Crispy Pulled Pork Shoulder

Directions

1. 1
   Using a sharp knife, cut the skin on your pork shoulder into a crosshatch pattern, leaving about an inch of space between the cuts. Be sure to slice through the layer of fat below the skin, but not into the meat.
2. 2
   Whisk sugar and salt together and rub all over pork shoulder. Allow the shoulder to sit in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 72.
3. 3
   Before cooking, rub black pepper all over the pork shoulder and allow it to sit out at room temperature for 1 hour to come up to temperature.
4. 4
   Pre-heat oven to 275°F. Place shoulder in a roasting pan and cook until the internal temperature reaches 180° F to 190° F -- about 6 hours. Once it reaches this temperature, remove it from the oven and crank the oven up to 500° F.
5. 5
   Cook, rotating every 5 minutes, until skin is blistered, crispy, and deeply golden brown -- about 15 minutes.
6. 6
   Remove the shoulder from the oven and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the layer of crispy skin and chop it roughly.
7. 7
   Pull meat away from the bones and shred it using a fork. Toss cracklings in with meat, season to taste, and pile onto a bun.
8. 8
   Mixing with barbecue sauce is optional, but delicious. Get a recipe for homemade barbecue sauce here https://food52.com/blog/10485-how-to-make-all-natural-barbecue-sauce-from-scratch
9. 9
   If you want to cook this shoulder on your grill, just place it over indirect heat (on a gas grill this means turning on the burners on one side and off on the other, and on a charcoal grill it means piling the coals on one side). Place a disposable aluminum drip pan under the shoulder to avoid flare-ups. Make sure your grill doesn't exceed 300° F or go below 150° F. Cook until internal temp is 180° F to 190° F, roughly 6 hours.