Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos

Serves 2                     Total Time – 5-6 hours

Pork shoulder is an ideal cut for smoking and pulling. It’s delicious, and it also happens to be pretty forgiving and inexpensive.

Tip – I used a barrel smoker for this recipe, but if you prefer to use an electric smoker or grill you can substitute the smoking blocks for chips.

Ingredients

For the Pork

• Hickory Smoking Blocks
• 6-8 lb. Pork Butt/Shoulder
• ½ cup Mustard, any variety
• 4 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• 3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp. granulated Garlic
• ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar, mix with equal part water and place in a spray bottle

For the Salsa

• 1 bunch Radishes, sliced
• 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
• 2 Jalapenos (remove pith and seeds for a milder salsa)
• Juice of 2 limes
• ¼ cup Cilantro, chopped

For the tacos

• Tortillas
• Cotija cheese
  
  

Method

1. The day before, combine all the dry rub ingredients and liberally coat the meat. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This step adds a lot of flavor but is not crucial, so if you don’t have the time just season the meat right before smoking.
2. Light a fire in your smoker (if using a barrel) and allow the coals to develop.
3. When the smoker is ready, throw in some fresh hickory blocks. Give them 5 minutes to start smoldering before adding the pork.
4. Place the pork in the smoker and close the lid. Smoke the meat for 3 hours.
5. Check the internal temperature of the pork and spray it with the vinegar solution. Continue to do this every hour until you reach an internal temperature of 200°F.
6. Remove the pork and wrap in foil, set aside to rest.
7. While the pork rests combine all the salsa ingredients.
8. When the pork is cool enough to handle use 2 forks to shred it finely.
9. Serve warm with soft tortillas, crumbled cotija cheese and plenty of fresh limes for squeezing.