Slow Cooked BBQ Pork

Just in time for summer, we have a great slow smoked BBQ Pork recipe.  This does have a bunch of steps and does take 18 hours but the actual time you have to work on it is about 45 minutes . Just make sure to leave some time for this.

It is worth it.

We sliced it for dinner the night I fixed it and chopped up the leftovers for sandwiches later in the week. 

There's many steps and smaller recipes to this so I will be listing them all in the order you need to use them.

 

The day before you want to cook the pork you need to make the Brine, Marinade and Rub.

Here's what you need for the Brine, Marinade and Rub:

Brine: The salt and sugar are in the small bowl. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the salt and sugar dissolve.  Set aside in the fridge until ready to use. 

Garlicky Marinade:

Combine all ingredients into a blender or processor and puree until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.

BBQ Rub:  Combine all spices in a bowl and mix, set aside.

Now for the main attraction: The Pork:  We got a 10lb bone in Pork Butt from the local butcher.

In a foil pan or deep pan lined with foil, place your pork butt. Take a flavor injector (you can buy at most grocery stores in the marinade aisle) and using the Brine you want to inject the pork butt about every inch or two. If you don't have an injector you can take a knife and make small slits or holes all over the top and slowly pour the brine over the pork making sure it soaks in. You may have to do this a few times, so it's best if you can get an injector.

After Brining, pour the Garlicky Marinade all over the Pork.

Next take your BBQ Rub and sprinkle all over the pork and lightly rub it into the pork even on the bottom.  Cover with foil and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. 

Now for the big day of cooking.  You still have some things to do to get ready. Remember, it cooks for about 6 hours at least and to get the coals ready you'll need about another 10 - 20 minutes so plan accordingly.  I started my grill about 8:30 a.m. for a 3:00 p.m. dinner.  Be sure to take your pork out of the fridge and let come up to room temp. before you put on the grill

Here's what you need for the cooking stages:

BBQ Mop: A mop is simply a basting liquid you spray or mop onto the meat in the last hours of cooking.  Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. I poured into a new spray bottle I use for cooking. 

Wood Chunks or Chips: I used Peach Wood Chunks. Soak the chunks or chips in water or a mixture of water and apple juice like I did.

Cooking Liquid Pan for the grill:  This is crucial to not let the pork dry out while cooking and goes on the grill underneath the pork. I used apple juice and apple cider vinegar but you can use just water.

Now for getting the grill ready:

I used a charcoal chimney to get my coals ready which will take about 10 - 15 minutes.

When the coals have turned grey and ready place them on one side of the grill in an even layer. At this time I added 6 - 8 more coals on one side of the pile to help keep the coals going. You will have to add coals throughout the cooking time, a handful at a time. I went through about a 15lb bag of charcoal.

Next place your pans of liquid on the other side of the grill.

Take three chunks of your soaked wood and place on top of the hot coals.

Place the top cooking grate on the grill and place your pork over the liquid pans on the opposite side of the hot coals.

Close the lid and open the vents about halfway to allow the smoke to penetrate the meat. 

Now let it do it's thing. Don't go opening the lid unless you are adding more wood chips or coals which you will need to do about every hour or hour and a half. (Just don't let the fire die out.)

Also be careful when adding more wood or coals, use some tongs and lift up the grate just enough to slide the coals and wood in and quickly close the lid. The last 2 hours of cooking, every half hour spray or mop the pork with the BBQ Mop you made earlier. When finished the pork should read about 160 - 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Now for the BBQ Sauce:

Here's what you need:

Saute the onions for about 5 minutes.  

Chop the garlic and add to the onions and cook for about 1 minute.

Add all the rest of the ingredients, mix well and bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes on a simmer. Let cool and place in the fridge until ready to use.

After about 6 hours this is what my Pork looked like.  After letting it sit for about 10 minutes, it was ready to slice up and serve.

Notice the pink around the edges of the pork, this does not mean it's under cooked, that's the smoke ring and is exactly what you want to see. That shows you how deep the smoke cooked into the meat. 

Total Time:   18 hr 45 min

Prep   45 min

Inactive  12 hr

Cook   6 hr 0 min

Ingredients

• 1 (8 - 10 pound) pork butt

Directions

4 cups wood chips, soaked in water for 1 hour

• Brine, recipe follows
• Garlicky Marinade, recipe follows
• Dry Rub, recipe follows
• Mop Spray, recipe follows
• Barbeque Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat a charcoal grill to 225 degrees F. Carefully edge the coals to 1 side and then add 1/2 cup drained wood chips. Place 1 cup of water in metal drip pan on opposite side.

Inject the pork butt with brine about every 2-inches and then rub with marinade and dust with dry rub. Place the pork on the grill, directly over the drip pan and cook. Be sure to replenish the coals as the temperatures drops, the chips as the smoke dissipates and the water in the drip pan.

After 6 hours, spray the pork with cider mop every half hour. Cook until a thermometer placed into the thickest part of pork reaches 195 degrees F. Transfer to a platter, brush with the sauce and let rest 30 minutes. To serve, slice into 1/2-pound servings, place on plates and serve with extra sauce alongside.

Brine:

• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until the salt and sugar dissolve and then place into meat syringe for immediate brining or reserve, refrigerated, for later use.

Garlicky Barbecue Marinade:

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree. Remove to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Dry Rub:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well and store in an air tight container for later use.

Cider Mop Spray:

• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Barbecue Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup smoked bacon, cut into rectangles about 1-inch long and 1/2-inch wide
• 1/2 cup sweet (Vidalia or Maui) onion, minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup molasses 
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup Red Wine or Cider vinegar

Heat the oil in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, garlic, onion power, garlic powder, black pepper, and cloves. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and water and then bring to a simmer. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, honey, preserves and juice and then simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and season with the vinegar. Remove the bacon with a spider and discard. Puree the mixture with a hand blender and then cool and reserve for later use.