In need of new pulled pork recipe

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Pig Nutz

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I need some help here, been scouring this site and the Internet for years trying to come up with a great, can't miss everyday type pulled pork rub/ recipe. You know one of those recipes that has stood the test of time and is just plain good.

I'm just a backyard guy cooking for my family and have what I consider great recipes for ribs, chicken and brisket and even a real good pulled pork recipe but not THE recipe I'm looking for. I like spicy and not much of a fan of sugar although my current favorite does have some sugar I don't want the end result to be in any way sweet.

I bought a butt today and plan on cooking it in a couple days on the UDS at 275-300 till tender. Can anyone end my years of pulled pork frustration and show me the path to pulled pork nirvana?
 
Have you ever had a pulled pork somewhere that knocked you off your feet? From a specific region? It is a hard question to answer.

My go to for commercial rubs is Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy layered with The Rub Company Santa Maria style rub.
 
PITMASTER "T" BUTT GLITTER SPRINKLE

8 tsp paprika
3 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp celery seed
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp mustard powder

I apply a light coat of Slap yo Momma then hit it with the BGS It will make your Lips smack ya Gums so hard you'll knock your Eye teethe out:-D
 
I like to make up my own rubs when possible. Its enjoyable for me and what i want is pork that is great on its own as a sandwich and not sweet. I've made all kinds of sauces and slaws and enjoy them all depending on my mood. There is one commercial product that is on the order of what I'm looking for and I hope I don't get in advertiser trouble by mentioning it on here but maybe it would help give an idea of what I'm looking for. I've never bought this seasoning but have eaten it several times at my brothers. I can't buy it locally and prefer to make my own from grocery store ingredients. So what I'm looking for I guess is something similiar to Custom Culinary Pork BBQ Spice. It's kind of like zinged up Lawrys salt. I could try to duplicate it as a start and Do know how to get close, just don't have the time right now for this particular butt. It's 800mg sodium per teaspoon and the ingredients are in order. Salt, dextrose, MSG,paprika, hydrolized corn soy protein,mustard, onion, garlic, spices and smoke seasoning. Again I don't need this recipe its just an idea of what I'm looking for.
 
Sorry I missed the last couple responses. Started typing my post above this and had to go cook some steaks before I got done.
 
Mark’s Butt Rub
1 Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Kosher Salt
1 TBsp AllSpice
1 TBsp Paprika
1 TBsp Granulated Garlic
1 TBsp Granulated Onion
1 TBsp Ground White Pepper
 
Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt applied right before tossing on the cooker. If you want to get super fancy, add a bit of granulated garlic and granulated onion, maybe a touch of paprika.

For me, less is more.
 
slobber that sucker with A1 Sauce and then LIBERALLY apply Tony Cacheres to it heavily. Put on smoker and forget it till its done. Bark will be just fine and when you pull it and that bark gets mixed in with the innard meat, Angels in Heaven will smile.
 
El Ropo said:
Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt applied right before tossing on the cooker. If you want to get super fancy, add a bit of granulated garlic and granulated onion, maybe a touch of paprika.

For me, less is more.
Click to expand...

I'm with El Ropo. For a butt especially, 90% of the meat is never even touched or affected by the rub, so trying to find a holy grail rub that is going to make a butt awesome is a fool's errand. You certainly want a good bark, but it doesn't take anything special to achieve that. Of course, if you start talking injections, then you may have something that can impart flavor on the rest of the meat.

But IMO, when it comes to pulled pork, it's all about tenderness, moisture, and then getting a good mix of bark and internal meat when serving. Then a kiss of sauce to finish it off. The best rub in the world isn't going to make the inside of a butt taste better, so if you aren't injecting, it's more about cooking it properly and having just a decent rub to bring out some flavor and take on some smoke to add the flavor to the rest of the meat when it's served.
 
4uweque said:
Inject it with Chris Lilly's injection recipe and rub it with whatever rub you like. Best butts ever.
Click to expand...

Just did 20+ lbs yesterday with Chris Lilly's rub/injection/mop....and it was amazing.

RUB:
1/2 Tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

INJECTION:
3/4 Cup Apple Juice
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Salt

Mop: (Apply every hour for the last few hours of the cook)
3 Cups Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Cayenne Powder
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Slices of Lemon

After the meat was done and pulled, I sprinkled some of the rub and squirted some of the mop on top of the meat and mixed it in.
 
Best butt recipe ever??

Get a 8-10lb butt from Sam's or Costco.

Pick your favorite rub and apply liberally.

Then smoke over apple and cherry at 225 for 12-15 hours. No basting, no saucing, and no looking until that 11-12 hour mark. Even at that point keep your peaks short and limited to once every 45 minutes.

After its pulled, finish sauce it with Blue Hog Tennessee Red to give you that peppery tangy flavor you seek.

Requires a lot of attention dedicated to the cooker but its the best damn butt you will ever have.
 
J

El Ropo said:
Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt applied right before tossing on the cooker. If you want to get super fancy, add a bit of granulated garlic and granulated onion, maybe a touch of paprika.

For me, less is more.
Click to expand...

This is how I do it too. I do approximately equal parts pepper and kosher salt and the a touch of garlic and onion (but not the paprika). I generously apply while my cooker is getting up to temp.
 
marubozo said:
I'm with El Ropo. For a butt especially, 90% of the meat is never even touched or affected by the rub, so trying to find a holy grail rub that is going to make a butt awesome is a fool's errand. You certainly want a good bark, but it doesn't take anything special to achieve that. Of course, if you start talking injections, then you may have something that can impart flavor on the rest of the meat.

But IMO, when it comes to pulled pork, it's all about tenderness, moisture, and then getting a good mix of bark and internal meat when serving. Then a kiss of sauce to finish it off. The best rub in the world isn't going to make the inside of a butt taste better, so if you aren't injecting, it's more about cooking it properly and having just a decent rub to bring out some flavor and take on some smoke to add the flavor to the rest of the meat when it's served.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much what I've seen, tried injections they are good and without them the inside can be rather bland unless the bark is really tasty and has enough salt/flavor for all the internal meat. This is why I want a real tasty rub that doesn't contain much sugar because I want to be able to season the meat with it after its pulled without making it sweet. My favorite rub now tastes great after it is cooked on the pork, but not great for adding later, because uncooked its quite bitter from mustard powder and celerly seed. It has quite a bit of these two ingredients.
 
Like Landarc said it's a regional thing. I can only speak about ENC style because that's the only one I really like. It may not suit you at all. Common mistakes people make IMO it to much rub, using a rub with more than 5 ingredients, KISS, cooking at to high temperature, not cooking long enough, looking at the meat while cooking, and not letting it rest long enough. A properly cooked butt can be really screwed up with your BIL's sauce recipe or one off the shelf with the pretty hog on the label. Patients and KISS.
 
To put a scientific spin on an art, you should change only one cooking parameter at a time.

For example, try cooking 2 similarly shaped butts with apple/hickory. Apply two different rubs. Cook, pull, sauce half the results, and sample.

Or use the same rub on both, but inject one.

Next time, try changing the wood.

I used to think I had a "lock" with a certain type of wood not readily available outside California, but I have gotten some tasty results using *cough* mesquite.
 
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