours.
- Transfer pork to disposable pan. Return disposable pan to cooler side of grill and continue to cook until meat registers 200 degrees, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Transfer pork to carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. Pour juices from disposable pan into fat separator and let stand for 5 minutes.
- While pork rests, whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-size pieces. Stir 1/3 cup defatted juices and 1/2 cup sauce into pork. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
for the pork
for the vinegar sauce
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