Simple Smoked Pulled Pork

This recipe will show you how simple it is to make amazing, moist, delicious, Smoked Pulled Pork. If this is your first time attempting smoked pulled pork, this is the recipe for you to try. Think of it as your Gateway recipe to the world of smoked pork products.

Origin story: Smoked Pulled Pork

Jenna started craving barbecue. Not terribly sure why come to think of it.

Perhaps it was that we had just moved to Alabama and it seemed that everyone on the post had a smoker going, what with the amount of hickory smoke wafting through the humid neighborhoods every Saturday.

Maybe it had something to do with Jenna being pregnant with twins. Either way, my homework was assigned: the kid from Wisconsin needs to figure out how to smoke meat.

I needed a grill anyway, so I picked up a Char-Griller with cast iron grill grates that came with a side smoker attachment. You can use any smoker you choose, as long as you are confident you can keep the smoker at a specific temperature for at least four hours. Currently, I use a regular $99 Weber grill.

How Easy is Smoked Pulled Pork?

Well, if you follow this recipe, it will be a snap for you.

As for me, 17 years ago, I ruined so many cuts of meat on that thing as I had no idea what I was doing. The good news is you Pork Shoulder is an extremely forgiving cut of meat, and you will not be doing all the same mistakes I did. Back then, lots of key techniques were left out, but if you follow the below instructions, you’ll be able to serve up pretty incredible smoked pulled pork with very little effort.

How Long Does it Take to Make Smoked Pulled Pork?

This smoked pulled pork takes just under eight hours.

Most individuals on the YouTubes or who have published books or hive mind internet forums will say “at least 14 hours”. Not so.

I had tried the whole 14-18 hour smoking adventures. Personally, I didn’t think it was a lot of fun and the end results weren’t mind blowing. Then one day I realized that I was not cooking for prize money and I liked my sleep.

Mine takes about eight hours from start to finish, and is very hands off (depending on your ability to maintain temperature in your smoker).

So you can begin smoking at the leisurely hour of Ten AM and have dinner ready by six thirty. This method and smoked pulled pork recipe is easy to repeat every time, and I haven’t met a person yet who didn’t love this smoked pulled pork.

Is it a Pork Shoulder or a Boston Butt?

So not to be confused at the super market, Pork butt / Boston butt / pork shoulder / picnic shoulder all refer to the same cut of meat. And no, a “pork butt” is not from the butt end of a pig. It’s actually high up on the front shoulder. An article here from Mental Floss explains the origin of the name, but I bring it up because depending on where you are in the country, the SAME cut of meat can be called something completely different.

What to do with the fat on a Pork Shoulder:

I recommend removing most or all of the fat cap on the pork butt. The only difference I’ve noticed when leaving it on, is that there are chunks of fat in the pork that no one eats. Since this is NOT a 14-18 hour recipe, where the fat cap can render into something magical, I feel it best to just cut it off.

Water Pans and Smoked Pork

When you smoke a pork butt, I highly recommend to have a pan of water underneath the meat. It is NOT required, but it will make things easier (and isn’t that the point?) A water pan will keep the air inside moist during smoking and will also catch meat juices instead of them collecting and burning in the bottom of your smoker. It also helps to act as a sort of heat sink and can help maintain temperatures in your smoker.

How Long is Pulled Pork Smoked?

For a six pound pork shoulder, I recommend four hours. Maybe five.

After about four hours of smoking, the smoke cannot penetrate any further into the meat, so longer doesn’t mean the center of that big piece of meat will become “smoke flavored”. Now you can certainly leave it in the smoker for as long as you choose, but for my purposes, I pull the meat off after about four to five hours.

Then the pork shoulder gets wrapped up in four sheets of aluminum foil and placed in the oven at 300 degrees for another three hours.

What Rub Goes On My Smoked Pulled Pork?

Use whatever rub you can find. There are hundreds of different pork butt rubs out there and many have won world famous competitions. So might as well use the best! If we don’t have any on hand, I’ve been using Chris Lilly’s Six Time World Championship Pork Butt rub recipe since 2009 since it uses ingredients I always have in our pantry and it tastes amazing.

What Sauce Goes On My Smoked Pulled Pork?

My favorite is a North Carolina style vinegar sauce. You can certainly use whatever you care to, but I don’t think anything pairs better with Smoked Pulled Pork than the bite of a apple cider vinegar based sauce. My version is below and it is a bit spicy, so be forewarned.

But don’t shy away from saucing up your Smoked Pulled Pork. Much the same way pancakes are better with syrup, I believe great BBQ is elevated with great sauce.

And if there is anyone reading this who is actually from North Carolina, we prefer WEST North Carolina vinegar sauce.

Ingredients for North Carolina Vinegar Sauce:

• 2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cups plus 2 Tbs Ketchup
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 1/3 cup Water

Combine all ingredients and simmer everything together in a pot until sugar is dissolved. Generously pour over your pulled pork. Absolutely Delicious.

Instructions: The technique for Simple Smoked Pulled Pork

• Trim the fat cap off the pork shoulder
• Smear with light olive oil so the rub will adhere better
• Cover the whole thing with your favorite rub
• Place in your smoker set to 220-250 degrees Fahrenheit over top a pan of water for four to five hours. Temperature
• Remove butt and wrap in four sheets of aluminum foil
• Place on tray in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours or until internal temperature reads 205 degrees in an instant read thermometer.
• Take out of the oven and let rest for about a half hour
• Remove from foil and shred / pull the pork apart
• Tip: with a gloved hand or the handle of a wooden spoon, if you can press into the foil the pork is in and it leaves an indentation or “thumb print” in the meat, the pork is tender enough to fall apart.

Smoked Pulled Pork FAQ:

Why wrap in foil? To get over the stall.

Okay, what is the “stall”? Pork butts when smoked at low temperatures will eventually stop increasing in temperature or “stall” at around 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This due to an equilibrium of sorts being attained between the wet surface of the pork and the internal heat. It’s essentially cooling itself off. You can read about all the science here at BBQ Champs. The important thing to be aware of is that it can be stalled for many MANY hours. Throwing off your sanity (like what happened to me) and ruining dinner.

Wrapping the pork shoulder in foil and throwing it into a 300 degree oven, forces the pork butt through the stall faster. I also think it allows for more consistent finishing times.

What wood should I use? I recommend hickory or apple. I prefer hickory because it very mellow tasting and goes great with pork.

What else should I make while the pork shoulder is smoking? This bright and tangy coleslaw, a cold pasta salad, Southern Baked Beans, and strawberry pie for dessert.