Perfect Pulled Pork Brine Recipe
Apple and pork are two things that always go together so well. So, for the oh-so-American, perfect pulled pork brine recipe, it makes sense to incorporate the use of apple juice-based brine.
Pulled pork itself is a rather straightforward meal to cook, but it does require a lot of prep and cooking time. As this recipe calls for the meat to be smoked, the cook time is greater. However, the end results are always worth it though with its smoke flavor and different ways to serve it.
Prep Time: est. 15 minutes plus 12-24 hours brining
Cook Time: 9-12 hours
Ingredients For This Pulled Pork Brine Recipe
The Meat:
- 1 Pork Shoulder (4-8 pounds)
The Brine:
- Apple Juice (4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of white sugar
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon of paprika powder
- ½ tablespoon of onion powder
- ½ tablespoon of garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon of black pepper
The Dry Rub (optional):
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
Preparing the Pork Shoulder Brine
For this pulled pork brine recipe, combine all of the brine ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure that you stir well so that all of the spices get completely dissolved in the mixing bowl. Once the brine is complete, place the pork butt in a food-safe storage container and pour the brine inside. A large plastic or zip bag will typically work best for the storage. Both of those options gets the meat covered well and makes it easy to sit in the refrigerator.
As for the refrigerator, once everything is sealed up tight and the pork is just about completely covered, refrigerate 12 to 18 hours. If you wish, you can choose to refrigerate overnight.
When it is time to cook the pork butt, remove it from the container. Dry the pork off using some kitchen paper towels.
Now comes time for the rub. You can use the ingredients listed above to create a rub that pairs well with the brine used. It is an optional step as you can instead use your own favorite BBQ rub. Either way, always put a lightly coated "binder" on the pork so that the rub will have a better chance of sticking. Anything you like should work out well whether it's yellow mustard or sunflower oil. For more options check out The Best Texas Brisket Rub article.
Once you have the rub on, allow the pork butt to sit with it. Ideally, the pork should sit for about 20-30 minutes. This allows for the meat to get to room temperature and it gives the rub more time to settle in. While the pork sits, you can take the time to prepare your smoker, starting by preheating it to 225ºF.
When the smoker is ready, place the pork butt inside and close the lid. At the beginning stages of the cooking process, it isn't too important to monitor the internal temperature of the pork. During this stage, you can also begin using some of that leftover brine to mop the meat every few hours. Again, this is optional.
Since we're smoking the pork butt here, we're aiming for a cooking time anywhere from 9 to 12 hours long, so prepare yourself for keeping a watch on that smoker. Around the four hour mark or so, use a good thermometer to begin checking on that internal temperature. Remember not to hit the bone as it will not provide you with an accurate reading.
When the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of around 160ºF, wrap it up in aluminum foil. This will prevent it from taking in too much more smoke while also help to catch some of that moisture lost while cooking.
Keep an eye on that internal temperature. The optimal temperature for a well-finished pork butt is 195ºF. Sometimes, the pork can reach that around 9 hours or so. Other times, it can take the full 12 to hit that temperature mark. In the end, always go by the temperature rather than how long it's been inside the smoker to know when it's done.
Once that target temperature has been met, remove the pork butt from the smoker. Be sure to let this rest for a good amount of time. It is ideal to rest for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
When it's time, remove the pork butt from the aluminum foil. Take care that you do not lose whatever liquid that is left inside the foil. This liquid is packed full of flavor, so you will want to save it; it can be mixed into the meat later on.
Now comes the fun part: shredding the pork. It doesn't matter what you use here. Take a fork and knife, a pulling claw, or your hands as long as they are properly protected with the right gloves. Regardless of what you use, as the internal temperature of the pork is 195ºF, it should shred with relative ease. You should come away with a good crust on the outside while maintaining a juicy inside. If you want to get more technical and do everything by the book, though, I have just the right tutorial for you: Meat Grinders Guide: How To Shred Pulled Pork!
If you plan to serve up the brined pulled pork pork immediately, then you can use that liquid you saved from the aluminum foil and mix it in with the meat, add some homemade barbecue sauce.. This adds a punch more of rich and delicious flavor. If you are planning to store the pork to eat later, then you can save that liquid to mix in when you reheat the meat. You can also assemble delicious pulled pork sandwiches.
Apple is a good base for the brine, so make sure to watch this awesome tutorial on how to cook Apple Brined Turkey with Big Time Gravy Recipe:
Add in some bbq sauce, if desired. Serve it up on some hamburger buns with coleslaw and enjoy!
Pulled Pork Brine Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
The Meat:
- 4-8
Pounds
Pork Shoulder
The Brine:
- 4
Cups
Apple Juice - 2
Tbsp Brown sugar - 2
Tbsp White sugar - 1
Tbsp Kosher salt - 1
Tbsp Paprika powder - ½
Tbsp Onion powder - ½
Tbsp Garlic powder - ½
Tbsp Black pepper
The Dry Rub (optional):
- 1
Tbsp kosher salt - 2 Tbsp Brown sugar
- 1
Tbsp Cumin - 1 Tbsp Onion powder
- 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp Smoked paprika
Instructions
- For this pulled pork recipe, combine all of the brine ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Make sure that you stir well so that all of the spices get completely dissolved in the mixing bowl.
- Once the brine is complete, place the pork butt in a food-safe storage container and pour the brine inside.
- As for the refrigerator, once everything is sealed up tight and the pork is just about completely covered, refrigerate 12 to 18 hours.
- When it is time to cook the pork butt, remove it from the container. Dry the pork off using some kitchen paper towels.
- You can use the ingredients listed above to create a rub that pairs well with the brine used.
- Either way, always put a lightly coated "binder" on the pork so that the rub will have a better chance of sticking.
- Once you have the rub on, allow the pork butt to sit with it.
- Ideally, the pork should sit for about 20-30 minutes.
- While the pork sits, you can take the time to prepare your smoker, starting by preheating it to 225ºF.
- When the smoker is ready, place the pork butt inside and close the lid.
- At the beginning stages of the cooking process, it isn't too important to monitor the internal temperature of the pork.
- Since we're smoking the pork butt here, we're aiming for a cooking time anywhere from 9 to 12 hours long, so prepare yourself for keeping a watch on that smoker.
- Around the four hour mark or so, use a good thermometer to begin checking on that internal temperature.
- When the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of around 160ºF, wrap it up in aluminum foil.
- Keep an eye on that internal temperature.
- The optimal temperature for a well-finished pork butt is 195ºF. Sometimes, the pork can reach that around 9 hours or so.
- Once that target temperature has been met, remove the pork butt from the smoker.
- Be sure to let this rest for a good amount of time. It is ideal to rest for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- When it's time, remove the pork butt from the aluminum foil.
- This liquid is packed full of flavor, so you will want to save it; it can be mixed into the meat later on.
- Take a fork and knife, a pulling claw, or your hands as long as they are properly protected with the right gloves.
- Regardless of what you use, as the internal temperature of the pork is 195ºF, it should shred with relative ease.
- If you plan to serve up the brined pulled pork pork immediately, then you can use that liquid you saved from the aluminum foil and mix it in with the meat, add some homemade barbecue sauce.
Nutrition
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