Hi! New user, long time BBQer
I've had my ProQ Frontier for about 4 years now and I've had some amazing BBQ's from it but I've never been able to master pulled pork! Every time I've tried making it I've just gotten roast pork and never the tender, stringy consistency
I always get setup around 12-1 and use the minion method (A circle of unlit coals in the smoker and then lit ones from a chimney starter in the middle) which usually gets me a consistent 200-250°F for about 4-5 hours. Normally I cook a range of stuff so that we end up with a proper smokehouse platter (burgers, sausages, ribs, chicken, brisket etc) and I'm getting pretty good at getting everything ready at the same time. I just bung everything in at different intervals while we drink/watch a couple of films and a few hours later everything's perfect, except for the pork which is cooked through but can't be pulled at all. I end up just having to carve it up into slices.
What exactly do I need to be doing to get this right? I'm doing a BBQ this coming bank holiday Monday so I'd like to have a practice before then. I usually just use a 2kg shoulder joint from Aldi or Asda which I didn't think needed the 12-18 hours cooking time I've been reading about (I thought 4-5 hours would have been enough?). I make up a dry rub for it, give it a good rub and I've even tried searing the pork before smoking it (which I've been told will help?). As I said above I get the smoker ready and start cooking about 12-1 with an aim to be eating around 6-7. I'll keep an eye on the temperature and open/close the bottom vents as needed. I'll also chuck in some more lit coals in the last couple of hours.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated