This Smoked Pork Shoulder with Orange and Cinnamon starts with a citrus spice brine injection, gets dry rubbed then smoked to fall apart, tender perfection. Perfect for tacos, enchiladas and other dishes.
In a bowl use a small whisk and mix together all of the ingredients for the dry rub.
In a separate bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the brine injection mixture. Use a meat syringe and inject the pork shoulder all over, using all of the injection mixture.
Next, coat the pork all over with the dry rub, patting it down to adhere. Wrap the pork in aluminum foil and place in a large roasting pan and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
Start your smoker and following manufacturers instructions, start wood chips. Smoke the pork shoulder at 225°F until the meat reaches 205°F, about 15 hours. (See Note 1)
Baste the pork with the mop sauce every hour for the last 3 hours.
Remove the pork from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes. You know the pork is done when you can easily remove the bone without a bit of pressure, it should just slide right out of the meat. Discard any chunks of fat and shred pork with hands and forks.
Notes
General rule of thumb for smoking is 90 minutes per pound of meat @225°F, but always go by desired internal temperature for total time. 205°F is best for pulled pork.