Best Pork Shoulder Recipe On the Planet

When it comes to pork, there are tons of ways to cook it and various cuts to use, but the pork shoulder, also called the Boston Butt, is by far the most difficult, because this particular cut is the cheapest and therefore is the toughest, however it feeds the masses, so is ideal for those family cookouts, and big get-togethers. It requires very slow cooking on a low heat in order to correctly cook all the way through and to ensure that it is not tough. So, what is the best pork shoulder recipe on the planet? Well, here is the absolute best recipe for cooking the most delicious smoked pork shoulder!

The Marinade and Rub

First you will need to marinade your pork so that it gets nice and tender. You should ideally leave it around 4 to 6 hours or so.

Marinade ingredients:

• 2 cups of beer
• 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 1/3 of a cup of apple cider vinegar

The beer is the best part and gives the pork shoulder a wonderful flavor. Once it has been in the marinade, you will dry it off and then prepare to rub the entire pork shoulder with a special BBQ rub. This can be wet or dry using sugar and a variety of spices, but if you use the vinegar to make a paste more of the flavor will penetrate.

BBQ Rub Ingredients:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Pound of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of paprika
• 1/3 cup of salt
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of cumin

This makes enough for 2 large pork shoulders. All you do is mix the dry ingredients well and then add tiny bits of apple cider vinegar until you get a thick paste consistency.

So, now once your pork shoulder is all rubbed out, you will need to cover it tightly in tin foil and place it in the fridge to cure overnight. The next day it is ready for smoking, but you will need to prepare a few things for your smoker first.

Smoking the Pork Shoulder

Decide what wood you want to use, and soak it for about an hour. You can soak the wood in beer, apple cider vinegar or just water, but the beer will give it added flavor. You will then put the wood onto the burner and fill the water pan with a mixture of 50% apple cider vinegar and 50% beer. Set the thermostat on your smoker to 225 degrees.

When you see the smoker start to emit some smoke then place the pork shoulder on the top rack with the fat side up. Simply close the lid and let the smoker do its thing for a few hours, roughly 4 or 5. Constantly check the water pan and top it up if it gets too low.

To tell if the pork is done, you will need to use a meat thermometer. A safe reading is 165 degrees, but many people prefer to go to 180 degrees so that they can make pulled pork and shred the meat off the bone. To do this you will place the pork into a casserole dish and trim the fat cap off the top. Then let it rest at room temperature for around 5 minutes. Then go ahead and cut the meat into chunks and then remove the blade bone. Once you have done this you can start shredding the meat with a fork. Then moisten the meat slightly with a ¼ cup of beer, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and place the lid back on the casserole dish.

BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

So, now that you have perfectly smoked, totally delicious pork shoulder, you can also make a BBQ sauce to go with it that you can mix in with the shredded pork bits and create a yummy pork dish that is ready to be served as sandwiches or with a salad.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 chopped and seeded red bell pepper
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup beer
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1 small can tomato paste
• ¼ cup mustard
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

First soften the butter, onions, peppers, garlic and jalapeno (including the seeds) in the microwave then add everything else in and stir. Blend in the sauce in a processor until smooth and then pour the smooth liquid into a pot to simmer on the stove for around half an hour on a low temperature.

Now that you have the sauce done, pour over the meat and mix thoroughly, serve and enjoy!