Pulled pork is the long game. A shoulder needs 8 to 10 hours over low, steady heat before it turns into something you can pull apart with two forks. The reward is a dark bark, a deep smoke ring and meat that stays juicy. A bullet smoker such as the Stack 47 Bullet Smoker holds 110 to 120°C all day on one load of charcoal, which is exactly what the cook asks for.
Rub and set up
Take a 2 to 2.5 kg bone-in pork shoulder and dry it well. Coat it in a simple rub: 2 tbsp fine salt, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tsp mustard powder and 1 tsp garlic powder. Work it in, then let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you light the fire.
Fill the Chimney Starter with lumpwood, light it with a couple of Wood Wool Firelighters and wait for grey coals. Tip them into the smoker, add two or three oak or hickory chunks for smoke, fill the water pan and bring the smoker to 110 to 120°C. Keep the vents nearly closed and let it settle for 20 minutes before the meat goes in.
The cook
Put the shoulder on, fat side up, close the lid and leave it alone. Cook for 8 to 10 hours, holding 110 to 120°C, until the internal temperature reaches about 75°C and the meat passes through the stall. The stall is normal: the meat sweats and the temperature sits still for an hour or two. Do not turn up the heat. When you reach 75°C, wrap the shoulder tightly in foil or butcher paper with a splash of apple juice. This pushes it through the stall and keeps it moist.
Finish and rest
Keep cooking until a probe slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance at 93°C. That is probe tender. Take it off, leave it wrapped and rest it for at least an hour, ideally in a cool box with a towel over it. It will hold for two hours that way.
Fuel and smoke
Use a good lumpwood charcoal and keep the fire clean. Two or three chunks of oak or hickory are plenty for a shoulder this size, and fruit woods such as apple or cherry work well too. Too much smoke makes the meat bitter, so let the thin blue smoke run rather than the thick white kind. Top up with fresh coals every two hours or when the temperature starts to fall.
If you do not have a bullet smoker, you can run the same cook on a kettle using the two-zone setup, with the shoulder on the cool side and a drip tray underneath.
To serve
- Pull the pork with two forks or gloved hands, discarding the bone and any big fat pockets
- Mix the bark through the meat for flavour and texture
- Add a splash of vinegar sauce or the resting juices
- Pile it into soft buns with slaw and pickles
Season as you pull, taste, then season again. Pulled pork keeps well, so cook the biggest shoulder that fits and eat it for days. If the bark softens a little in the wrap, that is fine, because the flavour is still there. Serve it with a sharp slaw to cut the richness.
