Pulled Pork with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce
Pulled Pork with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce ~ impossibly tender meat slathered in a sweet and savory barbecue sauce inspired by Hawaiian huli huli, this will make the best pulled pork sandwiches of your life!
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
Pineapple barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice (canned)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp red chili sauce (such as Sambal Oelek), or more to taste. Or substitute a pinch of red chili flakes.
Pulled pork
- 4-5 lb pork butt
- salt
Instructions
Pineapple barbecue sauce
- Add all of the barbecue sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly (it will thicken a bit more as it cools).
- Set aside until the pork is ready. Can be kept in the fridge for a day or two in advance. (This recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce. If you like a lot of sauce with your pork, or if you have a cut of meat on the larger side, you might consider making a 1.5 or double batch!)
Pulled pork
- Light the grill with the coals on one side of the grill.
- Lightly season the outside of your pork with salt. Remember that the sauce has plenty of salt and flavor, so I go easy on seasoning meat itself here.
- Add the pork to the cooler side of the grill (over indirect heat), cover and allow to cook for about 3 hours or until internal temperature reads around 150-160F.
- Once the pork reaches 150-160 degrees F, remove it from the grill with sturdy tongs and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. This helps keep moisture in and cuts down on the overall cooking time. Return to the grill, cover and continue to cook until the internal temperature is about 203 degrees F.
- Remove the pork from the grill, allow to cool down slightly, and then shred with two forks.
- Mix the shredded pork with the pineapple barbecue sauce or serve it on the side.
Notes
We love Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling for details on grilling just about any kind of meat.