This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
One of my favorite things about cooking or grilling is the ability to play with flavors. Given my love for Mexican food and BBQ, I decided to put a spin on a classic pork recipe by making a Mexican Style Pulled Pork. Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats an original classic pulled pork , but the flavors were out of this world. Hints of chili, pepper and the addition of achiote paste made this recipe one for the books. Here we go!
If you enjoy Mexican food as much as I do, you have to try my mouth watering Birria Taco recipe or tequila lime grilled skirt steak.
Table of Contents
Get the pork ready and on the grill.
This recipe is definitely not a last minute dinner choice. It is a process that needs time for the meat to cook through nice and slowly while containing the tenderness and flavorfulness of the pork as well as the seasoning that’s applied throughout.
To get started, coat the entire pork shoulder with hot sauce which will work as a binder for the seasoning. The seasoning mix includes salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and crushed peppers. Don’t be shy with the seasoning. The shoulder is a large chunk of meat, so make sure to coat it heavily on all sides.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Smoke low and slow
In order to make the best classic pulled pork, the cooking process requires most of the day to achieve tender, juicy and flavorful meat. The first step will give us that delicious smokey flavor and the next will get it fall apart tender.
The pork shoulder has a lot of fat and connective tissue that needs to render down. This takes time. Patience is key here.
Preheat your grill or smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and set it for indirect heat. I used my Weber Searwood Pellet Grill for this cook.
Place the seasoned pork shoulder directly on the grates and let if smoke away.
For the first 4 hours, leave the pork should on the grill. Do NOT peek. Let the grill do its magic. After that, you should start to check the bark and see if is not drying out. If so, pour a little bit of apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz the pork every hour. This helps keep the meat moist and helps prevent the bark from burning. It does not impact the flavor of the meat.
Depending on the size of the shoulder, you should estimate 1.5 hours/lb. Total cooking process will last 7-9 hours. By this time, the internal temperature on the pork will read around 170-175 degrees.
What makes this a Mexican styled pulled pork recipe?
Aside from the flavorful dry rub seasoning, the key flavor driver is the achiote paste sauce that’s applied in the second part of the cook.
While the pork is on the grill, start prepping the sauce. In a blender, add achiote paste, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, vinegar and water. Mix it all together until you get a thick liquid of orange goodness.
What makes pulled pork so tender?
The long smoking process is what makes the meat so tender, that it falls off the bone. In order to keep the moisture and prevent the protein from drying out, you need to wrap it for the final cook.
Line 2 sheets of Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Foil and a banana leaf that you can find at your local ethnic market. The banana leaf not only works as a great wrap that holds in the moisture, but infuses the pork with hints of banana flavor.
Once the grilled pork shoulder reaches 170 degrees, place in on the wrap and pour the liquid paste all over the meat. Wrap up the protein for the second cook starting with the banana leaf and ending with a tight seal from the heavy duty foil. The wrap will help keep all the moisture inside the cook and allow the sauce to penetrate through the meat and infuse it with all those amazing Mexican style flavors.
Leave the wrapped pork on the grill for another 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 204 degrees. Remove from the grill and let it rest for 1 hour.
Place the shoulder in a pan, remove the bone and shred the meat, mixing it in with all the rendered juices.
Finally, it’s time to enjoy the cook after many hours of cooking and patience! I chose to make Mexican style pulled pork sandwiches, but this would also work great with a plain corn tortilla, chopped onion, cilantro and a dip in the remaining liquid that’s still in the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions:
No, just depends what your grocery store or butcher have. Bone-in will take slightly longer to cook vs. boneless but will provide more flavor. Bone-in also cooks more evenly. Boneless may have some well done parts since it’s not evenly shaped due to the bone being removed.
I prefer to use foil over butcher paper because it helps retain all the moisture which keeps the pork nice and tender. I use a foil pan to fold the shoulder, then wrap the top with a foil sheet.
More delicious pulled pork recipe ideas:
If you tried this Mexican Style Pulled Pork or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Mexican Style Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 6 lbs Pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp Yellow mustard
- 6 tbsp Dad's taco rub
Achiote Paste Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Achiote paste
- 2 tbsp Chili powder
- 2 tbsp Cumin powder
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Water
Instructions
- Coat the entire pork shoulder with hot sauce which will work as a binder for the seasoning.
- Mix the seasoning using 1 tablespoon of each: salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and crushed peppers.
- Coat the shoulder heavily on all sides.
- Place the seasoned pork shoulder on the grill at 250 degrees on direct heat and let if cook for about 4 hours or until it reaches 170 degrees internally.
- While the pork is on the grill, start prepping the sauce. Blend together achiote paste, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, vinegar and water.
- Place the grilled pork shoulder on the wrap and pour the liquid paste all over the meat.
- Wrap up the protein for the second cook starting with the banana leaf and ending with a tight seal from the heavy duty foil.
- Leave the wrapped pork on the grill for another2-3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 204 degrees.
- Remove from the grill and let it rest for 1 hour.
- Place the shoulder in a pan, remove the bone and shred the meat, mixing it in with all the rendered juices.
Notes
- Try to purchase a bone-in pork shoulder. Helps cook more evenly.
- If you are not a fan of mustard in general, use hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce as the binding agent.
- For the first 4 hours, leave the pork should on the grill. Do NOT peek inside. Let the grill do its magic. After that, you should start to check the bark and see it is not drying out.
- At this stage of the cook, no more smoke will penetrate the meat. It’s OK to finish the cook in the oven.
- Tenderness is key. This will help make the pork shreddable. The final temperature on a classic pulled pork can range anywhere from 200 to 205 degrees, so be patient. If the probe is not going into the meat smoothly, it’s not done. Keep cooking. This is where a lot of the mistakes are made. Pork is removed too soon and the meat ends up dry and tough.
Nutrition
Be sure to visit the Recipes page for other tasty ideas.
