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- 1
Build the rub and season the shoulder
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar (reserve half for the sauce later), sweet paprika, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. This is a western North Carolina rub — earthy and just barely sweet, not a hot rub. It's built to season the pork, not bury it. Rub it all over the shoulder, into every crease. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight so the salt has time to work into the meat.
- 2
Fire the smoker and let the pork come up
Pull the shoulder out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour — cold meat straight from the fridge stalls hard and takes on too much smoke before the surface warms. Meanwhile, get your smoker steady at 275°F. For pork this is where hickory or oak earns its keep; use pecan if you want it a touch milder. Skip mesquite here — it's too aggressive for a long pork cook and turns bitter.
- 3
Smoke it to color
Set the shoulder on the grate fat cap up and smoke it, unwrapped, until it hits an internal temp of 165°F and the bark has gone dark mahogany — figure about 3 hours. Don't touch it, don't wrap it early. You want that bark to set and the smoke ring to form while the surface is still tacky. Run a leave-in probe so you're reading the meat, not guessing off the clock.
- 4
Wrap and push through the stall
Around 165°F the temp will park and sit there — that's the stall, moisture evaporating off the surface and cooling the meat. Wrap the shoulder tight in foil and put it back on. For pulled pork, take it all the way to 200°F to 205°F internal, another 2 to 3 hours. That's the window where the collagen finally breaks down and the meat gives up with no resistance. A probe should slide in like it's going into softened butter.
- 5
Rest it — this is not optional
Pull the shoulder off and let it rest, still wrapped, at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes. Cut into it early and all the juice you worked hours for runs onto the board. Resting lets it redistribute back into the meat. Walk away and let it happen.
- 6
Whisk the Lexington dip and pull the pork
While it rests, make the sauce: whisk together the ketchup, cider vinegar, the reserved brown sugar, Worcestershire, a pinch more cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. This is the Lexington 'dip' — thin, tangy, tomato-tinged, nothing like a thick sticky sauce. Unwrap the pork, pull it apart with two forks or your hands, and toss out any hard fat or connective tissue as you go. Dress the pulled meat with just enough dip to coat and serve the rest on the side.
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Lexington-Style Smoked Pulled Pork
Created by: SmokeRingSteve
Ingredients
- 5 lb boneless pork shoulder butt roast
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Build the rub and season the shoulderIn a small bowl, combine the brown sugar (reserve half for the sauce later), sweet paprika, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. This is a western North Carolina rub — earthy and just barely sweet, not a hot rub. It's built to season the pork, not bury it. Rub it all over the shoulder, into every crease. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight so the salt has time to work into the meat.
- Fire the smoker and let the pork come upPull the shoulder out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour — cold meat straight from the fridge stalls hard and takes on too much smoke before the surface warms. Meanwhile, get your smoker steady at 275°F. For pork this is where hickory or oak earns its keep; use pecan if you want it a touch milder. Skip mesquite here — it's too aggressive for a long pork cook and turns bitter.
- Smoke it to colorSet the shoulder on the grate fat cap up and smoke it, unwrapped, until it hits an internal temp of 165°F and the bark has gone dark mahogany — figure about 3 hours. Don't touch it, don't wrap it early. You want that bark to set and the smoke ring to form while the surface is still tacky. Run a leave-in probe so you're reading the meat, not guessing off the clock.
- Wrap and push through the stallAround 165°F the temp will park and sit there — that's the stall, moisture evaporating off the surface and cooling the meat. Wrap the shoulder tight in foil and put it back on. For pulled pork, take it all the way to 200°F to 205°F internal, another 2 to 3 hours. That's the window where the collagen finally breaks down and the meat gives up with no resistance. A probe should slide in like it's going into softened butter.
- Rest it — this is not optionalPull the shoulder off and let it rest, still wrapped, at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes. Cut into it early and all the juice you worked hours for runs onto the board. Resting lets it redistribute back into the meat. Walk away and let it happen.
- Whisk the Lexington dip and pull the porkWhile it rests, make the sauce: whisk together the ketchup, cider vinegar, the reserved brown sugar, Worcestershire, a pinch more cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. This is the Lexington 'dip' — thin, tangy, tomato-tinged, nothing like a thick sticky sauce. Unwrap the pork, pull it apart with two forks or your hands, and toss out any hard fat or connective tissue as you go. Dress the pulled meat with just enough dip to coat and serve the rest on the side.