Pulled Pork Sliders with Mango BBQ Sauce

Prepare your grill to 250 degrees F. Soak a fruit wood such as apple or peach for 30 minutes and then throw the wood chunks into your grill that is at 250 degrees. The wood is to create the “smoke” that will infuse the pork with great smoky flavor.

Next, slice the fat layer on the top of the meat in a “cross hatch” direction so as to create cubes of fat on top of the meat (see picture). This is going to help get more rub “rubbed in” to the butt.

Next, inject the meat liberally with the mango nectar or you can use apple juice or juice of your preference.

Slather the pork butt with olive oil, and then generously rub the butt all over with your favorite BBQ rub.

Place the pork butt (fat side up) on the grates of your grill or Egg with a piece of foil underneath to catch the juices. Make sure to also have the place setter in place as we are cooking indirect. (An Egg uses a place setter to cook indirectly.) For a regular grill, if you are smoking at 250 degrees, I recommend just wrapping the pork with foil all over so that the pork never comes into contact with the grill. (A regular grill will not use a placesetter).

Meanwhile, combine all of you Mango BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. After simmering for 5 minutes, remove from heat and divide into two bowls. (One bowl is for basting, the other one will be for serving with the meat for sandwiches.)

Periodically baste the pork with one bowl of the BBQ sauce as it is cooking. Smoke the meat for up to 8 hours (estimate 1 hour per pound of meat) or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F. Then it is ready to be pulled off of the grill. If you have the time, you can smoke longer at a lower temp – 225F, but 250F worked fine for me.

After you pull the meat off of the grill, let it rest under foil for 10 minutes. Then you are ready to “pull it” with a fork. You will shred the pork with a fork and it will be perfect for a sandwich or tortilla for pork sliders or tacos. I made sliders paired with my chipotle cilantro coleslaw and sweet potato fries.

For the BBQ sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with your sliders.