Sweet & Smokey Pulled Pork – BBQ Rub (Spice)

• The spice rub for the meat varies greatly according to personal taste. If you're in a hurry, you can also use a pre-mixed BBQ Rub (spice blend). But this Pulled Pork Sweet & Smoky is a really flavor-intense variant of Pulled Pork, so I recommend you use Memphis BBQ-Rub.
• When I rub my pork shoulders with my BBQ rub, I've chosen to coat them with a Sweet Mustard. The mustard ensures the spices stick much better to the meat. If you don't want to use mustard, you can also rub the meat with a bit of olive oil before applying the spices.
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• Once your meat is seasoned with mustard and BBQ Rub, it should be wrapped in plastic wrap or vacuum-sealed. Now, hold tight because you need to wait 18-24 hours.
• The meat should marinate overnight in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. The longer, the better, and that means it’s perfectly fine if your meat spends an entire day in the fridge!
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• The next day – Since I have a Traeger Pellet Grill, it’s actually very easy to prepare Pulled Pork, Spareribs, and all the other delicious dishes that need to be cooked at low temperatures over a longer period. Set your grill to 105 degrees Celsius (221 degrees Fahrenheit). Once it reaches the desired temperature, place your pork shoulder on the grill.
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• It’s important to use a grill thermometer throughout the cooking process. After 6 hours, you will typically reach an internal temperature of 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). The meat dictates how long it takes to cook your Pulled Pork.
• Sometimes it happens faster; other times, it takes longer. Once the meat has reached the desired internal temperature of 60 degrees, it should be wrapped in butcher paper.
• Butcher paper has two properties: it keeps the moisture inside the meat without causing the pork shoulder to steam, as would happen with aluminum foil since the meat can't vent heat. Butcher paper allows the meat to get enough air. Once your pork shoulder is wrapped, place it back on the grill. Now raise the temperature to 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit). Maintain this temperature until you achieve an internal temperature of 94-98 degrees Celsius (201-208 degrees Fahrenheit).
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• The most important thing during this waiting period is not to drive yourself crazy. The internal temperature of Pulled Pork should be between 94 and 98 degrees Celsius (208 degrees Fahrenheit). There will be times when the internal temperature will rise very slowly or not at all for several hours.   Even if the temperature remains unchanged for an extended period or even drops slightly, there is no need to panic. This is known as the plateau phase. In the plateau phase, which begins at around 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) internal temperature, the meat can stay at the same temperature for several hours. That’s why I wrap my pork shoulder in butcher paper to expedite the plateau phase.
• The cooking time can be shortened by a few hours by using this simple trick. However, be aware that Pulled Pork can take between 18 and 24 hours if you choose not to wrap the meat in butcher paper. Once your pork shoulder is wrapped, you can expect a cooking time somewhere between 14 and 18 hours. As mentioned earlier, the meat decides when it’s ready to be pulled.  
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• The time has come; this time it took nearly 17 hours for my Pulled Pork to reach the desired internal temperature. Now it should be taken off the grill and remain wrapped on the kitchen counter for an additional hour so the pork shoulder can rest and cool down a bit. Then it’s time to pull the pork.
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• I always start by using my hands and then use two forks to finely pull the meat.
• Now, mix a bit of BBQ Sauce into your pulled pork, and it's ready to be served with some homemade coleslaw in a burger bun.
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• Note: Pulled Pork can also be made on gas or charcoal grills without any problems. The process is the same; you just need to make sure to add enough smoke.