Grilling doesn’t have to be difficult, and with this easy pulled pork recipe, you can master smoking meats with the Cuisinart Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill! This simple recipe is about as hands-off as they come and uses a simple brine and rub that comes together in minutes, resulting in perfectly seasoned, juicy pork that will make you the talk of the town, even while social distancing! Get ready to break out the smoker, and follow the pro tips below for ultimate success!
What Do I Need To Make Smoked Pulled Pork?
A smoker, of course!
I’m fairly obsessed with the Cuisinart Twin Oaks Grill because I can easily smoke anything on the pellet side with minimal setup and prep. For pork, you can use almost any variety of pellet, but I prefer cherry or maple bourbon. It really complements the flavors of pork, and with this particular brine and rub, it’s perfection.
I may be biased, though, you’ll have to tell me when you try it.
If you’ve never used a meat probe while smoking, now is the time to get familiar with it, and trust me, it’s easy and amazing.
Why do you need it? Because similar to a slow cooker, the more you lift the lid, the more temperature fluctuation you introduce, and the longer it takes to cook properly. We don’t want that, so the probe (and the fabulous Bluetooth app that comes with the grill), keeps us informed on how the meat is doing so we can let it smoke untouched the.entire.time.
How To Prepare Pork Shoulder For Smoking
For this recipe we are using a 9-pound bone-in pork shoulder. They can also be referred to as a picnic roast, or the variation pork butt or Boston butt.
There are some differences between a pork shoulder and pork butt, but for this recipe, you can use either. I went with the pork shoulder because I wanted to get that super crisp bark on the outside.
Since pork can dry out really easily, and I didn’t want to open the smoker at all, I went with a simple brine.
- Place pork in large container that can be sealed and placed in the fridge
- Add brine mixture of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and water
- Let sit for a minimum of 12 hours
When you’re ready to smoke the pork, remove it from the brine and pat dry.
Thirty minutes before placing the meat on the Twin Oaks Pellet Grill:
- Rub pork shoulder with dijon mustard
- Mix together dry rub of sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika
- Sprinkle pork liberally and pat into the mustard glaze
You can do all this while the grill preheats, never put the meat on a cold grill.
Once you get the meat on the grill, insert the probe into the middle of the thickest portion of the pork shoulder, close the lid, and don’t touch it until it’s done!
For a 9-pound pork shoulder:
- Start at 200 degrees until the probe reads 165 degrees internally
- Raise temperature to 250 degrees until probe reaches 210 degrees internally
- Remove from grill and let sit untouched for 30-60 minutes before shredding
A good smoked pulled pork recipe will result in tender, juicy meat that doesn’t require BBQ sauce to taste passable.
This recipe will do it for you.
Plus, it requires zero foil or butcher’s paper, no spritzing, and almost zero hovering.
I mean, unless that’s your thing; I was definitely standing around just staring at my Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill drooling all over myself, but that’s another story.
Throwdown on this easy pulled pork recipe and go to town on deliciousness! I love to pile up pretzel buns and toss some crunchy bread and butter pickles on top.
Good thing I have another 9-pound pork shoulder in my fridge…I need to make this recipe again ASAP!
Easy Pulled Pork Recipe
Equipment
- Cuisinart Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill
Ingredients
For The Brine
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
For The Pork
- 9 pounds bone-in pork shoulder fat trimmed
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
For The Rub
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons cumin
Instructions
- 12-24 hours in advance of smoking, score the top of the pork with a sharp knife, then place the raw pork in a resealable container and add brine ingredients to cover.* Keep refrigerated until ready to smoke.
- Preheat smoker to 200 degrees and let sit at temperature for 15 minutes before adding meat. Remove pork from brine and pat dry, then coat in dijon mustard. Mix together rub ingredients and sprinkle liberally over meat on all sides.
- Place pork on the center of the smoker grates and insert meat probe into the middle of the thickest portion of meat. Close the lid and let smoke at 200 degrees until meat probe reads 165 degrees internally, anywhere from 5-6 hours.** Raise temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking until probe reads 210 degrees, around 5-6 hours more . Remove pork from smoker and let sit, untouched, for 30-60 minutes before shredding. Enjoy!
Notes
**Cooking time can vary depending on the size and shape of the cut of meat, the ambient temperature outside, wind conditions, and various other factors. Rely on temperature rather than time.
Nutrition
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Paul Anderson says
Karly,
I was born and raised in Minnesota but have lived in Tn. Since 1990. You have hit a home run with your pulled pork. I smoke a lot of different meat and fish now that I live here. I didn’t have the apple juice but substitute it with a peach tree tea and apple cider vinegar it’s so good can’t stop eating it even after the meal I find myself picking up pieces to eat and so is everyone else. They are asking me how I did it I just say family secret!!! Oh I will tell them but right now I’m basking in the glory thanks again good work and will be looking for more of your posts