Smoked Pork Butt

Step-by-step instructions on how to make smoked pork butt! Lathered in a homemade pulled pork dry rub and slowly smoked over apple wood will result in the most tender pulled pork perfect for so many meals!

Moist, tender, and delicious, this smoked pulled pork recipe is out of this world flavorful! If you're looking for the best way to get tender, moist, and full of flavor shredded pork, you just can't go wrong with smoked pork butt. Just like these baby back ribs made in the smoker and this smoked pork tenderloin, this is a super versatile recipe and perfect for leftovers and meal prep. If you love a good pulled pork sandwich, then this is the recipe for you!

And you can't ever go wrong with pairing this pork with any of these smoker recipes! While the smoker is going, smoke these garlic and herb potatoes and these smoked green beans with bacon to pair with this pulled pork. Or try pairing it with smoked velveeta mac and cheese or these smoked baked beans! And finish it off with these homemade strawberry popsicles or this summer berry trifle! You just really can't go wrong here!

Jump to:

• ✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
• 🤷 Why Is It Called Pork Butt?
• ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
• 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
• 🍖 How To Smoke A Pork Butt
• 🙋 Recipe FAQs
• 💭 Expert Tips
• 🥗 Serving Suggestions
• Smoked Pork Butt

🤷 Why Is It Called Pork Butt?

Actually, it's not a butt at all. People think this cut of meat comes from the rear end of the pig based on the name. But it's called "pork butt" because back during the Revolutionary War times, butchers would store prized quality cuts of meat in barrels, called "Buttis" in Latin, which translates to "butts" in English. When you hear the term "pork butt" or "Boston butt," know that it's just a cut that comes from the upper part of the shoulder.

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🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

For this recipe, you'll need different ingredients for different parts of the process. The spices and the mustard will be used for the pulled pork rub. The water and apple cider vinegar are needed for the water pan. And then, a small spray bottle mixed with apple juice and water is used to spray the meat during the stall process to help keep the meat juicy and tender.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Mister Spray

• Apple Juice mixed with water - ¼ cup of apple juice and ¼ cup of water should be mixed in a spray bottle. You'll spray the meat when double wrapping it in aluminum foil in preparation for the stall process. This process helps add additional moisture and flavor.

Water Pan

• Apple Cider Vinegar and Water - mix 1 cup of apple cider vinegar with 8-10 cups of water and pour it into the smoker water pan.

🍖 How To Smoke A Pork Butt

Pulled Pork Rub

Step 1: First, you'll need to prep the meat for the bbq rub. To do this, place the shoulder on a large cookie sheet or pyrex dish. Use ¼ cup of yellow mustard and baste the entire shoulder.

Step 2: Once basted, mix all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Generously coat the dry rub onto the meat until it is completely covered, ensuring to get the rub onto both sides and into crevices.

Step 3: Cover the meat with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. This marinade step is crucial for enhancing the flavor of the meat. This process also allows each spice to really penetrate the meat.

Preparing the Smoker

Step 4: There’s a couple of things to do before you start smoking the pork shoulder.

• When I use a propane gas smoker, I wrap my water bowl with heavy-duty aluminum foil before adding the water and apple cider vinegar. By doing this, you’re saving yourself a lot of mess. Less cleanup is always best!
• What type of smoker are you using? Are you going to use wood chips, chunks, or pellets? Are you going to soak the chips/chunks? I typically use my propane gas smoker for this recipe and when doing so, I prefer using wood chunks when making smoked pork shoulder because it’s been my experience chunks produce more smoke for a more extended period of time. For this recipe, I soak my chunks. It makes them last longer during the long smoking process. It also eliminates that bitter taste you sometimes get when smoking meat.
• You can make this recipe on any smoker. Traeger pulled pork and pork shoulder made in the big green egg or any pellet smoker are also delicious. You can also make this recipe using an electric smoker or by using a charcoal smoker.
• Some suggest wrapping the wood chunks in an aluminum foil pouch and poking holes so the smoke can seep through. When smoking meat that takes longer than 10 hours, I wrap the wood chunks in an aluminum pouch to reserve the moisture so the chunks don't dry out as fast.
• Preheat the smoker before placing the food inside. It can take about 20-30 minutes to warm up and get the smoker to 225°F. Regardless of the type of smoker you use, I recommend placing a water pan in the smoker. This helps maintain the temperature and contributes to the moisture of the meat.

Step 5: Take the marinated meat out of the refrigerator to rest on the counter the same time you start the smoker.

Once the smoker reaches 225°F, place the shoulder on a rack, fat side up, above the water pan and wood chunks. Place a meat thermometer into the side of meat and close the lid on the smoker.

Step 6: Smoke will start to escape the smoker in the early stages of the process which is normal. Keep the smoker heat between 225-250°F and let it smoke low and slow.

The Stall

Step 7: Just like the brisket stall I talk about in my Smoked Brisket recipe, you'll experience a similar stall when smoking a pork butt. A stall happens when your smoker temperature stays the same, but the internal temperature of the meat is no longer increasing at a steady pace. Here's some of the best and most efficient ways to get past the stall when smoking a pork shoulder.

Could you increase the heat of the smoker to make it cook faster? Sure. But that defeats the process of smoking meat low and slow. Can you just ride it out for hours and hours? Yes, but get prepared for a really long smoke.

Here's the secret to getting past the stall.

After several hours when the internal temperature of the smoked shoulder reaches 165°F, remove the meat from the smoker and place it on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Step 8: Take the spray bottle mixed with ¼ cup of apple juice and ¼ cup of water and spray the meat 4-5 times. This helps trap moisture and enhances the flavor of the meat while resting during the stall process.

Step 9: Tightly wrap the shoulder in a large piece of foil, and then wrap it again in another piece of foil so the meat is double wrapped. Place the double wrapped pork back into the smoker, insert the temperature gauge, and shut the smoker lid.

Step 10: When the internal temperature reaches 203°F, remove the wrapped pork from the smoker. Put the wrapped meat in a large beach towel and wrap it tightly. Place the meat wrapped in the beach towel in an empty cooler and close the lid and let it rest for 1 hour.

This is why my shredded pork is so moist and tender. This is the secret to PERFECT pulled pork every single time.

🍽️ Shredding The Pork

Step 11: After an hour, unwrap the smoked pork butt. At this point in the process, the meat is done and is ready to be shredded. Place the meat in a deep pan or pyrex dish.

Step 12: Take a pair of meat shredder claws and start shredding. The meat should be incredibly tender and should shred easily. While shredding, discard any visible fat. Let the meat cool for 2-3 minutes and then it's ready to serve.

💭 Expert Tips

• The pulled pork rub provides a lot of flavor, so you don't necessarily need to use any BBQ sauces. But if you like the flavor, consider making your own. You just can't beat a good homemade BBQ sauce. This recipe is easy to make and provides a sweet and smoky flavor.
• This smoked pulled pork recipe is the perfect meat to use when meal prepping and managing portion control. Simply place a portion of meat in individual containers along with other side dishes. Reheat in the microwave and enjoy!
• To store, place the leftover meat in a container with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.