South Carolina Style Pulled Pork Recipe

Massage the mustard sauce into the pork shoulder. If the sauce feels too thin to work in directly, you can place the pork and sauce in a large zip-top bag to ensure it's fully coated. Wrap the meat tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

At least 1 hour prior to cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Place the meat and marinating juices into a disposable 9x13 aluminum pan (doubling up if your pans are flimsy) and let it come to room temperature. Meanwhile, soak the wood chips in cold water to cover for 1 hour, then drain.

Light a large chimney starter filled halfway with charcoal (about 3 quarts) and allow it to burn until the coals are partially covered with a layer of ash. Build a modified two-level fire by arranging all the coals over half of the grill, leaving the other half empty. Open the bottom grill vents completely.

Place the soaked wood chips on the coals. Set the cooking grate in place, cover, and heat the grate until hot, about 5 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean. Dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding the wad with tongs, oil the cooking grate.

Set the aluminum pan with the roast on the grate opposite the coals. Open the grill lid vents three-quarters of the way and cover, making sure the vent is above the meat to draw smoke through the grill. Cook, adding about eight briquettes every hour or so to maintain an average temperature of 275°F for 3 hours. You can baste the marinade over the roast when adding coals to help keep it moist.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325°F. Wrap the pan holding the roast, being careful not to spill the marinating liquid, with heavy-duty aluminum foil to cover completely.

Place the foil-wrapped pan in the oven and cook until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Carefully slide the foil-wrapped pan with the roast into a brown paper bag. For easier handling, you can lay the bag open on its side and slide the roast in. Crimp the end shut.

Let the pork rest for 1 hour.

While the roast is resting, prepare the barbecue sauce. In a large saucepan on low heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the oil until the onions are translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the apple cider vinegar, barbecue sauce, chili powder, dijon mustard, ground cumin, hoisin sauce, honey, maple syrup, pepper flakes, soy sauce, table salt, tomato paste, and worcestershire sauce to the saucepan. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. The sauce can be used immediately or stored in the fridge. It also freezes well for later use.

Once the pork has rested, transfer the roast to a carving board and dispose of the marinade liquid and pan. When cool enough to handle, separate the roast into sections, removing fat if desired, and tear the meat into shreds with your fingers (forks work just as well).