Our friends (and former neighbors) who were transferred to Florida, were back in town for a visit so we had a cookout on Sunday to celebrate. We got the old neighborhood gang back together for some good food and plenty of drinks. I was tasked with making the meat and needed something for 16 adults and 4 kids so settled on pulled pork and brisket.
Good thing about these – both can be made ahead!! The party was at 3 o’clock so not enough time to cook the day of.
Friday was pulled pork day and here is how I did it:
Get yourself some nice bone-on pork shoulders. Normally I would cook an 8-10 pounder, but Whole Foods only had two 4 1/2 chunks. Next you need a good rub.
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 T chili powder
- 1 T paprika
- 1 T onion powder
- 1 t salt
- 1 t pepper
- 1 t dry mustard
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper
Rub mix on all sides of the pork shoulder. Time to get the grill going. You want to get to a temp of 225 degrees and smoke the pork for 3 hours, fat side up. Spray with apple juice every hour after the first hour.
Transfer the pork to a disposable foil pan, add 2 cups of apple juice.
Cover with foil and put back on the grill. Cook for another 5-6 hours, until the internal temp is 195 degrees in the thickest part of the shoulder, not touching bone. Pull off grill and let rest 30 minutes.
Pull the pork – At this point the meat is very tender and comes apart easily. Once I pulled the pork I drained the liquid, added a little more rub, drained some of the liquid and covered tightly. Place in the frig (can be done 3-4 days ahead) and wait for the party.
On Sunday I fired up the grill to 225 degrees and reheated the pork for about an hour. Serve with BBQ sauce and all the fixings! I also made coffee rubbed brisket for the party and reheated it along side the pork. Making these ahead of time was a great way to enjoy the day of the party, without stressing about getting the food done on time. Enjoy!!
After a weekend of celebrating with too much food and wine, it was time to get back to the basics. Nice to have a clean, fresh meal! Tonight was grilled chicken breast, grilled veggies and potatoes. Simple, yet tasty,
For the veggies I mixed up 3 colors of peppers (red, orange, yellow), sliced onion and fresh sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and grill at 350 for 30 minutes. 
The potatoes are my normal grilled potatoes – wrapped in foil with butter and grilled for 30 minutes at 350. The chicken is also grilled at 350 for the same 30 minutes which makes this super easy. Just check the chicken to be sure the internal temp is at 165 and you are good to go.
