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Bobby Flay’s Pulled Pork with Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce

Cooks' Note

Serve the pork topped with coleslaw on a hamburger bun.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 (5- to 6-pound) pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup ancho chile powder
1/3 cup sweet Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons ground dried oregano
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chile de árbol powder
Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)

Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the pork, fat side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Rub this all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

    Step 2

    Following the manufacturer’s instructions and using lump charcoal and 1/2 cup drained soaked wood chips for a smoker or 1 cup for a grill, start a fire and bring the temperature of the smoker to 225° to 250°F.

    Step 3

    Set the pork on a rack in the smoker. Cover and cook, turning the pork every 45 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 165°F, about 6 hours. Add more charcoal as needed to maintain the temperature and more drained wood chips to maintain the smoke level.

    Step 4

    Transfer the pork to a clean rimmed baking sheet, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Then shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Mound them on a platter and drizzle with some of the Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce. Pour any accumulated juices from the baking sheet over the pork.

  2. Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce

    Step 5

    Combine the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified.

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