Tender pulled pork cooked on the BBQ, piled into soft brioche buns with creamy homemade coleslaw.
BBQ Pulled Pork Tips
- Visit a butcher to get a good-quality pork shoulder. I made a trip to Hillstown Farm Shop for mine, as their pork is from rare-breed Middle White pigs and has always been top quality.
- Avoid making your coleslaw at the last minute—placing it in the fridge a few hours before will help the flavours and textures to develop and soften.
- Using a wireless meat probe like RFX means you can keep track of your pork and pit temperatures without opening the BBQ and letting all the heat and flavours out. The ETI app will notify you when your pork is ready.
- As this is a low and slow cook, I also like to use Billows BBQ Control Fan to maintain a steady pit temperature. It helps bring the BBQ up to temperature quickly and automatically maintains it throughout your entire cook, so you don’t have to worry about flare-ups or tending to the coals. You set and monitor it in the app alongside your RFX MEAT.
Ingredients
For the BBQ Pulled Pork
- 2.3kg boneless pork shoulder
- Hot sauce (or another binder)
- Your chosen BBQ rub
For the Slaw
- 1 small red cabbage
- 2 medium-sized carrots
- 1 red onion
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 100g mayonnaise (plus extra if needed)
- A savoury BBQ rub of your choice
To Serve
- Brioche buns
- BBQ sauce
Method
- Set up your BBQ for indirect cooking at 135 °C. I used the Kamado Joe Classic III with the Billows BBQ control fan to set and maintain my pit temperature. I filled the charcoal basket and added a wood wool fire lighter and a chunk of cherry wood to the fire.
- Trim the pork joint to remove the outer fat. There is so much fat running through the shoulder to keep it moist, so the outer fat isn’t really needed.
- Cover the pork in hot sauce or another binder to help the rub stick. Season with two rubs: a finer one, then a coarser one. I like to use a steak rub for my second layer as it’s a little coarser and gives the bark some texture.
- Insert the RFX MEAT probe into the deepest part of the meat. In the ETI app, set the alarm for 75 °C.
- Place a drip pan filled with boiling water under your BBQ grate to catch any fat drippings; otherwise, they will hit the Slo-Roller and burn. Once your BBQ has stabilised at 135 °C, put the pork shoulder onto the BBQ.
- Prepare the slaw. Finely slice the red cabbage and onion, and grate or ribbon the carrots. Combine with all of the other ingredients in a bowl, except the rub. Mix thoroughly, adding more mayonnaise for thickness or lemon juice for tang, if you like.
- Gradually season the slaw with your rub, tasting it as you go to get the flavour you want. Put the slaw into the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
- Once your pork reaches 75 °C, check it over to see what the smoke colour is like. If it looks good, remove the RFX MEAT, wrap in a double layer of foil, and reinsert the probe.
- Increase your grill temperature to 150 °C. If using Billows, you can do this in the ETI app. Set a new RFX MEAT alarm for 92 °C.
- Once your pork reaches 92 °C, start probing for tenderness using a Thermapen. If the probe glides into the meat without any resistance, it’s ready to rest. If you feel a little tension as you push in, wrap it back up and give it another 15-20 minutes.
- Once you are happy with the tenderness, leave the shoulder wrapped in foil and rest it for at least 30-40 minutes.
- Assemble your BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Shred the meat apart and serve it on top of some toasted brioche buns along with a healthy amount of your homemade slaw. Feel free to mix a small amount of your favourite BBQ sauce into the pulled pork!
James McKay
UK BBQ & Outdoor Cooking - @barbechoo
"Hi I'm James, Northern Ireland based BBQ fanatic and long term Thermapen Fan Boy! I can't think of another gadget that has helped me and so many of my viewers gain the confidence to cook different cuts of meat on the BBQ and know they are perfectly cooked on the inside every time."
