How I was able to get this kind of beautiful pull:
3.5 lbs beef shoulder (or whatever roast you prefer)
Rub:
2 T brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T oregano
1 T celery salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 T smoked paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
- Coat meat with rub about 2 hours before cook. Overnight doesn't add any flavor.
- Ensure meat is at room temperature before cooking.
- Heat grill to 225 if you have all day to wait. 250-260 is also good but you may not get the bark results I did.
- Throw a chunk of mesquite or hickory wood onto fire/coals. Add 2-3 more chunks throughout the cook depending on how smoky you like it.
- Cook to an internal temperature of 165-170. Bark should be cracking open.
- Wrap in butcher paper (I prefer this) or in tin foil. Wrap tightly and wrap at least 2x.
- Put back on grill and leave it alone until the internal temp reaches 200-208. If you have a meat thermometer, the probe should go in like butter once you get past the paper/foil. DO NOT pull the meat off the grill until you get this kind of low resistance.
Important! Let this thing rest for at least 2 hours. You could also wrap in a towel over night and it will still be warm in the morning or even for lunch.
When you unwrap the meat, your finger should poke into it and leave a dent. It should also be sticky from all the fat that rendered out during this part of the cook.
Arkansas Crutch: If the meat is still too tough to pull apart like I did in the video, then you can put the whole thing into a slow cooker on high for 4 hours. Put a little water in the pot and leave it. Your house will smell insanely good during this part.
Regardless, the meat should just melt apart as it did in my video if you did everything correctly. Throw it on some tortillas with the fixings and enjoy. Good luck!
