Smoked Pork Butt
Decadent pulled pork comes from smoking a whole pork butt low and slow. Depending on the size of your butt, the process can take anywhere from 10 hours to upwards of 18 hours, but the end result is beyond worth the wait.
INGREDIENTS:
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 14 - 16 HOURS (2 HOURS PER POUND)
SMOKER TEMP: 225F
INGREDIENTS:
1 WHOLE BONE-IN PORK SHOULDER BUTT
4 TBSP YELLOW MUSTARD
8 TBSP PORK RUB
3 TBSP BUTTER
2 CUPS APPLE JUICE
INSTRUCTIONS:
The first thing you want to do is flip your butt over so the fat side is facing up. You are going to take a sharp knife and score the fat along the entire bottom of the butt. This allows your rub and seasoning to penetrate that layer of fat and get down to the meat where they belong.
Next, you’re going to add your binder. This recipe calls for classic yellow mustard that so many pitmasters swear by, but you can use whatever binder you prefer. Just make sure that you coat the entire butt evenly and don’t forget the sides.
Season your butt generously with your favorite pork rub. We like rubs that incorporate brown sugar and a touch of cayenne for spice. Just like with the binder, you want to make sure you coat it thoroughly and coat every side.
Once your rub is on, you want to let the pork butt rest for 15-20 minutes. You will see the meat start to “sweat” through the rub and get shiny and that is when you know it’s ready to smoke!
Place your pork butt directly onto the grate of your smoker.
Your pork butt is going to smoke for 5 to 6 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F. During this first 5 to 6 hours, you want to grab your apple juice and spray the butt down every hour or so to keep it moist.
When your pork butt reaches 160F internal, you are going to pull it off and transfer it to a metal tray.
Pour 1 cup of apple juice down into the bottom of the tray.
Grab your remaining pork rub and season the top of the pork butt again.
Add 3 TBSP of butter on top of your pork butt. We like to spread it out by putting 1/2 TBSP sized dollops all over the top of the meat.
Cover your meat with aluminum foil and wrap tightly around the lips of the metal tray.
Put your pork butt back on the smoker, still at 225F, and let it smoke for another 8 to 10 hours, or until you reach an internal temperature of 195F to 200F.
Once you’ve reached at least 195F internal, transfer the entire tray (still wrapped in foil) to a Cambro or cooler to rest. You are going to want to let your meat rest for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove the bone from the end of your butt. Your bone should slide out very easily and come out clean.
You can use tongs, meat claws, or just your hands to shred the entire pork butt into pulled pork and ENJOY!
Do you have any questions about smoking pork? Feel free to drop me an email!
