Smoked Pork Recipe

This Smoked Pork Butt is going to turn into the best Pulled Pork you’ve ever had. It literally just falls off the bone! Low and slow is the name of the game when preparing a Pork Butt. And smoking is (in my humble opinion) the BEST cooking process for this. It’s so good paired with my favorite homemadeMacaroni and CheeseandColeslaw.

Smoked pulled pork is my go-to choice for feeding a crowd because although it requires some planning and lots of time (like, a LONG time), it’s super hands off and easy-peasy, plus it’s a relatively inexpensive cut of meat. Try my Smoked Chicken Wings next!

Pulled Pork is an American dish, originating from the South which uses shredded pork butt (also called pork shoulder) as the main ingredient with other regional-based sauces added on after cooking slowly over a smoker, wood fire, oven, or in a slow cooker.

Smoked Pork Dry Fry: Naga Style Smoked Pork Recipe

Pork Butt, sometimes referred to as Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt, is the cut of pork used for all Pulled Pork Recipes. It doesn’t actually come from the butt of the animal, but the shoulder. So, technically Pork Shoulder would be the correct term but most people know it as Pork Butt, so that’s what we will be calling it today. It is some of the most tender and flavorful meat after being cooked low and slow. Partly because it’s naturally very fatty, but also because it just falls off the bone after the right amount of cooking time.

When bone-in pork butt goes on sale at your local grocery store, pick up one or two, and make this easy meal for your family. It’s also a huge crowd pleaser so you may want to make it the star of your next gathering if you are into getting rave reviews.

Since this post involves a lot of information (we you should definitely read through in its entirety!), I wanted to give you a little shortcut chart right now, so you know what to expect when smoking a pork butt, especially if this is your first time. Just follow these for the BEST smoked pork butt ever.

Fall Apart Smoked Pork Butt (pulled Pork)

2: Pat your room temperature pork butt dry with paper towels and spread classic yellow mustard all over the meat. Then, generously apply any dry rub seasoning.

3: Place your fully seasoned pork butt directly on the smoker grate, fat side up and insert your smoker’s thermometer probe. Smoke for several hours until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160° F.

4: Once pork butt reaches 160° F, wrap it in non-coated butcher paper and place back on smoker to continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 203° F.

Smoked Pork Shoulder (crowd Pleaser!)

6: Unwrap pork butt and place in a large serving dish. Pull out the shoulder blade bone and discard. “Pull” your pork using heat-resistant grilling gloves or meat claws.

In order to break down the abundance of connective tissue in a pork butt, it takes several hours to smoke from start to finish, so plan ahead and start early and give yourself enough time. Every smoker is different, but for best results you will need about 1 1/2 – 2 hours per pound of pork if smoking at 225° F. There are many factors for how long it will take, including the size or your pork butt, the consistency of your smoker, even the outside temperature. It’s best to give yourself plenty of time and you can always keep your pork warm in a cooler until you’re ready to “pull”. More on that later. I used two 6.5 pound butts for the purposes of this pork butt recipe, and my total smoke time was about 10 hours. I’ve done larger 8 pound butts in the past that have taken 14-16 hours. You’ll then want to factor in about an hour of rest time.

I recommend setting your smoker to 225° F and smoking your pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 160° F. You’ll then wrap and continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 203° F which is the sweet spot for this cut of meat. Let rest for one hour before pulling. If you find that you are running short on time and need to speed up the process a bit (just a bit!), wrapping your meat in aluminum foil and cranking the smoker to a higher temperature – up to 250° F will help. I wouldn’t go any higher that that, though. And I wouldn’t recommend this unless you are desperate.

Smoked Bbq Pulled Pork

Along the way…but you don’t have to. If you follow my instructions carefully, you should have the most delicious, smoky, tender, fall off the bone pulled pork that is sure to please. Printable recipe card will be found at the bottom of this post.

Preheat your smoker to 225° F.Since every smoker is different, you’ll want to follow the manufacturer instructions for startup. I use a pellet smoker – theTraeger Wood Fired Pellet Grill, which is the new love of my life. Place a disposable aluminum tray of water under the grate. This will help regulate the temperature of your smoker, but is completely optional. My favorite wood (or wood pellets) to use for pork is Apple Wood as it just compliments the pork so well.

Pat your room temperature Pork Butt dry with paper towels and spread classic yellow mustard all over the meat. You will never even taste the mustard. It just ensures the spice rub adheres to the meat and can help to tenderize the meat as it contains vinegar. Then, generously apply any dry rub seasoning of your choice to all sides of the pork butt. I used my homemade Pulled Pork Dry Rub recipe (which uses simple ingredients like brown sugar, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and more that pairs well with any kind of pork or pork roast). I make this in huge batches so I never run out.

Smoked Pork Roast (amazing Smoked Pork Shoulder Butt Roast)

Place your fully seasoned pork butt directly on the smoker grate, fat side up and insert your smoker’s thermometer probe. Smoke for several hours until the meat reaches an

Internal temperature of 160° F. Most smokers will have a built-in thermometer probe or you can use a quick readdigital meat thermometerlike this one.

Once your pork butt reaches 160° F, wrap it in NON-COATED butcher paper and place back on smoker to continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 203° F. You can also use aluminum foil here, but for the best smoke flavor I prefer butcher paper because it allows smoke to penetrate, while still sealing in juices, thus giving you super juicy and tender meat. Butcher paper will also not ruin your bark (more on that later). This is my favorite butcher paper (mostly because it’s stinkin adorable!). 😉

Delicious Smoked Pork Belly

You may notice that your meat steadily comes up in temperature, all the way up to 150° or so and you think you’re home free and finishing way faster than you thought. But then, the dial stops moving. This is called “the stall” and is completely normal. It can last anywhere between 2-6 hours. Stay patient and you will get over that hump eventually. This is where all of those tough connective tissues start to break down and the bark starts to develop.

At this point, you will start to notice the outside of your meat begin to look like it’s burning. It’s NOT! This is the oh-so-delicious BARK. It’s SCIENCE! It’s caramel-y, sweet, chewy and downright AMAZING when mixed in with the rest of the meat during the pulling process so this is a GOOD THING!

Once your Pork Butt reaches an internal temperature of 203° F (remember, this should have taken about 1 1/2 – 2 hours per pound of meat), remove from smoker and let rest for one hour (still wrapped). You’ll be able to tell if it’s super tender because that shoulder blade bone will be literally pushing itself out of the meat. SUCCESS!

Smoked Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Unwrap your Pork Butt and place in a large serving dish. I just use a disposable aluminum pan since we’re outside and don’t need to be fancy. Pull out the shoulder blade bone and discard.

The easiest way I’ve found to shred (or “pull”) your pork is to use heat-resistant grilling gloves and just get in there with both hands. You could also use meat claws or even just a couple of forks.

There are many different sauces you can add to the pork at this point, or you can serve it on the side. I feel like everyone has a favorite bbq sauce and for this application, I made pulled pork sandwiches with my Homemade BBQ Sauce and Coleslaw on buns, but we’ve been known to just eat it straight out of the roasting pan…no additions necessary! Next time, I think I’ll try them with my more vinegar-based Carolina BBQ Sauce.

Smoked Pork Butt (smoked Pulled Pork Recipe)

Any kind of “picnic” foods would be great side dishes for Pulled Pork Butt, but here are some of my favorites (in addition to the Coleslaw mentioned above of course).

Pork Butt ahead of time. BEFORE you pull the pork, keep it wrapped in the butcher paper and then