Sensational Smoked Pork Shoulder

Our General Manager, Noah, shares with us his recipe and technique for one of the best smoked pork shoulder dinners I’ve ever eaten. Many of his ingredients are (shocking i’m sure) from Mount Hope, and they’re linked if you’re interested. With luck, he’ll be sharing more of his culinary prowess here, because besides being an absouletly excellent leader and manager, he’s a hell of a chef as well. Here goes…

Smoked Pulled pork with Aji Amarillo Chili and Espelette served with Ginger Molasses BBQ Sauce and Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits

Dry Rub

Fold the pork shoulder so it appears as it did prior to deboning. Tie it snugly without distorting the shape. Mix all dry ingredients together in a jar and liberally sprinkle over pork shoulder.

I use a Traeger smoker. I set the temp to 450° and let it get pretty darn hot. This gets the grid hot enough to sear the meat. I scrub the grill thoroughly and then place the shoulder on the grill. As soon as the meat is on, I immediately turn the Traeger’s temp dial down to “smoke” so the temperature starts to drop. Leave the smoker at this low temp setting and let the magic happen until the internal temp of the meat reaches 140°. I turn the Traeger up to 275° and let it continue until the shoulder reaches 175° internal temp. Take the shoulder off the grill and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Now the trick in making this extra tasty, is the coconut water. I am the curious kind, and I look at the meat many times throughout the day. Every time I open the lid, I give it a nice misting of coconut water out of a spray bottle. This makes a nice bark on the outside that isn’t too thick or crispy.

Prok Shoulder Halved

Pork Shoulder Halved

Once the pork has rested, I cut it in half, then take a pair of forks and start pulling. This is not a quick procedure, but the consistency of the pork when pulled this way is fantastic.

While the pork is cooking, I take this time to make the sauce and prep the biscuit.

Ginger Molasses BBQ Sauce

  • 1 bottle Kinder’s Organic Mild BBQ Sauce
  • 4 oz unsulphered molasses
  • approx. 3 tbsp extra finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp Espelette
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp cumin

Once in a while I will make BBQ sauce from scratch, but I have found what I consider to be the holy grail of sauces when done correctly. I start off with a bottle of Kinder’s Organic Mild BBQ Sauce. I pour that into a saucepan and turn it on low. I add the molasses.

Toasting Spices to Maximize Potency

Toasting Spices to Maximize Potency

Toast the spices in a frying pan until they barely start to smoke. Pour those straight into the sauce and stir in quickly so the spices stop toasting. Add the ginger and bring to a simmer. Let simmer mildly for about 20 minutes. Let cool and pour back into jar.

Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits

This is a recipe that while labor intensive, is super easy and makes the best biscuits I have ever had. You can adjust the cheese and Jalapeno to your taste. I typically use a little more cheese and the jalapeno depends on the chili itself. Some are hot, some are not.

  • 1 stick of butter (frozen)
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Medium Sea Salt
  • 8-10 oz cold milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 jalapeno pepper diced

Freeze the stick of butter, a mixing bowl, and the cheese grater. Once all are frozen solid, pull all three out and quickly grate the butter into the frozen bowl. Immediately put butter back in freezer. Once refrozen, take a fork, fluff the butter and refreeze.
Measure out your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then sift twice. Place bowl of flour in freezer.

Shred your cheese and dice the jalapenos and set in the fridge for later.

While the pork is resting, preheat oven to 425°
Take your frozen flour mix and add the cheese and jalapenos. Mix well. Take butter from freezer and mix the flour/cheese/jalapeno mixture to the butter. Add 6 oz of milk and quickly mix together with a fork, or the handle of a wooden spoon. Add more milk as needed. It should still look dry and chunky. Add milk until it is a thick biscuit batter, it should be clumpy and have some small dry pockets. Do not overmix or add too much water.

Dump the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and press flat to approx. ¾”-1” thick.
Quickly cut into squares and immediately place on a baking sheet with a Silpat liner. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.