Pulled pork

Directions

1. 1
   For the dry spice rub: Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. 2
   Put the meat on a board and rub all over with half the spice mix.
3. 3
   Transfer to a shallow dish and cover loosely with cling film. Leave in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Reserve the remaining rub.
4. 4
   Take the pork out of the dish and put on a board. Massage with the remaining dry rub. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas
5. 5
   Stand the pork on a rack in a roasting tin, skin side up.
6. 6
   Pour 100ml water into the tin and cover the pork and tin with a large piece of foil, pinching the foil around the edges to make a good seal.
7. 7
   Put the pork in the oven and cook for 5 hours.
8. 8
   To finish it off on the barbecue (optional): Thirty minutes before the pork is ready, light at least 2kg lumpwood charcoal or briquettes in a kettle barbecue according to the manufacturers directions. When the barbecue coals are hot and have a light coating of ash, push to one side and put the pork, either in its tin (with the liquid drained) or in a foil tray, directly onto the barbecue.
9. 9
   Add a couple of handfuls of soaked wood chips as directed on the packet instructions (either to a foil dish or directly on the coals) and close the lid.
10. 10
    Barbecue the pork for a further 45 minutes until the smoke and heat forms a crust all over the meat. It should look a very dark reddy brown and even a little blackened in places.
11. 11
    Occasionally check that the pork's internal temperature remains at least 75C. If the smoke dies down or the coals lose their heat, add a few more coals, cover with the lid and continue cooking.
12. 12
    To serve: When the pork is cooked, transfer to a board, cover with a sheet of foil and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Pull into shreds with a couple of forks. Split the baps and fill with the hot pork.
13. 13
    Serve with barbecue sauce, or hot sauce, and coleslaw.Worth the wait? Try more of our slow-cooked recipes