With some kinds of barbecue, you can skip the rub and get something decent. With large cuts of pork, you really need a great rub to make the most of the pork flavor and give you that authentic barbecue flavor. These 10 Pulled Pork Rub Recipes are the best I know to make the best pulled pork possible.

Try the Top 10 Pulled Pork Rub Recipes

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The debate has raged for years. Me, I like lots of different sauces. I like to try it all. Of course there are people out there for whom only one sauce is right. So, let us hear it, "What is your Favorite Sauce for Pork?"

POLL: What Kind of Sauce is Best for BBQ Pork?
1) Vinegar
2) Vinegar and Tomato
3) Tomato
4) Mustard
5) Vinegar, Tomato and Mustard
6) No Sauce at all
7) Something Else (please specify in the comments)

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You almost only see Boston Butts on the competition circuit (KCBS Rules of course), but that doesn't mean that the Butt is the easiest of best cut to smoke, just the most consistent. So, for those of you, serious about smoking pork, what cut do you use for your Pulled Pork?

POLL: What part of the pig do you use for your Pulled Pork?
1) Boston Butt
2) Picnic
3) Whole Shoulder
4) Whole Hog
5) Something Else (please specify in the comments)

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Once you get the hang of rolling and folding your tamales you will find it gets going very fast. Make sure you have everything ready to go, a good helper and all the ingredients laid out so you can work quickly.

Start with a corn husk leaf laid out flat on a clean surface. Depending on the size of the corn husk, place about two tablespoons of the masa dough on the corn husk and spread it out evenly. You want to leave about a pencil's thickness clear around the edges. The masa dough should be evenly distributed.

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Don't have the equipment for real smoked pulled pork sandwiches? This slow cooker recipe may not be authentic but it's still pretty darn good.

Prep Time: 15?minutes

Cook Time: 8?hours

Total Time: 8?hours, 15?minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds cheap pork roast
• 1 package cheap white bread buns
• 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cayenne

Preparation:

Put pork roast in crock-pot for a good 8 hours. Remove and let cool. Shred pork by hand removing any excess fat. Drain Crock-Pot. Return pork roast on a low heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed. Serve on cheap buns.

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Of all the traditions of barbecue, Pulled Pork has held on to its roots far more than any other. Large cuts of tough, cheap pork smoked for hours at low temperatures, then pulled apart by hand and served on a bun or in a pile. While pulled pork has held on to its tradition there is still a lot of variation region to region. I've tried to bring together the best traditions with my own experience to produce a method for the best odds pulled pork. While you probably won't win any competitions with this method is easy and sure to please a crowd.

Choose the Cut: The first step when making smoked pulled pork barbecue is deciding which cut of pork you want to use. Unlike brisket, pulled pork can be made from any fatty pork roast or from a whole hog. The best roast is the shoulder. High in fat and connective tissue, the shoulder is also the most flavorful part of the hog. The pork shoulder is typically cut into two parts, the Boston Butt and the Picnic Roast. You can use either or both, it won't matter a lot but the Boston Butt is easier to work with, uniform in shape, and contains the right ratio of fat to lean. Look for a Boston Butt that is rectangular in shape with a layer of fat on one side. The color should be a rich pink to purple and the meat firm to the touch.

Preparing the Pork: Once you have your meat, trim off any loose fat and skin. These won't aid the pork much and will tend to just get in the way. With the meat ready, apply a rub to flavor the meat while it smokes and help it produce a crusty surface called bark. A typical pulled pork rub will have sugar (usually brown), salt, paprika, pepper (any combination of black, white, or red), and herbs. Work the rub deep into the meat and let it sit on the meat for about an hour to sink into the meat and form a moist paste on the surface. Now you're ready to smoke.

Smoking: The smoke of pulled pork is provided by hickory and/or oak. While you can use any mild wood these are the traditional woods. You will want an even temperature around 225 degree F. You need to keep the smoker temperature below 265 degrees F. no matter what. Too high of a temperature will make the meat tough. You want to smoke your pork roasts for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound. This means you will be smoking for a long time. Get it, low and slow. You can remove the pork once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F., but it won't be tender. Continue until you can easily shred the meat with a fork, at a temperature around 190 degrees F. Now it's done. Of course if you have trouble smoking for this long you can use alternative cooking methods after a few hours. Wrap the pork tightly in foil and place it in your oven at 225 degrees F. until it is finished.

