the Ingredients
For the pork:
Special Equipment
- Weber® Smoque
- aluminium foil
Instructions
- Trim any large pieces of fat from the pork shoulder. Season thoroughly with salt. If time allows, let it rest uncovered in the fridge overnight to help form the bark.
- Prepare the slaw by combining the cabbage, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, water, salt, black pepper, and chilli flakes in a large bowl. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat. Set aside 250 ml of the sauce for serving—the rest will be used as a mop during cooking.
- Set up the Weber® Smoque for low heat 110–135°C. Preheat for 15–20 minutes and clean the grates if needed.
- Place the pork shoulder in the Smoque, fat side up. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour before beginning to mop.
- After the first hour, start brushing the pork with the mop sauce every hour. Continue this process until the bark becomes a deep reddish-brown and begins to glisten—this typically takes about 6 hours. The meat should start to release moisture and no longer require frequent mopping.
- Wrap the pork in a double layer of butcher paper, leaving some room for air but avoiding tight crimping. Return the wrapped pork to the grill and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 hours, or until a probe slides in easily and the internal temperature reaches 93–94°C.
- Remove the pork from the grill, carefully open the foil, and let the steam escape. Once the pork stops steaming, loosely rewrap it and place it in an insulated cooler to rest for 2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature falls to 60–65°C.
- Just before serving, reheat the reserved sauce until it reaches a boil. Pull or chop the pork into bite-sized pieces, then mix about 120 ml of the warm sauce through the meat.
- Build sandwiches using soft white rolls, a generous portion of pork, and some of the chilled slaw. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.
- Tips & Notes: Wrapping the pork (commonly called the Texas Crutch) helps push through the “stall”—a temperature plateau that can last for hours. Many pitmasters choose to wrap once the internal temp hits 74°C (165°F), but always use the bark’s look and feel as your final guide. If it looks right, it’s time to wrap .
IN THE KITCHEN:
AT THE GRILL – WEBER® SMOQUE
TO SERVE:
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