Pulled Pork- done on the grill!

We've had the most beautiful weather lately, and this past weekend was gorgeous! Yes, fall is in the air, but it's still perfect grilling weather. I like to grill as long as possible, even if it's just grilled burgers and sausages. I've been wanting to try grilling a pork shoulder for pulled pork for sometime, but it is not one of those quick dishes that I normally like to make, so I've been putting it off. If my family didn't love barbecue so much, I wouldn't have tried this. But my boys are BBQ fanatics, and I have to admit that I enjoy it too. Especially when it turns out well!
Recently, I found pork shoulder on sale at our grocery store for 99 cents per pound! I just couldn't pass that up, even if I did have to buy a 9 pound roast! The wheels were turning as I drove home. Since I have Steven Raichlen's cookbook, "How to Grill", I turned to it for guidance. I also went to Epicurious for his recipe from "The Barbecue Bible", for extra help. I followed his method, but used my own rub for the meat. I must say, it turned out wonderful for my first try. And the guys in my family were thrilled. Nine pounds of meat; it's a good thing we had some company to help us eat it. And we had leftovers too. This was one smoky and juicy pork shoulder. Here's what I did. I cut that huge hunk of meat in half so that it would hopefully get done in one afternoon. Then I added a spice rub, liberally, over it.

You're supposed to cover it and let it stay in the refrigerator for several hours, but I only managed that for a couple of hours. I set up our charcoal grill for indirect heat by setting up charcoal at each end of the grill and placing a drip pan between the piles. When the coals are ready, I placed the 2 pork roasts in the center of the grill over the drip pan. These porkers cooked for 6 hours, with intervals of mopping with a mop sauce and adding more charcoal. You definitely have to plan your day if you want to try this recipe as you have to be home. Charcoal had to be added every hour and also the mop sauce. Was it worth it? YES! This Pulled Pork was deliciously smoky, with a nice spicy crust, and tender enough to pull apart easily.

After removing the roasts from the grill, I placed them in a roaster and covered it with foil for about 30-40 minutes to rest. The pork stayed plenty hot. After resting, I removed the pork to a cutting board and cut it apart into large chunks and then proceeded to shred it with my fingers. It was still hot. I was pleased to see a smoke ring, and the meat tasted so smoky and good. After shredding and removing all the fat, I took a knife and coarsely chopped the meat. At this point, you can add a Carolina Vinegar Sauce, if desired. I prefer to use a thinned down barbecue sauce to pour over the meat to keep it moist. Just my preference. Which ever you do, the meat tastes amazingly tender and smoky. This was a very delicious, enjoyable meal, even if it was time consuming. These porkers "smoked" for 6 hours until they were fall apart tender. They reached 195 degrees on a meat thermometer when I took them off the grill.

Pulled Pork- done on the grill!
You may use a purchased rub, or use my version:

1/4 cup sweet paprika

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. black pepper 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 T. coarse salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle rub over meat and gently"rub" into meat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if desired. Early in the day, set up the grill for indirect grilling and place a drip pan in the middle. When coals are ready, place pork roast over the drip pan and close lid of the grill. Grill for about 4-6 hours, until meat is tender and the internal temperature is about 195 degrees. Mop meat with a mop sauce every hour to keep it moist. Add about 10-12 charcoal briquettes to each side of grill at the same time. I was able to keep the grill temperature at about 250-300 degrees.

When meat is done, let it rest covered in foil for 30minutes or so. Shred meat; chop coarsely, if desired. Spoon a vinegar sauce over meat to keep it moist. I like to use a diluted BBQ sauce for this step. The meat will freeze well as long as it has the extra sauce on it. I served it with baked beans, slaw and potato wedges. When served on a bun, top it off with some slaw for an extra YUM factor! I forgot to do that for pictures! This was wonderful pulled pork! I'll be making this again, just not right away. I'm back to easier meals for awhile!

If you have any advice for my next attempt at making pulled pork this way, just let me know in the comments! Have a great day!