Smoked Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt)

One of the easiest and most delicious meals you can prepare is a good smoked pork shoulder (pork butt).

Why This Pork Butt Recipe Works

Smoked pork butt is a cornerstone of the backyard barbecue. The smoke flavor and a flavorful spice rub on fall-apart tender pulled pork just can’t be beaten.

I have prepared countless smoked pork butts, but every time I pull one off the smoker, it’s like Christmas, and I am 8 years old.

If you want to impress your friends, have them over for some of the best smoked pulled pork they have ever had.

This long cook and slow process produce the most flavorful meat. The best results take time, and it’s worth the effort.

I have heard more than once from friends and family that this was the best smoked pork shoulder they ever had. That alone is why I don’t care about getting up early in the morning to start this up.

And when the smoker gets fired up, I usually throw on some of our very popular smoked chicken wings and some smoked baby back ribs. If you’re a fan of the fall off the bone ribs, check these out too.

What’s The Trick? Pork Shoulder Brine!

There isn’t really one, but perhaps you have never done this before, and it’s a game changer.

The trick is to keep the meat moist while it slowly cooks all day. The best way to do that is to either inject the butt or brine it.

We usually brine, and you can find an explanation and pork shoulder brine here.

In a few words, the meat remains moist while cooking, and once done, you get the awesome bark and meat that falls apart in your fingers! So, let’s get to it.

Rub Ingredients For The Smoked Pork Butt

When it comes time to apply the pork rub, you can use your favorite or try ours. It’s perfect for pork. We will also use this spice rub on our ribs as well.

Our rub is most definitely a Memphis-style rub. I have tried this and that over the years, but I will always use our own. It hits all the notes that I am looking for in a rub.

• Paprika – The backbone of Memphis style barbecue
• Smoked paprika – Adds a great smokiness to the rub
• Garlic powder – Adds a subtle flavor to the overall rub
• Chili powder – Another staple in a Memphis rub
• Kosher salt – Gotta have the salt
• Black pepper – Adds punches of heat
• Onion powder – As with garlic powder, this ingredient adds fullness to the rub.
• Brown sugar – Adds just a hint of sweetness
• Dried oregano – Adds herbaceousness to the rub
• Cumin – More smoky goodness
• Dry mustard – Adds a touch of tang and heat
• Cayenne powder – Depending on how spicy you like your rub, this brings the heat.

In a small bowl, combine all the rub ingredients and mix well to combine. I use brown sugar in this rub because I believe the molasses adds to the rub. You can sub it out with white sugar if you’re inclined.

How To Smoke A Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt)

So, let’s say I am wanting to fall face first into a plate of pulled pork at 4 pm on Saturday; this is what I am going to do:

Thursday night, I will put my pork shoulder in the brine. Also known as pork butt or Boston Butt. Any grocery store should have them, I like to get a couple at a time.

Friday, after about 18-24 hours, I will pull out the meat from the brine and let it rest for a couple of hours.

The meat will drain some excess brine. I will pat it relatively dry, apply a liberal amount of yellow mustard all over, apply the dry rub on all sides, and wrap it up overnight.

The mustard allows the dry rub to adhere better, and the vinegar aids in the cooking process. Some people like to spritz it with apple juice or apple cider vinegar, but I don’t find that necessary.

About The Wood For Smoking

After much trial, I found that using unsoaked wood chips works much better. You want that smoke to start smoking, not waiting until the water evaporates (don’t soak the chips).

In an offset smoker, each chunk usually takes about 45 minutes before needing to add more. You need to keep an eye out and toss another couple of hickory chunks in when the smoke stops.

Pellet smokers and gravity-fed smokers usually handle the smoke all on their own.

In my opinion, I think hickory or pecan wood is the best to use for this. I like an aggressive smoke on my shredded pork. Some people like to use fruit wood, such as apple wood or cherry wood, to add sweetness. Smoke with what you like.

The typical 8-pound pork shoulder needs to go for about 12 hours. So I am up at 3:30 am to start my charcoal.

I want my smoker/grill to be between 225-250 when I put my meat on. It usually takes me about that long to get the temperature regulated using an offset smoker.

For those that have just a smoker, this might take you less time. Those with a Weber-type grill can do the same as well. Put your meat onto one side, and smoke it with indirect heat.

Before placing it on, you may want to add some additional rub.

Place the meat on the grill, fat side up. Again, this is a preference. Some maintain that the fat side up will baste the pork butt as it is smoked while the fat side down will protect the meat.

I have tried it both ways, and it’s always been a success either way.

I will smoke the meat for 6 hours. During this time, watch your temps. You may need to add more wood or fuel for your fire, but do your best to maintain 225-250.

Spritz the bone-in pork butt with a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water to keep it moist during the smoking process, especially if you decided not to brine.

After 6 hours of cook time, pull the meat and wrap it in butcher paper.

Some people want to use aluminum foil, but the paper allows some moisture to escape, so it won’t end up stewing in its own juices.

In the 11th hour, I usually start checking the temps. The internal temperature of the meat you’re looking for is 192-195 degrees. In the 11th hour for me, I am usually right at 190.

When the meat is done, pull it off and let it rest for a bit. You will be tempted to tear it apart right there, but it’s really hot. I wouldn’t recommend it.

You may also need to defend the meat from your wife, who can strike like a cobra at the smoked ends of the meat. Watch out for that as well.

After letting the pork butt rest for at least an hour (we wait a couple of hours), place the meat in a rectangular pan because the juices will run.

