— One of the most traditional barbecue foods is a simple pulled-pork sandwich. It is also a food very seldom attempted by home barbecuers because of the “mystery” behind its overall preparation. Many people believe you need a barbecue pit or a smoker, when in truth all you need is a kettle grill, some patience and time, hickory wood or hickory chips and the proper cut of pork.

Traditional pulled pork barbecue is sometimes made from a whole pig, but on a smaller scale is made with a “Boston Butt.” Why the name Boston Butt? Good question. It is said that in prerevolutionary New England, the less desirable pork cuts were packed into casks or barrels — also known as butts — for storage and shipment. Couple that with the way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area and you have the Boston Butt.

I thought it was worth explaining the origin of the name since a Boston Butt does not paint a picture of a particularly appetizing dish if taken literally.

A typical Boston Butt is 5 to 6 pounds, and is a cut of pork that needs to be cooked — or barbecued in this case — low and slow for seven to nine hours, depending on the cooking temperature. The ideal barbecuing temperature is between 250 and 275 degrees. This will result in a smoky, tender cut of pork where the meat can be literally pulled off by hand, hence the name “pulled pork.”



Grill setup

The setup of your kettle grill for this purpose is a technique called indirect heat. This is where charcoal is piled on both sides of the grill, no more then 10 briquettes on each side. In the middle of the grill there is either nothing, or a disposable aluminum casserole container with water.

Light both piles and let the briquettes turn 60 percent gray. I have a video that shows this technique which you can see at www.newsandtribune.com or my website, www.BBQMyWay.com. While you are waiting for the charcoal to heat up, prepare the Boston Butt for the grill as follows.



Boston Butt prep

This part is easy. Let your butt come to room temperature — I know, quit snickering — and apply your favorite pork rub liberally all over the meat. A good rub will be a combination of sweetness and heat, and will result in a delicious “bark” that becomes caramelized and darkened during the barbecue process. There are a lot of great rubs available commercially, or you can make your own.

Personally, I think Fuzzy’s Pork Rub is absolutely the best, and that is what I use when making pulled pork.



Cooking Time

Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your fire is, and each fire has its own personality. Place your butt on the middle of the grill — I know, I know, quit laughing — where there is no direct heat.

Sprinkle some hickory chips on both sides of the fire or place a small chunk of hickory on the fire. Let it burn off a bit.

Most people mistakenly believe that it is the smoke that adds the smoky flavor to the pork. This is not true. The smoky flavor is infused into the pork after the hickory has cooked down to charcoal.

Once the hickory has cooked down a bit, add a couple of additional briquettes to each side, and place the lid on the grill with all vents open 75 percent of the way. Every hour or so, check the charcoal. More than likely you will need to add three to four briquettes to each side of the fire once every hour or so to keep it going. Also, don’t forget to add hickory now and again.

It’s also very important to resist the urge to open the grill unless you are adding additional briquettes. Each time you open the grill you are disturbing the barbecuing process by letting all the heat out.

This technique does take a bit of practice, and the typical mistake first-timers make is to create a fire that is too hot, which speeds up the cooking process. Remember, the key to pulled pork is low and slow. If you can keep the internal temperature of the grill between 250 and 275 degrees, you are on your way to delicious and authentic pulled-pork barbecue sandwiches that will make you the most popular barbecuer in your neighborhood.



Condiments

The traditional pulled-pork sandwich is served with a vinegar-based cole slaw placed directly on the sandwich, so while the pork is cooking, you can assemble the cole slaw, which is a very simple recipe. However, this recipe does work better if allowed to rest in the fridge for 24 hours, so if you can make it the day before it will be that much better.



Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds cabbage

･ 1/2 red pepper

･ 1/2 green pepper

･ 1/4 tablespoon celery seed

･ 1/2 cup vinegar

• 1/3 cup sugar

• Salt to taste



Preparation

Heat sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Let the mixture get cold, preferably by refrigeration. Grate cabbage, add celery seed, salt and peppers cut up fine. Mix and pour cold mixture over cabbage. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and put in glass containers. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours to maximize flavor.



Assembling the sandwich

The traditional way of serving pulled-pork sandwiches is simple and delicious. Once you have determined the pork is done — remember, the bone should easily be pulled out and the meat can be pulled apart with very little effort — place it in a large container. Grab two forks and simply start pulling it apart. It’s that easy.

Pile a helping of the pulled pork on a basic white sandwich bun, add your favorite sauce if you feel it is necessary and top it off with the cole slaw. You will experience one of the great staples of southern barbecue tradition and I assure you it will become a regular addition to your backyard barbecuing offerings.



Dave welcomes your questions and your feedback and assures you that every question will be answered by him personally. You can contact him directly at his website, www.BBQMyWay.com. Let him know what you would like discussed and he will try to include your topic in future columns. You can also subscribe to his free monthly newsletter, “The BBQ Gazette,” at www.BBQMyWay.com