Fast BBQ pulled pork

Name: Fast BBQ pulled pork
Total time: 6 h
Ingredients: 5kg pork shoulder, deboned; American mustard, for rubbing; apple cider vinegar, for spritzing; 80g of brown sugar; 2 tbsp of chilli powder; 1 tbsp of garlic powder; 2 tsp fennel seeds, ground; 2 tsp oregano; 2 tsp onion powder; 2 tbsp of flaky sea salt; 2 tsp ground white pepper; 2 tsp cracked black pepper; 300g of French's classic mustard; 100ml of cider vinegar; 2 tsp black treacle; 2 tbsp of ketchup; 2 tbsp of honey; 2 tsp onion granules; 2 tsp garlic granules; 2 tsp celery salt; 2 tsp paprika; 2 tbsp of soft brown sugar; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; hot pepper sauce, such as tabasco, to taste

by GBC Kitchen

Item 1 of 1

Main
easy
12
6 hours

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5.00

Pulled pork is a true barbecue classic, but many people avoid making it at home due to the time commitment involved - slow-cooked pork can take up to 12 hours. We’ve developed a ‘hot and fast’ method for cooking pulled pork that will give you excellent and extremely similar results in 4-5 hours! This recipe also includes instructions for cooking on both kettle and ceramic barbecues. It’s important to use good quality charcoal, whether you’re using lumpwood or briquettes. Both are available online. Don’t be tempted to use poor quality charcoal as this will taint the pork and ruin it.

First published in 2024

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pulled pork

5kg pork shoulder, deboned
American mustard, for rubbing
apple cider vinegar, for spritzing

Pork rub

80g of brown sugar
2 tbsp of chilli powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp of flaky sea salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp cracked black pepper

Carolina gold barbecue sauce

300g of French's classic mustard
100ml of cider vinegar
2 tsp black treacle
2 tbsp of ketchup
2 tbsp of honey
2 tsp onion granules
2 tsp garlic granules
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp of soft brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
hot pepper sauce, such as tabasco, to taste

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Equipment

Barbecue with a lid
Wood chunks for smoking
Charcoal briquettes
Digital thermometer

Method

If using a kettle barbecue, you’ll need to set it up for indirect cooking, with the coals banked to one side and a drip tray on the other. We recommend you use high quality briquettes for this rather than lumpwood charcoal, otherwise you’re going to get through a massive amount of lumpwood charcoal over the cooking period. There is also something called the ‘snake method’ which can be used to slow-cook, which we recommend you look up if you’re interested. It is designed to save fuel consumption. Nestle some chunks of wood throughout the coals to smoke the pork while it’s cooking

If using a ceramic barbecue, set it up for indirect cooking as usual

With both barbecues, you’re aiming for a temperature of 165°C

Make the rub by combining all the pork rub ingredients and mixing well

80g of brown sugar
2 tbsp of chilli powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp of flaky sea salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp cracked black pepper

Remove the skin from the pork shoulder, leaving a good layer of fat attached

5kg pork shoulder, deboned

Rub the shoulder all over with mustard, then sprinkle liberally with the spice rub (save a little leftover rub for sprinkling over the pork later)

American mustard, for rubbing

Place the pork fat- side down on the barbecue and close the lid and the top and bottom vents around ¾ of the way (you may need to experiment with them a little to achieve the right temperature)

Allow the pork to cook for 2 hours, then spritz well with apple cider vinegar

apple cider vinegar, for spritzing

Make the Carolina Gold barbecue sauce by mixing all the ingredients together

300g of French's classic mustard
100ml of cider vinegar
2 tsp black treacle
2 tbsp of ketchup
2 tbsp of honey
2 tsp onion granules
2 tsp garlic granules
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp of soft brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste

Close the lid again (you may need to replace fuel throughout the cooking process too if you are using a kettle barbecue) and resume cooking for a further hour

After this time, spritz liberally again with the apple cider vinegar. If you are happy with the ‘bark’ on the outside of the shoulder, it’s time to wrap it. Usually when cooking pulled pork one would wait for the temperature of the pork to ‘stall’ before wrapping, but with this faster method, we are simply waiting until we are happy with the bark on the outside - it should be deeply golden and it’s OK for it to be charred in places

Wrap the pork in three layers of foil and return to the grill

Continue cooking the pork, checking the temperature every half an hour or so, until it reaches 95°C - this is the temperature at which the pork’s connective tissues will have properly broken down, and it will be perfectly tender

Allow the pork to rest in its foil for an hour before pulling apart. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt and a little of the leftover rub once pulled. Serve with the Carolina BBQ sauce and your choice of buns and sides

First published in 2024

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GBC Kitchen

GBC Kitchen is where you'll find accessible, inspiring recipes with a twist, from our in-house team of recipe developers. Perfect for mid-week meals or special occasions alike, GBC Kitchen recipes will help you become a more confident cook, and impress those around you in the meantime! Don't forget to check out our brand new How to Cook guide every month, which focuses on a specific ingredient and ways to use it, alongside four brand new recipes.

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