Carolina-style barbecue pork shoulder

SERVES 10
For the pork bone-in pork shoulder 1 x 4kg
vegetable oil 2 tbsp

For the brine
apple juice 1 litre
water 1 litre
demerara sugar 100g
salt 100g
garlic 5 cloves, peeled and grated

For the seasoning
sea salt 2 tbsp
garlic salt 1 tbsp
black pepper 1 tsp
cayenne ½ tsp

Carolina-style barbecue sauce
distilled malt vinegar 1 litre
Heinz ketchup 100ml
hot sauce of choice 1 tbsp
sugar 200g
salt 1½ tbsp
crushed red pepper 1 tbsp
coarse ground black pepper 1 tbsp

For the wrap
butter 3 tbsp, cut into thin slices
apple juice 60ml
demerara sugar 50g

To serve
white bread 20 slices
sweet onion 1 medium, thinly sliced
cucumber dill pickles about 250g, sliced

You will also need
instant read thermometer

Twenty-four hours in advance, make the brine. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Place the pork in the brine and store in the fridge for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, make the seasoning blend and mix the ingredients together.

After 24 hours, remove the pork from the brine (discard the brine) and pat lightly with paper towels to dry off. Let it come to room temperature and season with the seasoning blend, then rub the pork evenly with vegetable oil.

Place the brined and seasoned pork into a smoker or barbecue preheated to 120C, and add 2 large handfuls of applewood or oak chips on top of the coals (chips will have been soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained; you can find them at worldofpower.co.uk or similar outlets).

Cook "indirect" (with heat source on one side of the grill/barbecue, pork on the opposite side) for 3-4 hours, or until internal temperature is 72C (check with instant read thermometer). You can add an additional handful of smoked wood chips every hour until the pork reaches its internal temperature of 72C.

To make the Carolina-style barbecue sauce, add all the ingredients to a large pot, stir, bring to the boil and set aside.

Remove the pork from the barbecue and place on two large sheets of heavy-duty aluminium foil. Place the wrap ingredients on top of the pork, close the foil tightly and return to the barbecue until the internal temperature is 90C (just poke the thermometer through the foil and into the meat) for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove the pork from the barbecue, and then carefully from the foil, discarding any liquid. Place the pork gently (it will be tender) on two new sheets of foil, seal tightly and allow to rest on the work surface for 45 minutes.

When ready to eat, open the foil and shred the pork by pulling it apart with two forks. Season the barbecue sauce to taste and moisten the meat generously. Serve with white bread, thinly sliced onions and cucumber dill pickles.

Adam Perry Lang is founder of Daisy May's BBQ in New York and opened Barbecoa in London with Jamie Oliver. A version of his pork shoulder was placed first at the American Royal World Series of BBQ. His latest book is Charred & Scruffed (Artisan); adamperrylang.com