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Pulled Pork with Garlic and Pepper Rub



Tomorrow is the NFL playoffs. The Chiefs are taking on the Colts and we are having a few people over to watch my "Griefs" hopefully win. We shall see. As always, when there are people gathered at my house, there shall be food. So, I am prepping a 7 lbs. pork shoulder butt to put on the Traeger tomorrow morning and have ready for the game at 3:35 PM CST.

I am putting together a garlic and pepper rub to put on the pork. I plan on using the pork to make some Polynesian Nachos. I am also going to use some of the pork for anyone who wants a sandwich or just wants some pulled pork. So, I am making a non-traditional rub to allow the meat to be a little more versatile.

Let's get started. Take your pork shoulder butt and rinse and pat it dry with paper towels. I usually use a disposable aluminum pan to put the pork in where I can apply the rub, let set overnight in the fridge, and then I'll use it on the Traeger grill to cook in.



Next, mix the following ingredients together with a fork to make the rub.
  • About 6 cloves of minced garlic (3 tsp)
  • 1 TBS fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 TBS mustard powder
  • 2 TBS dried minced onion
  • 2 TBS coarse kosher salt
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper

Next, brush a layer of Dijon mustard onto the pork shoulder butt. This will act as a sticky base layer to allow the rub to adhere to the meat. Let mustard set in for about 5 minutes. Now, apply the garlic and pepper rub.



At this point, I inject the meat with pineapple juice. Not a lot. Maybe 4 -5 TBS. Just enough to let the acid start breaking down the meat as it sets overnight. It helps if you go at an angle with your injector. This keeps more of the juice inside the meat since it will have further to travel out of the injection site.



I am going to cover and place the pork shoulder butt in the fridge overnight. Of course, you could throw it on the grill now if you wanted to. However, I just want to get some sleep.

Cooking Time - Next Day
It is freaking cold out today. I will probably have to finish the pulled pork off in the oven. I'm not sure I want to buy twenty boxes of wood pellets to finish the pork on the Traeger. Anyway, let's get cooking!

Start you Traeger grill. As always, lift the lid, set on smoke and wait five minutes. After five minutes, close the lid and set your Traeger to 250℉. Wait until it preheats then add your pork butt. This is pretty easy, just spray with pineapple juice every thirty minutes. After two hours, cover your aluminum pan with foil. Next, just wait until the pork reaches an internal temperature between 195 to 205℉. The higher the temperature the more tender the meat, but drier meat. The lower the temperature the more moist meat. I always add a little juice from the pan to make the meat moist no matter what.

As cold as it has been today, I did have to finish my pork in the oven. No biggie. It was really tasty! Oh, and the Chiefs won! Life is good!!!






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