Pit-Style Pork Roast Robert
Submitted by mmr
Pit-style smoked pork shoulder grilled over hickory wood chips with a tangy mustard-vinegar barbecue sauce. Low and slow for 3 hours until fall-apart tender.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsThis is real-deal pit barbecue done on a covered charcoal grill. A 5-pound pork shoulder smokes over soaked hickory wood chips arranged around a drip pan, cooking low and slow for about 3 hours until the internal temperature hits 170°F (77°C) and the meat is completely tender.
The mustard sauce is a Carolina-style classic: apple cider vinegar, prepared mustard, sugar, hot chili peppers, butter, Worcestershire, and chili powder simmered together and brushed on during the last hour of cooking. The vinegar tang and mustard bite cut straight through the rich, fatty pork.
Soaking the wood chips for at least an hour before grilling produces smoke instead of flames. That steady hickory smoke is what gives the pork its characteristic barbecue flavor.
Pro Tips
- Arrange coals around the drip pan, never directly under the meat. This is indirect heat, and it’s what separates smoking from grilling.
- Add more charcoal and wood chips as needed to maintain low, steady heat. Don’t let the fire die down or spike.
- Only brush the sauce on during the last hour. Applied too early, the sugar burns and turns bitter.
- Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes after pulling it off the grill. The juices redistribute and the meat becomes easier to slice or pull.
Variations
- Use a tomato-based sauce instead of mustard for a more traditional Kansas City-style flavor.
- Add a tablespoon of smoked paprika to the sauce for deeper smokiness.
- Pull the meat instead of slicing and serve on buns with coleslaw for pulled pork sandwiches.
Ingredients
Directions
At least one hour before grilling, soak wood chips in enough water to cover.
Drain wood chips. Prepare mustard sauce as directed below.
In covered grill, arranged preheated coals around drip pan; test for low heat above pan.
Sprinkle 4 cups of the wood chips over coals.
Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of meat, without touching fat or bone.
On grill rack, place meat over pan but not over coals.
Grill, covered, 3 hours or until well-done or 170 degrees F.
Note: (allow 35 to 40 minutes per pound). Adjust vents and add more charcoal and wood chips as necessary.
Brush often with sauce during the last hour.
Prepare sauce by combining all ingredients in 1-quart saucepan.
Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring often.
Let stand at least 1 hour before serving.
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