Pellet Grill Pulled Pork Recipe

My Simple Smoked Pulled Pork Butt (AKA Smoked Pork Shoulder) is a go-to any time I am looking to feed a hungry crowd and don’t want too much fuss. With only 3 ingredients, you’re looking at some good, classic BBQ with plenty of flavor.

This process for smoked pulled pork is a delicious way to cook pork butt. It’s a relatively easy process that requires a bit of time, some simple ingredients, and a trusty smoker.

This post is the perfect guide for your first pulled pork. Make sure to read it to the end (lots of good info here) as well as scroll below to the printable recipe card to take in all the pork knowledge so you’ll be fully ready to take on this delicious beast.

Tender, Juicy, Traeger Smoked Pork Shoulder / Pork Butt

The reason I call this smoked pulled pork butt “simple” is because of how little effort it takes. This recipe doesn’t require any fancy injections, tools, spritzing concoctions, or wrapping to have it come out absolutely perfect every. single. time. All you need to make this recipe a success is a good pork shoulder, my famous homemade sweet BBQ rub, good smoke, and plenty of time.

Most smoked pork butt recipes call for a bone-in pork shoulder, sometimes also labeled a Boston butt roast or a pork butt. All of these labels are for the exact same cut of pork.

None of them actually come from the butt end of the pig (which can definitely be confusing), but from the upper part of the shoulder. The pork butt, or pork shoulder, has many overlapping and hard working muscle groups that are bound together with tight connective tissue.

Smoked Pulled Pork On A Ninja Woodfire Grill

That tight tissue makes this cut particularly well suited for smoking. It would be very difficult to simply slice and serve a pork shoulder roast that wasn’t cooked low and slow to break down those tight muscles and connective fibers. You’d end up chewing for a long time and not getting anywhere.

By using the low and slow process of cooking the meat over a wood fire for a long time, those tissues begins to break down, tenderize, and create amazing strands of super succulent smoked pork shoulder.

This simple smoked pulled pork shoulder is made using old school BBQ techniques and flavors to give you super authentic and extra tasty pulled pork. Here’s how to do it:

Best Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe

With your smoker running steady at 225 degrees F, you can typically plan about 2 hours of cook time per pound of pork.

For example, an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 16 hours from start to finish. Quick note! Every cut of meat is a little bit different, so plan ahead for variations in cook time! I’ve had some 8-pound smoked pork butts finish in 12 hours and some 10-pound smoked pork butts take 20 hours to finish.

I recommend a good instant read probe thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature of the meat, and for this one reason. You’ll notice a pattern emerge as you start to smoke pork butts more frequently. Your meat rises in temperature up to about 145 degrees F pretty quickly, then the cooking process will slow dramatically and take hours to increase in temperature from 145 degrees F to 165 degrees F. This phase is called the “Stall” and is completely normal. Don’t panic, just let everything keep cooking and eventually the temperature will start to rise again.

Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork

A lot of pitmasters choose to wrap their smoked pork butt in foil or butcher paper at this point to help shorten the process and push their meat through this stall period (you can see how I utilize this technique HERE). For this simple smoked pork butt recipe, I did not wrap at all.

Instead, I let the smoke continue to work on the pork shoulder and it helped to develop a really amazing exterior crust on the outside of the meat called “bark.” For those not familiar with the world of BBQ, this outer coating may appear burned, but to those in the know, that dark caramelized bark is absolutely coveted!

If you’re like me, you often have a hankering for pulled pork when you only have your small family to feed. If you find yourself in this predicament, simply freeze the leftovers!

Easy Smoked Pork Butt

Ready to reheat that pork you have ready in the freezer? Here are some ways to get your pork tasting just as good as the day it came off the smoker.

Hooray! You’ve mastered this simple pulled pork recipe! Ready to get a little fancy and try some other flavors and techniques? Try my other tasty recipes below! Each one is unique and simply bursting with flavor.

This simple smoked pulled pork recipe only requires a few pantry ingredients and a smoker to achieve those melt-in-your-mouth strands of tender pulled pork.

Perfect Pulled Pork

Calories: 257 kcal | Carbohydrates: 1 g | Protein: 34 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 116 mg | Sodium: 153 mg | Potassium: 592 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin A: 12 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 25 mg | Iron: 2 mg

**This post was originally published in September 2017. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.

Susie Bulloch founded Hey Grill Hey in 2015 with one desire: To help people make better BBQ. To date she has created over 550 recipes that millions of people cook every month, making Hey Grill Hey a name synonymous with amazing BBQ. Susie and her husband Todd run a family business that includes a line of signature BBQ rubs, sauces, and gadgets.

Best Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork

The Grill Squad is our exclusive membership program that will transform bland cookouts into booming barbecues that you'll remember for a lifetime. The technique and skills you learn will bring your backyard cookouts to a new level. For the cost of a full brisket, you'll get annual access to an exclusive BBQ community, Pitmaster Classes, discounts, and much much more!Pulled pork is a classic dish that never fails to impress a crowd! The smoky, tender, and juicy meat is a result of slow cooking over low heat, allowing the flavors to develop and the meat to become irresistibly succulent. One of the best ways to achieve this perfection is by using a pellet grill.

From selecting the right cut of meat to mastering this barbecue technique, you’ll soon be able to savor the rich flavors and tender texture of your very own homemade pulled pork.

Despite their names, both come from the shoulder of the pig. The butt is higher up on the animal, and the pork shoulder is slightly lower down continuing to the front hooves. The term “butt” originated from the way the pork shoulder used to be stored or transported in barrels, known as “butts.”

Bbq Smoked Pork Loin

Both cuts are well-suited for slow cooking methods like smoking barbecue due to their high-fat content and connective tissues. Both are tough cuts of meat, but when cooked low and slow, the fat and connective tissues break down, resulting in tender and flavorful meat that is ideal for shredding, making it perfect for pulled pork.

I prefer pork butt because it contains more fat which seeps into the meat making it more tender and flavorful, however, I wouldn’t hesitate to use pork shoulder if the butt wasn’t available. This cut offers a good balance of marbling, fat content, and connective tissue that break down during the long cooking process, resulting in tender and flavorful meat that melts in your mouth.

Both cuts can come bone-in or boneless, with the shoulder usually coming bone-in with skin on (aka picnic ham). The pork butt can include the blade bone, which contributes depth of flavor and meatiness to the pork butt recipe.

Texas Style Pulled Pork Recipe

I use boneless or bone-in pork butt because it’s easy and affordable to buy at the warehouse stores (Costco and Sam’s) in two packs for about $22…

A pork butt is usually 5-6 lbs. and takes me 10 hours to smoke.It makes a full half pan of meat and makes about12- 15 servings.

Note: A spray bottle of apple cider vinegar can also be used, but no spices can be added to the fluid or it will clog the nozzle. Some choose to use apple juice or Dr Pepper, but a vinegar mop balances the fattiness of the pork, as well as the sweet bbq sauce we will pair it with, so I much prefer a vinegar mop.

Easy Pulled Pork On The Traeger Timberline 1300

All pellets will burn at about 1 pound per hour. One bag of pellets is 20 pounds, so 1 bag should be sufficient.

When it comes to selecting wood pellets for making pulled pork, there are several popular options that can enhance the flavor profile of the meat. Here are some commonly used wood pellets for smoking pork:

Remember, the choice of wood pellets ultimately comes down to personal preference. Some pitmasters like to experiment with blends or combinations of different wood pellets to create their own unique flavor profiles.

Smoked Pulled Pork (pellet Grill Recipe)

Regardless of the wood pellets you choose, check the flow rate of your pellet grill to ensure you’re settings are