Detailed instructions and recipe for Barbecue Pork. This BBQ is slow cooked on a smoker/grill and the results will earn you the title "Grill Master"
If you want to get Southerners fired up just ask them this question. "What is the best Barbecue around?" Everybody has an opinion, and the truth is, there are lots of good barbecues -- some pork, some chicken, some beef. They are cooked in smokers, charcoal grills, pits in the ground -- yobu name it. To us "barbecue" means barbecue pork.
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For a look at Southern Food traditions and where they came from, what they mean, and where they're going you'll want to read Southern Food Then & Now.
Barbecue Sauce
And then there is the sauce. There's ketchup based, mustard based, vinegar based. Heck, I've even heard they make white bbq sauce over in Alabama. I like most all of them, though I've never tried the white.
We prefer a mustard (and ketchup) based sauce. Buddy and his brother, David, got the recipe many, many years ago from a lady who ran a barbecue joint in our hometown, Columbus, Georgia. The recipe card for the sauce is beneath the card for the pork, if you scroll on down.
Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama (which sits right across the river) have some of the best pork bbq you've ever tasted. There are a few mom-and-pop places in the area that have been in business over 50 years. They mostly cook over hickory wood in that area. Apple wood is our favorite, but hickory is good, as is mesquite (hello Texas).
Now, buckle up, because what we have for you here is absolutely the best way to cook pork barbecue on a charcoal grill.
Tips for Making the Best Barbecue Pork:
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- We cook our barbeque pork on a Big Green Egg, but a Kamado Joe grill, (or any similar ceramic grill) should produce delicious results
- Boston Butt is our preferred cut of meat
- If you cut your roast into 2 or 3 smaller pieces it gives you more outside meat, or "bark"
- Cooking on a V rack keeps the meet off the grill surface, and cooking more indirectly
- Soak wood chips in water for 8-12 hours to produce the best smoke
- Cooking long and slow cooks out more fat, which produces a leaner meat than typical Boston Butt
- The best side dishes ever for your Barbecued Pork? Traditional Southern Style Baked Beans, Summer Slaw and Macaroni and Cheese like Mama Made. If you're having a salad, try Cajun Salad Dressing or Barbecue Salad Dressing to tie the meal together.
- If you like handing a side dish over to the guy or gal at the grill Smoked Vegetables is a perfect option.
If you love all things smoky like we do you'll want to check out the amazing flavor of Smoked Mac & Cheese and Smoked Baked Beans. It gets rave reviews everytime it's made. The smoker temperature needed is just right for cooking it alongside this pork.
This recipe made the suggested list for the Backyard BBQ Menu Ideas. You'll want to visit for lots of other recipes as well as tips, tricks and planning help for your cookout.
📖 Recipe
Barbecue Pork
Equipment
- wood chips soaked in water 8-12 hours
Ingredients
- 5-7 pounds Boston Butt Pork Roast
- Butt Rub Seasoning to taste
- Barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Cut roast into 2 pieces (3 if it's large)
- Press butt rub into all sides of roast pieces.
- Allow charcoal fire to burn until evenly covered with a light ash.
- Wait until temperature gauge of grill reads 250 degrees.
- Put seasoned meat on V rack over indirect heat.
- Use a drip pan under meat to catch drippings.
- Cook 6 to 8 hours or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
- Chop meat as finely as you prefer.
- Service with your favorite sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
When the pork is done and the grill is still hot throw on Veggie Foil Packs for an easy cook-outdoors side dish.
Did you know barbecue can be used in appetizers? Everyone will love these Southern Appetizers with Barbecue and Cheese Grits
Products Needed for Grilling Barbecue Pork
- Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe Grill or similar (if you're in the market for a Kamado Joe Grill you'll want to check out this review article from Seriously Smoked).
- V Rack for Grill
- Wood chips (apple, hickory or mesquite)
- Season with a good Butt Rub
📖 Recipe
Georgia Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups mustard
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients well.
- Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Debrashoppeno5 says
What is the best barbecue are fighting words in the south but I love it all. I only have a small grill but I will need to give this recipe a try. It sounds and looks so good. Pinned
Pam says
You've got that right, Debra!
Richella Parham says
We love our Big Green Egg! Always nice to find a new recipe. 🙂
I've had ALL the different kinds of barbecue sauces (born in TN; have lived in MS, AL, and NC). The white is. . . different. Tasty, but not what you'd want to make a steady diet of. I'm a vinegar girl!!
Pam says
That's kind of what I figured about the white sauce, too. Otherwise, I like them all!
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures says
Mmmm... This sounds delicious! Thank you for the recipe! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Pam says
Thanks, Marci. We appreciate you stopping by.
Shirley @Housepitality Designs says
Thanks for the recipe!...We definitely want to get that Big Green Egg!
Pam says
You'll love it. We had one at our last house that got sold with the house, but we had to have a new one!
Maria Brittis says
This is such a great recipe! Can't wait to try it. I am big into pork and barbecue.
Maria
Pam says
Hope you enjoy it, Maria!
FLORENCE @ VintageSouthernPicks says
Photo looks delish. I'm from Alabama, but have never heard of or eaten white BBQ sauce. Your recipe sounds sooo yummy.
Pam says
Thanks, Florence. You got me curious about the white BBQ sauce, so I looked it up. Not sure what part of Alabama you're from, but what I found said it is common in northern Alabama.
Mary - the boondocks blog says
I would love to try this sometime. Never made anything like it but it looks delicious! It must smell heavenly
David Courington says
Thanks for sharing the sauce recipe as well. This looks like a site I will visit often and there are a lot of tasty recipes here that I have seen and will be trying out. I will be doing the barbeque on a pellet smoker, but those things do great cooking.
Pam says
Thanks so much, David. We're happy to be able to now offer the sauce recipe as well. We've heard great things about the pellet smokers, though we've never cooked on one ourselves. Let us know how your barbecue turns out!