Smoked Bourbon Brown Sugar Pulled Pork

This pulled pork recipe is fairly simple recipe to make and guaranteed to impress friends and family at your next gathering. The meat comes out so succulent and tender it could be shredded by hand and the bourbon brown sugar mop sauce gives the bark an amzingly sweet and tangy flavor.

Recipe Information

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours
Rest Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 12 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 15 (estimate 1/2 lb of meat per person)
Category: Main Dish

Ingredients

7 to 9 lb Pork Shoulder / Boston Butt
1/4 Cup - Pork Rub

Mop Sauce

3/4 cup Southern Bourbon or Whiskey
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees. (use hickory or a fruit wood)
Remove your pork from the packaging and wipe it down on all sides with paper towels, cleaning off any liquid or bone pieces on the exterior.
Liberally coat yoru entire piece of pork on all sides wiith a pork rub. Do not rub in seasoning just pat it to make sure it sticks to the pork.
Put your pork in the center of the smoker fat cap facing up. (This will cook until it hits an internal temperature of 170 degrees. This could take up to 7 hours or so to happen)
Close lid and go prepare your mop sauce
1. Place all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently
Every hour mop the entire pork butt wiht the mop sauce using a mop or brush (be careful if using brush not to remove the seasoning)
Once the internal temperature of the pork has reached 170 degrees remove it from the smoker and place it in an aluminum pan.
Pour remaining mop sauce over the pork and cover entire pan with aluminum foil
Return the pork to the smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 201 - 205 degrees
Remove the pork shoulder from the smoker when it has reached the temperature and allow to rest in the pan covered by the aluminum for at least a half an hour before shredding.
Pull apart the pork, discarding any chunks of fat or gristle. Take the juice from the pan and seperate the fat from the actual juice. Pour the juice over the shredded pork. 12.
Serve and enjoy!