Description
Rotisserie Pork Shoulder, wet brined, then cooked on the rotisserie until it is tender and shreddable.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6-pound boneless pork shoulder roast (aka Boston butt roast)
- 2 cups wood chips (hickory, cherry, apple, or pecan)
Brine
- 3 quarts water
- 1/2 cup fine sea salt (3/4 cup kosher salt)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Brine the pork: Stir the water, salt, and sugar in a large container until the salt and sugar dissolve. Submerge the pork in the brine. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
- Truss and spit the pork: Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Truss the shoulder roast, then skewer it on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Let the pork rest at room temperature until the grill is ready.
- Set up the grill for indirect medium-low heat (300°F) - Gas Grill: Set the grill up for indirect medium-low heat (about 300°F), with the drip pan in the middle of the grill. For my Weber Summit, I remove the grill grates and put the drip pan on the burner covers in the middle of the grill. Then I turn burners 1 and 6 to high, turn the smoker burner to high, and let the grill preheat for 10 minutes. Once the grill is going, I adjust the burners to keep the temperature between 250°F and 300°F. (I had to turn burners 1 to 6 down to medium to get the temperature down to 300°F.)
- OR: Set up the grill for indirect medium-low heat (300°F) - charcoal grill: For my Weber Kettle charcoal grill I light 40 coals (⅓ of a Weber charcoal chimney, or one full Weber charcoal basket), wait for them to be mostly covered with gray ash, then pile the coals in charcoal baskets on both sides of the charcoal grate. (The charcoal baskets hold the coals in a tight pile.) Finally, I put a drip pan on the charcoal grate between the coals, then put the grill grate back on the grill. To keep the heat going, I add 14 unlit charcoal briquettes to the charcoal baskets every hour.
- Rotisserie cook the pork shoulder to 205°F: Put the spit on the grill, start the motor spinning, and make sure the drip pan is centered beneath the pork roast. Add the smoking wood to the fire and close the lid. Cook with the lid closed, checking the grill temperature occasionally, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 205°F in its thickest part, about 6 hours. (I recommend cooking to temperature using an instant read thermometer, because the time will vary depending on conditions and the thickness of the roast.)
- Serve: Immediately remove the pork from the rotisserie spit and remove the twine trussing the roast. Be careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot. Let the pork rest for 15 minutes, then shred with a pair of forks. (The pork will pull apart easily.) Taste for seasoning, and stir in salt and pepper if needed. Serve.
Notes
Wood chips - my grill has a dedicated smoker burner and wood chip basket, so I toss the chips in there. If you don't have a smoker burner for your grill, wrap the wood chips in aluminum foil in a tight, single layer - picture an envelope, but made of foil - and poke a few holes in it. Lay the foil wrapped chips directly on top of the burner cover above the lit burner.
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: American