Smoked Pork Butt Recipe

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4.42 from 131 votes

Smoked Pork Butt Recipe

How to Smoke Pork Butt (Pork Shoulder) for the most tender and flavorful Smoked Pulled Pork.

Prep Time1

Cook Time9

Resting Time1

Total Time11

Course: bbq, Entree

Cuisine: barbecue, bbq, grilling, summer

Keyword: boston butt, how to make pulled pork, pork butt, pork shoulder, smoked boston butt, smoked pork butt, smoked pork shoulder

Servings: people

Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge

Cost: $40

Equipment

1 Instant Read Thermometer
1 Leave-In Bluetooth Thermometer
1 food safe spray bottle

Ingredients

8 pound pork shoulder, or boston butt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Dry Rub:

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon dry mustard
½ tablespoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Injection:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice

Spritz:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

Instructions

For the Pork Dry Rub:

Mix: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Use all the seasoning for the entire pork butt.

For the Spritz:

Mix: Combine the apple cider vinegar and water in a food safe spray bottle.

How to Smoke Pork Shoulder:

Trim and Prep Shoulder: Remove excess fat cap, and any glands. Pat dry with a paper towel and then place onto a baking sheet, and inject the meat. Discard any liquid that pools in the pan and then pat dry the pork again. Best to do the night before.
Season: Apply mustard and then apply dry rub thoroughly. If you don’t have time to do the night before try to apply at least an hour before cooking.
Preheat Smoker: Prep smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. We use apple or cherry wood.
Smoke: Place the pork fat cap side up (if you left the cap on), close the lid, and smoke for about three hours. You’ll see a bark begin to develop. If it hasn't then continue smoking one more hour. After you see a mahogany color and bark, spritz (or spray) every 30 minutes and close the lid each time. After about five hours total, check the temperature. When the pork hits on or around 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s likely coming out of the stall and ready to wrap. This will change from meat to meat, you will see the temperature hover and only go up in a few degrees per hour. It pushes through the stall when you start to see the temperature increase in a much faster pace (between 165 to 175).
Wrap: As you complete the stall, (remove the thermometer at this point if you have one) place the pork shoulder into a pan, add a small amount (two tablespoons) of your spritz into the pan and wrap in foil tightly. Put the thermometer back in place.
Continue Smoking: Continue cooking in the smoker, wrapped, with the lid closed until the internal temperature is between 200 and 203. Use an instant-read thermometer. It should slide right in as if it is entering room-temperature butter.
Rest: Remove from smoker (but leave wrapped). Place it into a cooler (with NO ice) and let it rest for an hour. It will act as a warmer and keep the pork warm for hours. It also helps with tender meat to let it sit.
Pull: After one hour, remove and begin pulling the tender meat. Remove the bone (it should slide right out), and then pull with your favorite tool or with your hands. There will likely be some cartilage or other fatty pieces, be sure to pull those out and discard them.

Video

Notes

*Serving Tip: Pull meat as close to serving as possible, once you pull, it starts to cool down fast. If you need to reheat it, put it back into the smoker or oven covered with a little apple cider vinegar.

*Time: This time is for a 7 - 8 pound shoulder. Every shoulder will cook differently, so adjust your cooking time if a larger shoulder. Typically we plan 1 hour and 15 minutes for every pound including the rest time for total cook time.

*Please see extended instructions above for a full description.

*You can also use our pork rub.

*For the Vinegar Based BBQ Sauce.

Optional: You may also opt to add a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce to pulled pork as well, or just top your pulled pork sandwiches with it. See BBQ sauce in the notes, and also a link below the video.

Nutrition