Grilled Pork Roast

by Kimberley Thompson, Tastemaker in Residence

For the rest of the grilling story, find Kimberley's tales of - My Journey Through Fire and Smoke. 

Find more on how to cook pork at theconcoursedeadspin

Ingredients
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp canned ancho chilis in adobo sauce, drained (save the sauce for the grilled fruit) (use the small can, I prefer Embasa)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp hot honey (honey with chilis marinated in it) Bare Honey Hot & Spicy or Mike's Hot Honey
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp crushed pineapple drained
Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. One hour before grill launch...get the meat ready. Rinse with cool water and pat roast dry.
  2. Put all ingredients, except the oil, in a blender and pulse until smooth. 
  3. Lightly oil roast and then smear paste all over roast. Place in large zippered plastic bag and set aside at room temp for 1 hour. 
  4. Get your grill ready. Seriously. Get everything ready at hand. Spray rack so roast does not stick. Use real hardwood charcoal. 
  5. Starting 1/2 hour before putting the roast on; start your charcoal. Put about 15 to 20 pieces of charcoal in a "chimney" with crunched up news paper at the base. Light the bottom of the chimney where the paper is. Once it has been burning awhile and the charcoal looks like it is starting to glow, CAREFULLY remove the chimney straight up. Using tongs, gently layer your coals on one side of grill bottom only. Place pan of water on other 1/2 of grill bottom. Put sprayed rack on grill. Shut lid to heat up. 
  6. After coals appear with light grey ash on the surface and red fire inside, put the roast on the rack above the water pan. Insert thermometer in the roast. Be careful not to insert it into fat or against the bone. Shut the lid and adjust the events to open. LEAVE the lid shut for 1.5 hours. 
  7. One hour and 15 minutes after putting lid down, prepare another chimney of charcoal. Light it in a safe, fire proof place and let it glow. When you open your lid to check the roast at the 1.5 hour mark, put in additional fresh coals above the old coals. Replenish water. (Your water should NEVER boil hard, nor just be tepid. You need a nice low bubble to introduce steam to the grill.) Do not keep opening the lid...you lose heat each and every time. 
  8. Smear on extra paste if needed. Sometimes I turn my roast...sometimes not. Put lid down. Crank vents back to 1/2 open top and bottom for another 1/2 hour. Then open up a bit more until done, about another 30 to 45 minutes. Don't worry if your roast isn't at the correct temp by this time, just put the lid back down for another 20 to 30 minutes, you will get the hang of the vents, eventually. 
  9. Internal temp is about 200 degrees to 210 degrees. Take roast off grill and cover for 20 minutes. Do not skimp on this time and do NOT PEEK. Leave lid on grill to preserve heat for the fruit. 
  10. Slice and serve with grilled pineapple slices and grilled peaches.