There are days that I wish grilling season lasted longer, but Minnesota is home to too many frigid days with brutal wind chills. Perfectly smoky pork shoulder doesn’t have to be relegated strictly to summertime menus! This dry rub can be patted on, the crockpot employed, and results will still be worthy of a party.
The recipe for this pork shoulder has two parts:
Dry Rub:
The usual suspects are joined by a few surprise ingredients here. Brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper are in basically every rub. Adding chili powder, dry mustard, thyme and cayenne make it special.
Cut the pork shoulder into chunks about the size of your fist, and coat every surface with the rub.
Crock Pot:
Yes, this is actually where the pork gets “smoked”. Strangely enough, liquid smoke added to a small amount of water infuses the pork with a just-grilled smokiness that will make lips smack. Put the water and liquid smoke into the crock pot first, then set the meat in. You don’t want to wash all that rub off the pork!
Turn the crock pot on and walk away. The pork is wonderful on grilled bread, on salad, or even topping tortilla chips. The best part about the dry rub is that barbecue sauce is superfluous. Every bite has so much flavor that there is no need to smother the pork with sauce.
Pork shoulder is frequently on sale. Purchase several, and have them in the freezer for when you begin longing for summertime grilling.
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Smoky Dry-Rubbed Pork Shoulder
- Total Time: 10 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
So easy to throw together, then let it cook all day. It’s a party for your taste buds — no grill needed.
Ingredients
7–9 pound pork shoulder
Dry rub:
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
To cook:
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 cup water
Instructions
Cut pork into 5 or 6 chunks — about the size of your fist. Combine dry rub ingredients, and press on to every side of the pork.
Put water and liquid smoke into crockpot, set pork in (so rub is not washed off), cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Shred pork, and serve as desired.
Notes
This can be made in a pressure cooker when cooked on high for about 1 hour. However, it seems like the pork texture isn’t quite as nice as when it’s done in a crockpot.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Method: crockpot
- Cuisine: american
