A good start is half the battle
To give the pulled pork a good, intense flavour, we recommend marinating the meat one day in advance. Roast the coriander seeds briefly in a pan. Put all spices and the sugar in a mortar and grind the mix. Add the fried coriander seeds and repeat the process. Then peel and finely chop the garlic. Mix everything together and rub the meat with this mixture. Cover the meat with foil and leave to rest overnight in the fridge.
Smoked pulled pork: a combination of smoking and grilling
For the preparation of smoked pulled pork we use the Barbecook Oskar smoker. With Oskar, smoking becomes child's play. A built-in thermometer, an enamelled finish and an adjustable air supply. Don't have an Oskar? No problem, smoking is possible with any barbecue that has a lid. For example, it's also perfectly possible with one of our gas barbecues!
Important: take the meat out of the fridge in time, about an hour before you start smoking. Soak some cherry smoking chips in water, then drain, wrap in a few sheets of aluminum foil and pierce some holes.
Light your Oskar with the Barbecook charcoal starter. Once the coals are hot and grey, place the package with smoking chips on the coals and the marinated piece of pork on the grill. The Oskar should have a temperature between 100 and 120°C at this time. For extra taste, you can pour some cider into the stock bowl of your Oskar. We prefer apple cider, but of course there are plenty of other options. Let the smoker do its job. The cooking and smoking time depends on the size of the piece of meat. So use a digital thermometer and wait until the pork has reached a core temperature of 70°C. Once it has reached 70°C, generously coat the pork shoulder with barbecue sauce of your choice. Then let the piece of meat continue to cook at the same temperature for another 1.5 hours. Check regularly that there is still enough cider in the bowl, that the temperature is ok and that there is sufficient smoke circulating. After 1.5 hours, wrap the pork shoulder in aluminum foil and let the meat continue cooking to a core temperature of 88°C. This is a guideline. For example, if you reach a core temperature of 95°C, this is absolutely no problem.
Now your pulled pork should be about ready. To test whether the meat is soft, you can pierce through your aluminum foil with a skewer. Is this going smoothly? Then your pulled pork is ready to indulge! Place in a large bowl and pull apart with two forks. Mix in some more barbecue sauce.
Warm the buns a little more, on the barbecue, and grill the red onion briefly. Serve the warm, crispy bread rolls with the smoked pulled pork, coleslaw, grilled onion, a fresh mayo dressing and/or barbecue sauce. Enjoy!
