Pumpkin Pulled Pork with Kansas City BBQ Rub
Every fall, I look for a dish that feels like a harvest celebration and still honors slow-smoked barbecue. Pumpkin Pulled Pork is that dish. Pulled pork has always been about patience and payoff: deep mahogany bark, juicy strands that melt as you eat, and the perfume of hickory smoke that clings to every bite. Tucking those flavors inside a pumpkin adds a gentle autumn sweetness and a hint of roasted nuttiness that plays beautifully with spice and smoke. The pumpkin becomes more than a vessel; it soaks up savory juices, turns tender and spoonable around the edges, and brings warm color to the table. That balance of sweet, smoky, and lightly caramelized notes is what makes this recipe special. Seasoning the shoulder with mustard, dark brown sugar, and Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub creates a classic barbecue profile with a touch of fall bakery in the background. The result is rustic enough for a backyard get-together and striking enough for a holiday table. It is barbecue with a seasonal accent, bold in flavor, and made to share.
Hickory Smoked Pork in a Pumpkin
12
30 minutes
11 hours
480
American
Main Dish
This recipe leans into the comfort of pulled pork and the warmth of roasted pumpkin to create a centerpiece that tastes as inviting as it looks. The pork shoulder is seasoned with yellow mustard, dark brown sugar, and Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub, a blend that builds a savory, gently sweet crust and a peppery backbone. Smoked low and slow over hickory, the shoulder develops a bark that contrasts with tender, juicy meat. Nestling it in a pumpkin adds a soft, earthy sweetness and subtle roasted character that complements the smoke. As the juices mingle with the pumpkin’s flesh, you get an aroma that hints at spice, caramel, and toasted squash. The final bite lands with layers: smoky pork, a whisper of brown sugar, and the fall character of pumpkin that rounds everything out without overpowering it. This is barbecue meant for passing around the table with smiles, a seasonal riff that keeps the soul of pulled pork intact while letting autumn sing.
Ingredients
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- 1 pork shoulder, about 8 pounds
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub
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1 large pumpkin, about 10 to 12 pounds, cleaned and hollowed (choose one large enough to fit the pork shoulder)
Directions
- Season The Pork: Rub the pork shoulder all over with yellow mustard, then coat evenly with dark brown sugar and Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub.
- Smoke The Pork: Place the pork shoulder on the smoker at 250 degrees Fahrenheit with hickory wood and cook for 6 hours until a deep bark forms.
- Hollow Out The Pumpkin: While the pork is smoking, prepare the pumpkin by cutting off the top and scooping out the seeds and stringy flesh. Scrape the inside clean and cut the opening wide enough so the pork shoulder will fit inside easily.
- Cook In Pumpkin: Once the bark has set, place the smoked shoulder inside the hollowed pumpkin. Return the pumpkin with the pork to the smoker and cook for 5 hours, until the meat is tender, the bone pulls out clean, and the pumpkin is roasted and fragrant.
- Shred And Serve: Remove the pork from the pumpkin, shred into strands, and return the meat to the pumpkin to serve.
