Pulled pork. Smoke first, argue later.

Pulled pork is not a sauce delivery system.

Somewhere, somebody decided pulled pork ought to arrive drowning in a sweet brown liquid with the consistency of furniture polish. The pork itself seems to have become an inconvenient middleman. A shame, because a good shoulder has everything it needs: fat, connective tissue and enough character to stand up to smoke.

We're going to cook it outside, let it take smoke, then finish it in a cast-iron Dutch oven. It's a deliberate trade: the cast iron captures the rich juices and gives us soft, pull-apart pork. The lid takes a little edge off the bark. Fine. We're feeding people, not submitting a photograph to a judging panel. There's also a slow-cooker route, because not everybody has a free Saturday or a garden full of expensive equipment.

First, buy the right pig.

Shoulder has the fat and connective tissue this cook needs. Buy something properly marbled. Don't be seduced by a beautifully lean joint: it's the wrong cut for the job, however impressive the butcher's display might be. Ask for the skin removed — or keep it and make crackling separately, because throwing it out would be criminally wasteful.

The first smoke stage is about building colour and flavour. The long covered finish is about collagen softening into something worth pulling apart. If you're after enormous, hard competition bark, leave the shoulder unwrapped in the smoker instead. For juicy pork you can pile onto a roll and eat with your hands, the Dutch oven earns its keep.

What you'll need.

• 1.8–2.2 kg / 4–5 lb boneless pork shoulder, skin removed, excess hard fat trimmed
• 25 g / about 4 tsp fine salt, adjusted if your pork is already seasoned
• 2 tbsp smoked or ordinary paprika; 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar, optional; 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• 150 ml / ⅔ US cup unsalted stock or apple juice, plus extra only if needed
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar; a little mustard for binding the rub, optional

Serves roughly eight, depending on the buns and how enthusiastically people load them. You'll need a food thermometer, a lidded barbecue or smoker, a stable seasoned or enamelled cast-iron pot with a suitable heatproof lid, and food-safe smoking wood.

Method one: smoke it, then let the iron do the work.

1. Season. Pat the pork dry. Mix the salt, spices and sugar. Rub it well over every surface. Refrigerate until you're ready to cook; don't leave raw pork sitting outside while the charcoal catches up.
2. Build indirect heat. Heat your outdoor smoker or covered barbecue to around 120–135°C / 250–275°F. Use a chamber thermometer rather than trusting only the lid dial. Add a small amount of apple, cherry or oak wood. Clean, light smoke is the aim; a dirty bonfire isn't flavour.
3. Smoke uncovered. Place the shoulder away from direct flame and cook for roughly 2–4 hours, until the exterior has good colour and taken on smoke. These are planning times, not a promise. Monitor the temperature and follow the cooker manufacturer's safety instructions.
4. Finish in cast iron. Move the meat into the pot with the stock and vinegar. Put the lid on and return it to indirect heat, or move the pot to an oven at about 135–150°C / 275–300°F. Use heatproof gloves. Keep the pot on a stable grate rated for its considerable weight.
5. Cook to tenderness. Expect several more hours. Check the thickest area for roughly 93–96°C / 200–205°F as a common pulled-pork tenderness range, then probe with a skewer. It should slide in easily and the meat should separate without a fight. This high temperature is for collagen breakdown, not the minimum safety threshold.
6. Rest, shred and season. Rest covered for 20–30 minutes. Lift the meat out, discard large pockets of fat, shred with forks and stir in enough defatted pot juices to keep it glossy. Taste before adding sauce. Finish with a little cider vinegar if it's too rich.

Don't drown it. A sharp slaw, toasted rolls and pickles are useful companions. A bottle of sauce can sit on the table for anyone determined to use it.

The juices are your sauce.

Don't tip everything in the pot straight onto the shredded meat. Let the cooking liquid settle, spoon off the fat and add it back in stages. Too much and you've made pork soup. Just enough, with a little vinegar and salt, and the meat stays moist while still tasting like pork. This is also the moment to correct the seasoning; long cooking has a habit of making you forget what you started with.

Method two: the slow cooker, which is not cheating.

Use a fully thawed shoulder that fits the size limits in your slow-cooker manual. Mix the same seasoning and rub into the meat. Put sliced onions in the base if you like, then the pork and about 120–150 ml / ½–⅔ cup liquid. Fit the lid and cook on LOW for approximately 8–10 hours, or as your model and size dictate, until the meat is thoroughly cooked and pulls apart easily. Keep the lid closed; never use the keep-warm setting to cook raw pork. Trim excess fat from the juices, shred and toss through a little liquid.

The slow cooker will not make barbecue smoke. Don't pretend it has. A little smoked paprika can nod in the direction, but it won't reproduce wood-fired pork. If you want actual smoke and time allows, brown or smoke the shoulder properly first and transfer it immediately to the cooker, without a long pause at room temperature.

The next-day sandwich.

Leftovers should be cooled in shallow containers and refrigerated within two hours; reheat thoroughly to 74°C / 165°F. The next day, fry a portion until some edges go crisp, pile it onto bread with mustard and cabbage, and discover that leftovers sometimes deserve the headline.