Grab hold of that shoulder bone and watch it slide out. It will still be hot, but it will come apart with some meat claws or forks. When it’s cooled down, your fingers work just as well.

Smoked pulled pork HEAVEN! You’re gonna get the juicy meat, you’re gonna get the pronounced smoke ring, you’re gonna get that tasty bark.

Now all you have to do is decide how to eat this.

I’m a fan of pork sandwiches with some pickles and chow chow. A few hits with a cleaver, and I have my chopped pork. My wife likes adding a touch of her favorite bbq sauce and eating it without the bun.

Feel free to use any bbq sauce you like because it’s all good each and every way!

Wondering what to serve with your new favorite pulled pork recipe? You can never go wrong with an herb potato salad or some banging barbecue baked beans.

Enjoy, and happy BBQing!

Pro Tips

I honestly cannot count the number of pork butts I have smoked over the years. Here are some tips that I have picked up over time.

Temperature is key, not time.

The thought process is that at temperatures between 225-250, it takes about 90 minutes per pound to smoke a pork butt. All sorts of things can throw this off, but it’s a good rough estimate.

As such, it’s always best to go by temperature. At 165 degrees, the pork is safe to eat but will not be fork-tender. At 180 degrees, the pork butt starts to break down the collagen and connective tissues. At this point, it will begin the process of becoming more tender.

At 190 degrees, the pork butt will be at a decent tenderness, but I would allow it to go even further to 195 degrees before pulling the pork butt off and resting.

When I smoke a pork butt, I pull at 195 degrees. It is always fork tender without getting too soft. If you want pulled pork that melts in your mouth, this is the temperature I would aim for.

Normally, I use a Fireboard to watch my temperature.

I also use an instant-read thermometer to quickly check where I’m at if I don’t bother with the Fireboard. It also acts as a test to see how tender the meat is. Probe tender is perfect!

So keep in mind that it is all about the temperature of the pork butt, not the time on the smoker.

Wood Matters (in my opinion)

I usually tell everybody to use the wood that you like the best. But I am biased. Here in the south, we are known for our smoked pork. And in the south, we use hickory.

When I smoke pork butt, I always use hickory. It is an aggressive smoke, but not as strong as mesquite.

I recommend hickory for smoke butts because I want to taste the smoky goodness on that pulled pork. I want that bark to sing!

I have also used a mix of hickory and oak, which was just as good. I have used pecan, which will do as well, as my second choice.

Also, to add a fruitiness that goes great with pork, apple wood is amazing.

I know that, regionally speaking, everybody has their favorites. But if you want authentic, southern pulled pork, try the hickory.

What is ‘The Stall’?

The stall occurs when smoking large pieces of meat at low temperatures for a long period of time. Between 150-170 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures, you may notice that the temperature stops rising in your meat.

This is typical, and it shouldn’t freak you out. What is happening is that the meat’s liquid is evaporating and cooling the meat, much like how sweat cools us off on a hot day.

The relative humidity of your location can reduce or increase the time of the stall and can last for hours.

Wrapping the pork in either aluminum foil or butcher paper will get you past the stall or eliminate it together. The directions for our smoked pork butt call for this around the 6th hour.

Wrapping Or No Wrapping

Wrapping the pork butt in this recipe has a two-fold purpose. First, I am not going to roll smoke for 12 hours, it’ll just get too smoky. The wrapping prevents the smoke from penetrating.

If you want more smoke, wrap it later. Less smoke, wrap sooner. I have found this is the perfect time to wrap when rolling a decent amount of smoke.

The other purpose is that it helps with the stall, or Texas Crutch, as they call it. There are purists out there that will suggest that it destroys the bark, but I haven’t found that to be totally true using butcher paper.

If you don’t want to wrap and you do experience the stall, just increase the temperature of your pit by about 10 degrees until you move out of it.

Smoking A Pork Butt Ahead Of Time

Yes, smoking a pork butt takes time, but you don’t have to get up at midnight to smoke this for a 12 o’clock party. Prepare it ahead of time.

Smoke the pork butt as instructed a day ahead. Shred the pork, retaining the juices, in disposable aluminum foil pans. Seal well and refrigerate until the next day.

The next day, reheat in the oven, grill, or smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until hot, about 30-40 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Variations

Binder – We use plain old yellow mustard typically. Olive oil is a solid choice. Also, no binder as well works just as well, to be honest. If you don’t use mustard, I would recommend that you spritz often with a 50/50 mix of water and apple cider.

Rubs – So many rubs to choose from. You can really mix things up. While I am a super fan of our Memphis-style rub (used in this recipe), I have also used (and enjoyed) Bad Byron’s Butt Rub. Meat Church also has some very good (and popular) rubs, which can be found at Academy Sports.

Wood – Mix it up now and again with various kinds of wood. It does indeed change the flavor profile. While I mentioned that I am a hickory guy, the apple wood often comes into play.

BBQ Sauces – Wow, so many to choose from again. If you like sweet heat, go with that. If you’re a fan of mustard-based, look for some North Carolina sauces. There really is no bad option here.

We have an awesome Bourbon Chipotle barbecue sauce. It’s ketchup-based with pretty decent sweet notes.

The chipotle brings the heat, and the bourbon adds a great smoky depthness. We keep this in stock! Plus, it’s homemade, which means it’s better than store-bought!

Keto – Are you following a keto diet? This is a perfect dish for you. Grab up some of Bad Byron’s Butt Rub (pretty much any store) and use that as a rub. No sugars, just a great blend of spices that go great with pork.

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