Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwich

I remember the first time that I ever bit into a Pulled Pork Sandwich...I wondered where it had been all of my life.  All of that wonderful BBQ goodness topped with crunchy coleslaw.  It was pure heaven!  Maybe I had those sandwiches in mind when I got Mr. T. a new BBQ and I had found a new recipe to try.

Mr. T. now uses a BBQ/smoker.  The fire is off to the side and the smoke flows over the meat cooking "next door"!


The pork shoulder was rubbed with Head Country All Purpose Championship Seasoning which came highly recommended by Larry at Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings.  (Mr. T is a faithful reader of his blog.)  Larry is always making delicious meals on the BBQ so when he mentioned how great this rub was, Mr. T. ordered some.  Our pork shoulder was delicious....the pulled pork sandwiches were scrumptious!


Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwich

1  8 lb. pork shoulder (Don't buy an expensive cut of meat.  You need a tougher cut as plenty of fat and connective tissue will withstand the long exposure to the heat.)

Barbecued Pork Rub (This is our usual rub for the pork.)

Combine all seasonings.
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried thyme
1 tsp cayenne

Coat the shoulder with the rub, massaging it into the meat.

Grilling Process
Grilling indirectly is for cuts of meat that take a long time to cook.  If you don't have a grill with a side compartment, set up your grill so that half has fire and the other half does not.  Cooking is done on the area where there is no fire underneath, but there's plenty of heat!

This can be accomplished by placing chunks of wood in a foil pack (use two layers of foil)  Bundle the packet leaving a hole at the top so smoke can escape.

Preheat one side of the grill to medium high.  Place the smoke packet over the fire, drip pan is under the unlit side.

Place the pork  over the drip pan and grill  for three hours.  Check every hour to make sure there's plenty of  smoke.  Smoking takes 3 hours.  Add wood packets as needed to keep plenty of smoke circulating.

Once smoking is complete, wrap pork in to layers of foil, crimping edges to seal in moisture.  Return to grill; cook 2 more hours.  After 2 hours, insert thermometer into thickest part of meat.  You want to hit 180°.  (We cooked the pork at 225°-250° in the smoker for four hours total.)

Keep foil around the meat and let rest off heat for 30 minutes.  At this point the meat is ready to be pulled with a fork or fingers.  Don't worry about the red ring around the meat.  It's not undercooked but rather a natural reaction to the smoke.

After pulling the pork apart and removing and fat that may be remaining, remove the pork you will be eating and mix in some of your favorite BBQ sauce....just a little...do not saturate!

Serve the sandwich on a Kaiser-style bun.  (These may be buttered and toasted.)  Top the pork with a special coleslaw.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Spinach Coleslaw
Yield 10 cups

Whisk together:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup vegetable  oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne

Add:
1 bag (1 lb) coleslaw mix
1 bag (10 oz) shredded red cabbage
1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach,  thinly sliced

Whisk together all ingredients except the cabbages and spinach.
Add the cabbages and spinach.  Toss and let coleslaw sit 30 minutes before serving.

PRINTABLE RECIPE


I am joining Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage and Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum!  Stop by and take a look.

Comments

  1. What a perfect lunch meal, and good for dinner too! Mmm. that pork looks so good!

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  2. I started to write "your butt looks perfect to me" and decided I needed to say THE butt looks perfect to me as it's the deep mahogany color I like to get vs. the black that some perfer. Thanks for the shout out and happy to know the hubby reads as well. I like the addition of spinach to the slaw and am sure I would enjoy that sandwich.

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  3. The very first time I heard of BBQ we were in Arkansas and a Realtor was driving us around, she literally stopped mid-sentence, pointed out the window and said "and if you want a good pig sandwich eat here"... The rest, as they say, is history:@) Your sandwich looks great, interesting twist with the spinach in the coleslaw and I do want to try adding some mustard next time!

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  4. Yum! that pork looks great, both on its own and on the sandwich :)

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  5. Wow, does that ever make my mouth water! I love the way you added spinach to your cole slaw, too.

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  6. Oh your sandwich looks delicious! I love the addition of the spinach in the coleslaw~ I'll look forward to trying that :)

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  7. Love pulled pork and slaw. This looks delicious!

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  8. This looks amazing! I love trying out new slaw recipes.

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  9. Ah yes smoked pulled pork is a fav of mine, always a great flavor!

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  10. My husband has finally perfected the art of pulled pork. Look like y'all have too. Love the twist on the cole slaw.

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  11. Thanks for posting this - I've been looking for a tried and true recipe for pulled pork. I especially like the addition of the spinach to the coleslaw.
    Cheers!
    Ry

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  12. this sounds so yummy Kate. I have never actually had the coleslaw right on my pulled pork. Onbly on the side. I must try it. I a going to show this to hubby tomorrow. He is on a camp out tonight. thanks for sharing the recipe.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  13. Hi Kate,
    I have called "Honey Bunny" in so he can see this post, cause I want my Pork Butt to look just like yours, when it comes off that smoker. This is an awesome rub and I really like the addition of the delicious slaw. What a meal!! Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  14. Looks like a smoker is the next ticket item.

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  15. It looks delicious! I have never added spinach to the cole slaw, interesting!

    We had pulled pork and slaw for dinner. I bought dh a smoker for his birthday, an electric one. We made bacon, Canadian bacon and spare ribs so far, yummy!

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  16. I love pulled pork on a smoker/bbq although I'm usually lazy and just do it in a slow cooker! Nothing beats the smoky flavor of a grill! This looks delicious!

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  17. This looks wonderful! I love the coleslaw with spinach in it! Enjoy your new smoker!

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  18. I came over to look at your SRC post, but got distracted by this beauty. Wow, that is a serious smoker. I'm very impressed. When do you start with a food truck, cause I'm first in line!!

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