Pulling the Pork: Once the pork is done, remove it from the smoker and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Now you are ready to pull. Ideally the meat will be so tender that you can simply pull it apart with your hands. This allows you to separate out the meat from everything else. Place the meat in a pot over a low heat to keep it warm. Now you can add a simple vinegar sauce to the mixture to give it that authentic flavor. This pulled pork sauce can be as simple as cayenne, paprika and apple cider vinegar. Mix it all together so that the meat is lightly coated and you are ready to eat.

Tradition also dictates that you provide your diners with a table or finishing sauce. This can be almost any kind of barbecue sauce, but again it would be typically served with a thin vinegar sauce. While this might sound like you'll have a sour dish, the meat will be sweet from the slow cooking and the sour of the vinegar (always apply cider vinegar) will be neutralized by that sweet. You can serve pulled pork on a plate or on a bun, it's up to you.

For more help do your Pulled Pork Step by Step.

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There are a lot of variations in Pulled Pork, but a few general rules will help you make the best Pulled Pork you can regardless of the kind of smoker you are using. Once you have mastered these steps you'll be ready to strike out on your own and move on to competition Pulled Pork.

Try the Best Odds Pulled Pork

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There continues to be feuding in the Southern United States over which part of the hog is best for making pork. Typically this debate is over using the entire hog or just the shoulder. Of course this debate is something of an apple versus orange argument. A whole hog is prepared very differently from the shoulder and typically for other reasons. My main concern here is with the shoulder. If you are interested in going whole hog there is a different process for you.

Starting Out: Pulled pork is a great way for people to start when learning about smoking and barbecue. Pork shoulders and the related cuts are relatively inexpensive and the meat itself is very forgiving. Under cook it (within the limits of safety) and it might be a little tough, but it will still taste great. Over cook it and you can still serve it with a smile. Because of the fat marbling, pork shoulder won't dry out like other pieces of meat. You can skip all the traditional rubs, mops and sauces and it will stand alone on the flavor of the meat and smoke. Pork allows you to practice and still eat your mistakes. Brisket and ribs are not as forgiving.

Which Cut: The pork shoulder is the entire front leg and shoulder of a hog. In your grocery store you will usually find this divided into two cuts, the Boston butt and the picnic. Contrary to what you are probably thinking the butt comes from the upper part of the front shoulder. A pork shoulder should weigh in at between 12 and 16 pounds. It will have a bone and joint plus a good helping of fat and collagen. The fat is good. During the long hours of smoking the fat will melt away and keep the meat moist. Some experts will tell you that this is how you determine when it is done. When most all the fat is gone and before the meat starts to dry out is the time to get it out of the smoker. Collagen is the connective tissue in meat. The process of smoking causes collagen to breakdown into simple sugars making the meat sweet and tender.

Butt or Picnic: As I said the pork shoulder is frequently cut into the Boston butt and the picnic. The Boston butt has less bone than the picnic and both cuts will weigh about 6 to 8 pounds. If you can't find a whole pork shoulder at your local store you can get either or both of these cuts and have just what you need. The picnic can come with or without the bone. Experts generally say that meat nearest the bone is the sweetest and will opt for bone in. The picnic is more similar to an unprepared ham than the Boston butt, but both work great for pulled pork. In competitions you more frequently see butts over picnics

Preparing for the Smoker: The meat you choose should have a good quantity of fat. Preparing it for smoking is really easy. You can simply put it in the smoker right out of the wrapping, however you might want to check for loose pieces of fat or skin to trim off. You can apply a rub to add flavor. I have several rub recipes for you to choose from. If you do choose a rub, apply it the night before you smoke to let the flavors sink into the meat. In the morning, take the meat out of the refrigerator an hour before you put it in the smoker to let it reach room temperature before you start.

Rubbing: If you choose to add a rub, do so liberally. Remember that you are trying to flavor a large piece of meat. To apply, take the pork shoulder or section, trim unnecessary fat and skin, rinse with cool water and pat dry. Take the rub and work it into the meat. Make sure that every part is evenly covered. Pork shoulders can have a very uneven surface with lots of folds and indentations so work it over well.

Next Page: The Smoke

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