Kansas City pulled pork is about low heat, smoke, time, and a spice rub that builds bark. The pork shoulder is essentially impossible to overcook — the collagen breaks down into gelatin over hours, giving you meat so tender it falls apart at a touch, with a deeply smoky exterior crust called the bark.
Ingredients
The Dry Rub
Mix all dry spices thoroughly. The night before, apply a thin layer of mustard (this acts as a binder, you won't taste it) then coat the entire pork shoulder in the rub — every surface, including any crevices. Refrigerate uncovered overnight to set the rub and dry the surface.
The Smoke
Set up your smoker or kettle grill for indirect heat at 225–250°F (107–120°C). Add hickory chunks and maintain steady temperature — this is the entire skill of barbecue. Place pork fat-cap up.
- Smoke for approximately 1.5 hours per pound of meat
- Spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour after hour 3
- At 165°F internal, wrap tightly in butcher paper and continue
- Pull when internal temperature reaches 203°F (95°C)
- Rest wrapped for minimum 1 hour before pulling
"Barbecue teaches patience. You cannot rush a pork shoulder. Any attempt to increase the temperature will give you dry, tight meat instead of the falling-apart result you're after."
The Honey-Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Simmer ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chipotle in adobo, Worcestershire, and honey for 20 minutes. The sauce should be sticky and coat the back of a spoon. Mix into the pulled pork or serve on the side.
Around 155–165°F, the internal temperature will plateau for hours (sometimes 3+). This is normal — the "stall" is caused by evaporative cooling as the collagen breaks down. Do not panic, do not increase heat. Wrap in butcher paper at this point to push through it faster.