Smoked Pork Butt

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There is nothing like a smoked pork butt! It is an inexpensive cut that can be smoked and served in a few hours.

It is easy to learn how to smoke pork butt with my detailed recipe and instructions; I even include some additional steps on how to shred the pork if you want to make pulled pork out of it.

This makes it the perfect meat for novice cooks! After a few hours of low and slow cooking, you will get delicious smoky and caramelized pork.

Hungry now? Jump straight to my smoked butt recipe by clicking here

Smoked Pork Butt

This is a simple but super tasty recipe; I mean, who doesn’t love the juicy pull-apart texture of a slow-cooked pork butt? The whole recipe is easy, as you need to know that the cooking time for smoking a pork butt on a grill all depends on the size of the pork butt, the temperature of the grill, and whether you wrap and spritz it.

It takes a pork butt (otherwise known as Boston butt) about 1.5 hours per pound to cook at 225°F, so a 7-pound pork butt will take about 9-10 hours to cook.

What You Need

Before starting your smoked pork butt, you have to have some tools and ingredients.

1. Smoker:
2. Wood chips:
   Please pick up your favorite woodchips for pork, we like using applewood, cherrywood or pecan.
3. The pork butt:
   We will show you how to select the best pork later on.
4. Digital thermometer:
   Many factors affect how meat cooks, so checking the internal temperature with a thermometer is the easiest way to tell if it’s done.
5. Tin foil or butcher’s paper.
   If you experience the stall, you might need to wrap your Boston butt.
6. Olive oil or mustard:
   To ensure the rub binds to the meat.
7. Sea salt, black pepper, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder;
   To make your dry rub. Or purchase a pre-made dry rub.
8. Apple Juice
   To spritz the meat while it cooks.

What Cut Should You Use for Pulled Pork? (Pork Butt, Shoulder, or Boston Butt?)

The most common cuts to use for pulled pork are pork butt or pork shoulder. You may have also heard of Boston butt; Boston butt is just another name for pork butt or shoulder. I prefer using pork butt.

This cut of pork has a lot of connective tissue and fat. When smoked low and slow, the connective tissue breakdown turns into juicy gelatine, so pork ends up so juicy and delicious.

How To Smoke A Pork Butt

Hungry now?
Jump straight to my smoked butt recipe by clicking here

Step 1: Choosing Your Pork

There are a few things you should keep in mind when buying your pork butt.

1. Size (this will depend on how many people you are cooking for)
   An uncooked 10lb pork butt will produce about 6 pounds of cooked pork; this should serve 12 to 16 adults. If you need a guide on how much pulled pork you need I have worked it out here.
2. Marbling and the fat content 
   Your butt should have a decent amount of fat. The fat will help keep the meat moist and render during the smoking process. 
   Look for the cut with more marbling. This is the distribution of fat amongst the lean parts of the meat because the more marbling your meat has, the better it will taste at the end.

Step 2: Prepare The Pork Butt

First trim the pork butt. leave at least 1/4 of an inch of fat. This will protect the meat from drying out while cooking.  After trimming, we will score through the fat cap in a diamond pattern, this will to help the fat underneath render out during the cooking and allow some more of the rub to penetrate the meat.

Before applying a dry rub to the pork, you need a binder. This will ensure the rub sticks to the meat. You can use olive oil, honey mustard, and even apple juice.

The important thing is to coat all of the meat (even the fat cap), as it will also help tenderize the butt. We haven’t in this cook, but you can inject your pork butt for extra flavor and moisture.

If you’re using a rub, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Once the pork is coated, it is time to apply the rub, be generous with the amount of apply.

Step 3: Smoking

Add your pellets to the hopper, start smoker set it on the “Smoke” setting, and leave the lid open.

When you see the smoker producing thick white smoke, let it run for about 5 minutes until the smoke turns more clearish blue.

Set the temperature to 225°F. If you want to add more moisture, fill an aluminum pan with water and place it on the far left side of the grill.

Once the smoker has reached temperature, place the pork butt fatty side down. Place the internal thermometer probes in the pork, and make sure you don’t touch any bones.

Set a time for 2.5 hours and close the lid. Every 30 minutes spritz the exterior of the pork with apple juice

Step 3: The Stall and Wrapping The Pork

When the internal temperature of the pork butt hits about 145-155°F, remove it from the smoker and wrap it in aluminum foil.

