It’s amazing how a handful of hours on the smoker transforms a pork shoulder. It emerges so tender, you can shred it with a fork. When you take a bite, the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender and unbelievable juicy. Well, not all the meat is so lush; the end pieces are lightly charred and caramelized. In the L&B test kitchen, our tasters will dig through the shredded meat to steal those concentrated bits of crispy, smoky deliciousness. It’s like meat candy.

Once you’ve shredded the pork, there are all kinds of things you can do with it. Here we’ve put it on a platter with all our favorite barbecue sides: sweet cornbread, creamy coleslaw, savory beans and zesty collard greens. Our favorite bite: a stack of cornbread, coleslaw and a chunk of tender pork.

You could also tuck the pork into a bun with your favorite barbecue sauce (serve it with a side of kettle chips and some cut fruit for an easy meal). And it’s simply terrific piled in a homemade flour tortilla with avocado, crisp radishes and a big scoop of pineapple salsa.