Ingredients:

• 1 boneless Ontario pork shoulder/butt/blade roast, about 4 lb/2 kg
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) paprika
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) dried thyme leaves
• 2 tsp (10 mL) salt
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each garlic powder and pepper
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

Hickory Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 bottle (500 mL) hickory or western smokehouse barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) brown sugar
• 1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper sauce

Cooking Instructions:

1. Remove strings from roast, if any. Pat roast dry with paper towel.
2. In a bowl, stir together sugar, paprika, thyme, salt, cumin, garlic powder and pepper. Rub all over the pork roast and place in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). In a large ovenproof skillet or saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides.
4. Place roast in oven for about 4 hours or until thermometer reaches 200F (93 C) in thickest part of roast. Remove from oven and place roast in a large shallow dish; let stand for 20 minutes before pulling with heat resistant silicone gloves or 2 forks.
5. Hickory Barbecue Sauce: Meanwhile, stir together barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and hot sauce in roasting pan. Bring to a gently simmer and cook for 10 minutes for flavours to combine. Add pulled pork into pan and coat well with sauce.

Tip: If you are not a fan of a deep bark on your pulled pork, simply cook the pork roast in a covered Dutch oven.

Tip: This can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Thaw and reheat before serving.