You’ll see that the internal temperature rises to 145°F in a few hours, but then the cooking process may slow down.It can take hours for the temperature to rise from 145°F to 165°F. This is what pitmasters call “the stall.”

Essentially, the stall is the meat “sweating”. As the muscles contract in the meat, they push out moisture.

That moisture makes its way to the surface of the meat, evaporates, and cools the meat’s and the smoker’s surface temperature.

You have two options at this point;

1. Crank up your temperature and wait it out.
You can counterbalance the evaporation by cranking up the temperature up to 310° once your meat hits 170° bring the temperature back down.

2. Wrap your meat
This practice is common with pitmasters and is also known as the Texas crutch. You will see a detailed guide on how to wrap your pork below.

See how to wrap your pork butt below.

1. Lay out two layers of aluminum foil or butcher paper.
2. Using protective gloves to avoid burns, take the pork out of the smoker and place it on top of the paper.
3. Wrap it tightly with the temperature probe in, and set it back on the smoker.

This should help raise the temperature and speed up the cooking time.

Step 4: Reaching the Target Internal Temperature For Pork Butt and Resting

When you reach a temperature of 195°‒203°, take the pork out of the smoker. Let the meat rest in a aluminum pan, you can unwrap it or leave it wrapped.

You need to let it rest for at least half an hour to get a juicy pork butt. One way to test if the butt is perfectly cooked is; by pulling out the shoulder bone and seeing if it’s clean. Or try twisting a fork through the meat; if it twists easily, the meat is perfect.

Step 5: How to Pull the Pork

Shred the meat using two forks, your hands, or bear claws. If you use your hands, wear protective gloves so you don’t burn yourself.

Once you have pulled the meat, taste it and see what seasoning you want to add.

Our favorite BBQ sauce for pulled pork Lillies Q Carolina Sauce. It has a nice balance of acidity from the vinegar, spice, and sweetness.

This helps to cut through the rich fatty flavor you get from smoked pork butt. You don’t need to use much sauce, as it is packed with flavor.

Become a Better Pitmaster
Read: The Foolproof Guide to Smoked Pork Loin
Read: Leftover Pulled Pork? Here are 15 Delicious Ways to Use it!

How Long To Smoke Pork Butt

You will want to cook your pork butt for 1.5 hours for every pound of meat at 225°. The first three hours of cooking is when your pork will absorb most of the smoke. That is the time when you have to avoid opening up the lid or door. Make sure to monitor the temperature of the pork butt using a digital thermometer.

The pork butt will be done once it reaches 195°‒205°. However, many pitmasters like to get to 225°. Getting to 225° ensures all the connective tissue will have melted into gelatin. Leaving you with a juicy, easy-to-pull-apart pork butt.

What Wood Pellets to Use For Pulled Pork?

You should use pecan, hickory, or fruit wood pellets when smoking pulled pork. Fruitwood includes cherry or applewood. I would avoid using mesquite, as it has a strong flavor and can overwhelm pork. So, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you mix it with milder wood.

What to Do With The Leftover Pulled Pork

When you smoke a large cut like pork butt, there will always be leftovers. Some of our favorite BBQ recipes to use up leftovers include my leftover pulled pork tacos recipe or pulled pork grilled cheese. They are the best way to use that delicious pulled pork!

Not Sure What To Serve With Your Pulled Pork?

Not sure what side goes with pulled pork? Below are some of my favorite recipes!

Sour Cream Corn Bread

Smoked Mac and Cheese

Smoked Beans

Looking for More Recipes?

Are you looking for more delicious recipes

See some of my favorites below

Smoked Mac and Cheese on a Pit Boss

Pit Boss Beef Jerky

Smoked Beef Kabobs on a Pit Boss

Tri Tip Smoked on a Pit Boss

Smoked Baby Back Ribs On A Pit Boss

Pit Boss Smoked Meatballs

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For an amateur smoker, taking on your first pork butt can be intimidating. But pork is a straightforward meat to cook. You get a delicious smokey flavor, even if you make some rookie mistakes.

The key to smoking your first pork butt is having patience and following a few simple steps. You’ll make something delicious within just a few hours and some simple ingredients (I promise).

And the greatest part about smoked pork butt? You can serve it with anything: on a plate with some coleslaw, as a part of your burger, on a sandwich bun, or in tacos!

Smoke On!

Charlie

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