Smoked Pulled Pork
If you only learn one smoker recipe, make it this one. Pork butt is cheap, full of fat and connective tissue, and very hard to ruin. It's the best way to learn how a long cook feels.
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in pork butt (Boston butt), 7–9 lb
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard or olive oil (binder; the mustard flavor cooks off)
- ½–¾ cup All-Purpose BBQ Rub
- 1 cup apple juice or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle (optional)
- Barbecue sauce and buns, for serving
Wood: hickory, oak, pecan, apple or cherry. A mix of hickory and a fruitwood is hard to beat.
Instructions
- Trim. Trim any thick, hard fat cap down to about ¼ inch and remove loose flaps that would burn.
- Season. Coat lightly with mustard or oil, then season generously with rub on every side. You can do this the night before and refrigerate it uncovered.
- Fire up. Bring your smoker to 250°F with clean, thin smoke.
- Smoke. Place the pork fat side up, insert a probe into the thickest part (away from the bone), and close the lid. After 3 hours, spritz every hour or so if the surface looks dry.
- The stall (around 150–170°F). The temperature will stall, often for hours. When the bark is dark mahogany and doesn't rub off on your finger (usually around 165°F), you can wrap tightly in foil or butcher paper to speed things up, or leave it unwrapped for a crustier bark.
- Finish. Cook until the internal temperature is 195–205°F and a probe slides in with almost no resistance in several spots. Trust the feel over the number.
- Rest. Wrap (if you haven't already), wrap again in an old towel, and rest in an empty cooler for at least 1 hour. It'll stay hot for up to 4 hours.
- Pull. Wearing heat-resistant gloves, pull the bone out (it should slide clean) and shred the meat, discarding big pieces of fat. Toss with the juices from the wrap and a little extra rub.
Timing: plan on roughly 1½ hours per pound at 250°F, plus a buffer. An 8 lb butt can take 10–14 hours. Use the Smoke Time Calculator to work out when to start, and start early. A finished butt holds happily in a cooler.
Serving and leftovers
- Serve on soft buns with coleslaw and sauce on the side, so everyone can choose.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. They keep 3–4 days, or freeze them in portions with a splash of juice for up to 3 months.
- Reheat covered at 250°F with a splash of apple juice or broth until hot (165°F).
Thermapen ONE by ThermoWorks
Pork butt is done when it is probe tender in several spots, not just one. A quick-reading Thermapen makes checking around the whole butt fast, so the lid is not open for long.
See it at ThermoWorksYour picks: gloves, butcher paper
Heat-resistant gloves and pink butcher paper are low-cost, high-conversion recommendations for this recipe.
New to smoking? Read the beginner's guide first.