Lean Pork Roast ~ Juicy & Pulled

I’m going to show you that you can still make nice juicy pulled pork without using the traditional fatty pork butt. The center cut or rib end roast is much leaner. You just need to inject it and add moisture during the cook.

A Thought to Consider: I cooked this directly on the grill as I always do. Next time, I’m going to try putting it in an aluminum pan and adding a little flavored liquid on the bottom of it. Just to see if I can get it even more juicy. So if you want, you can do that this time.

This turned out nice and tender, and took 9 hours to complete. Low and slow is the trick!

I forgot to take note of the weight of the pork roast, but it was on the smaller side. The only difference if you used a larger roast is that it would take longer to cook to a pulled internal temperature of 200 degrees.

So, lets get started!

Lean Pork Roast ~ Juicy & Pulled

Ingredients

1 Center Cut Pork Roast

Injection Solution

1/2 cup Peach Nectar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

The night before smoking, I heavily injected the pork with the solution. I put it in a container, sealed it up, and put it into the refrigerator over night.

In the morning, I took it out, injected it again with only peach nectar. Then I rubbed it with my own rub that I’m creating, sealed it back up and set it on the counter to start warming up a bit. Sorry, it’s still a secret until I decide whether it’s going to be marketed or not. For those that have followed me on my website for any length of time should know that I mostly use sweet rubs. I will tell you that the rub is mostly sugar and honey powder based with a fair amount of cumin. My favorite purchased rub is “Honey Rub” made by Butcher BBQ. I use that one a lot.

Now, before the meat warms up too much, we want to get the smoker started. I’m using a 18.5 Webber Smoky Mountain for this cook today. If you’re still inexperienced at smoking, and could use some help at getting the fire set up, read my article “Starting the Fire in a 18.5 Webber Smokey Mountain“. I’ve also written an older article for maintaining the fire in a vertical smoker which could be helpful. “Tips for Maintaining a Fire in Your Smoker“.

I used a 50/50 mixture of pecan and peach wood for this cook. You want to get this regulated at about 225 degrees. Once that’s done, put the meat on the grill (I used the top grate), and do your thing until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees.

Here’s what it looks like while the pork is doing it’s thing. I also had some pork tenderloin keeping it company on their way to becoming Canadian bacon.

It took a little over 9 hours for it to reach 200 degrees. I pulled it off, put it into a container and sealed it to keep it warm while it rested.

You want to let it rest like this for about a half an hour. An hour would be better if you can wait. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. If you doubt this process, which I used to do, try it with and without letting it rest. You WILL see the difference!

Now that it’s rested long enough, pull it and enjoy!