BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Few things are better than a bone-in Boston butt cooked low and slow on the smoker, especially when you have a whole Sunday to let it do its thing. This is essentially my version of pulled pork, with one important difference: I prefer to chop the pork rather than pull it because I think it keeps more of the meat’s moisture. It’s one of my go-to recipes when I’m feeding a crowd or want to cook once and have easy meals ready for the rest of the week. I’ll switch up the rub and BBQ sauce depending on what I have on hand, but I always start with a bone-in roast and brine it long to keep the pork juicy and flavorful.

Ingredients:

BBQ Pork:

1 10-12 LB bone-in Boston Butt

4 cups of apple juice

4 cups of water

1 orange, quartered

1 lemon, quartered

3 sprigs of rosemary

3 sprigs of thyme

1 cup of dark brown sugar

¼ cup of kosher salt

1 TBSP black peppercorns

2 cups of ice

BBQ rub (I used Meat Church Sweet Preacher)

BBQ sauce (I used Kosmo’s OP X1)

Buns:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2 TBSP Unsalted Butter, broken up into small chunks

1-2 TBSP Salt

1 TBSP Sugar

1 1/4 TSP Active Dry Yeast

3/4 cup water

Olive Oil

Cornmeal (for dusting baking sheet)

Optional:

Potato salad and coleslaw (you can make your own, but I typically get it premade from Publix)

Recipe:

To make the brine, combine the apple juice, water, orange, lemon, rosemary, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and black peppercorns in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the sugar and salt dissolve, then remove from the heat.
Add the ice to cool down the brine. Put the pork in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag, pour the cooled brine over it, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
**Tip - I set the Ziploc bag upright in a large Dutch Oven before putting it into the fridge to help prevent leaks.
When you’re ready to start cooking, take the pork out of the fridge and place it on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and a few paper towels. Pat the pork dry, then season with your BBQ rub. Let the rub sit on the pork for at least 30 minutes to help penetrate the meat.
Preheat your smoker to 225.
Once preheating is complete, put the pork on the smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 203 degrees
**Tip - I always put a wireless meat thermometer in my pork so I can constantly monitor the temperature, because so many variables can dramatically impact the actual cook time, like the outside temperature.
While the pork cooks, start on your buns. Take 95-100 degree water and mix in 1 TBSP of sugar and 1.25 TSP of active dry yeast. Let proof for about 5 minutes, until a nice layer of bubbles has formed.
While the yeast proofs, add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1-2 TBSP salt, and 2 TBSP butter to the stand mixer.
Add the proofed yeast to the stand mixer and mix until it forms a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Remove the dough and place it in a bowl wiped down with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or press-and-seal. Let it proof for about 1.5 hours.
Line a small baking sheet with tin foil and dust with cornmeal to prevent sticking. When the dough is 2-3x its original size, punch it down and roll it into 4 balls, spaced evenly across the baking sheet. Cover with a towel and proof for another 30 minutes.
Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven with an overproof ramekin or bowl filled with water and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. The steam from the water will help create a baguette-like crunch to the exterior of your buns, making them hold up better to sauces and toppings.
Once buns have completed proofing, bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking sheet.
When the pork reaches 203 degrees, remove it from the smoker and put it in a resting bag, then put the resting bag in a cooler for 1-3 hours.
When resting is complete, chop the pork into small cubes (about 1 inch).
To serve, add chopped pork to a bun and top with BBQ sauce and coleslaw (if using).