Tried a new rub and a new technique. Both were a success!
The rub was a no-brainer, brown sugar and pork are a wonderful pairing, and this rub has some great spices to give it awesome flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup course salt
- 1/2 cup paprika
- 3 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp dried basil
- 2 Tbsp dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients together. Rinse pork shoulder with cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Then rub a thin layer of yellow mustard over the meat to help the rub stick. You will not taste the mustard at all in the finished product. Apply the rub generously to one side, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then flip the pork over and do the other side.
Prepare your smoker for smoking at 235-240°. Once it’s up to temp, put the pork in and let it smoke for several hours until the temp reaches ~165°. I believe the ratio is about 1.5 hours per pound. I usually keep it on full smoke for about 8 hours and then check the temp.
That brings me to the new technique: Wrapping in brown paper .
When meat reaches that temp (160-165°) it sometimes needs a little push to keep it cooking. For years, I’ve been taking whatever I smoke out of the smoker once it reaches that temp and wrapping it in foil and putting it back in. I’ve starting using craft paper instead, and here’s why.
Foil works great for keeping the heat in and helps steam the meat and get that temp up to the fall apart level we love, but the trade-off is you lose that good BBQ bark that tastes so good! Craft paper will give you the same results, but the paper allows a little breathing, and drainage so the bark stays much better. You can get the craft paper at Walmart for cheap. It’s worth a try, trust me!
Once the meat reaches 205°, remove it from the smoker and allow it to sit (still wrapped) for at least 30 minutes before pulling.
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