It's now October and it won't be long before I won't be able to use the smoker anymore. So, I decided to take the opportunity to bust out the smoker, what might be the last time. They had a really good deal on pork shoulder (Boston butt for some) at the grocery, so I decided this was a terrific way to say hello to fall. Okay, fall started a way back so this might be more of a here comes Halloween sort of thing. Okay, I'll admit it, it's really just an excuse to bust out the smoker. I mean these things start out at four pounds, for a small one, and cook down some but not all that much. There's going to be leftovers!
Smoking a pork shoulder is no small task. I mean there's the night before prep work (you have to marinate the thing overnight or it just ain't right). Then there's the pre-dawn ritual of getting the smoker heated and the meat loaded in. Then, yes there's more, there's babysitting the whole thing for 6-14 hours (depending on how big this bad boy is).
I know that's a whole lot of talking about making something that the recipe isn't even in this write-up. Normally, I wouldn't make this a whole thing for the site, but this was so surprisingly good I had to.
Here's the thing though, you don't even have to make the pulled pork yourself. Seriously, do yourself a favor and the next time you pick up some pulled pork from your favorite BBQ joint, grab a pound to a half pound extra. You'll thank me for it later. This isn't something I would want every morning, but dang if it ain't a great special treat when we I do make it. The sweet, smoky, and spicy meat mixes with the crispy potatoes (hash browns here), and the fresh herbs (it's breakfast, so some chives and sage has to be in the mix), plus the fried egg on top - trust me, take the plunge, and go fried here - making that wonderful, yolky sauce over everything is worth the work (or the extra grab at the BBQ place)!
Pulled Pork Barbecue Hash
My Thoughts
There is a problem with smoking a whole pork shoulder when it's just you, The Picky Eater, and The Little Weirdo - leftovers. Okay, that's not really a bad thing, but rather a great problem in need of a great solution. So, why not a little barbecue in the AM? There are other great options, but it's early and this one fixes the morning hangry problem.
I mean, who doesn't love hash? It's the greatest thing about the day after St. Patrick's Day. Why not pulled pork barbecue hash? Yeah, good call.
This has it all and is great way to start the day. It's got crispy potatoes, smoky barbecue, fresh sage (it wouldn't be breakfast without it), and an egg on top. I like a fried egg (finally got over the runny yolk hump there) but scrambled would be just as good and this is an awesome way to give you that kick first thing in the AM.
Difficulty
Easy
Makes
2 Servings
Tools
Cast Iron Skillet (large)
Time
Prep Time 15 min.
Cook Time 30 min.
Total Time 45 min.
The How To Do It
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Microwave your hash browns until they are thawed. This takes about 2 minutes. You can make your own hash browns, but it is morning and I really don't have the patients.
Once the potatoes are thawed, place them between a decent amount of paper towels and dry them. Don't press too hard, you don't want to "mush" them together, but you do want to get out as much water as possible. The less moisture, the crispier they get and you want crispy here.
While the potatoes are drying, dice your bell pepper and onion and mince the garlic.
Add some oil to a cast iron skillet and saute onions and peppers until they are soft. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add some more oil to the pan and add the potatoes.
Pulled Pork Barbecue
Combine the water and honey and microwave for 30 seconds. The microwave step is just to make it easier to blend the water and honey. Totally skip-able.
Coat the pork shoulder with the honey and then sprinkle the now sticky shoulder with half of the dry rub. Be sure to wear latex gloves, otherwise you'll be more marinaded than the meat. Place in a baking dish with high sides (so your refrigerator doesn't get marinated too) and cover with plastic wrap. Let the whole thing refrigerate over night (or 8 hours).
These next couple of steps are for smoking the shoulder, if you're using an oven skip to step 5. Soak your wood chips for at least an hour in water (or water and beer if you're like me). You'll enough to keep the smoker going for 12-14 hours. For my smoker that was enough to fill the tray 4 times. Your smoker will vary. Also, I use apple wood or cherry wood (sometimes a mix of both), but use what you like best.
Fill the chip tray/hopper with chips. I add a few dry chips to the bottom of the try so the smoke starts a little quicker.
Fill the water tray halfway with water and the rest with beer (you can use just water if you prefer or you could use apple cider vinegar as well).
Set your smoker (or oven) to 225° and let it come up to temperature.
Add the pork shoulder and get comfortable. It's going to be a while before you have to do anything else.
While you are waiting for the next step, make the mop sauce (recipe follows) you're going to need it for the next step.
After about 4 hours (you don't have to be too precise on the time) either spray the shoulder with the mop, or using a basting brush, baste the shoulder with the mop. If you use the brush, you may want to sprinkle more of the rub on the shoulder if it looks like it is getting washed/brushed off. Also check how much liquid is in the water tray and if the chips have burned up yet in the chip tray. Refill if necessary.
Repeat step 9 until you're finished smoking the shoulder.
At around hour 11-12 start checking it for doneness. Simply stick a fork in it (yes, I said it, deal with it), and if the meat pulls apart easily it's done. If not, put it back in for at least another hour.
Once the shoulder is done, place it on a baking sheet and, using two forks (or get you some bear claws) pull the pork apart.
