..because who doesn’t want to eat the most delicious Smoked Pulled Pork?
Everyone loves Smoked Pulled Pork. It’s one of those things that nearly everyone can do. It is easy and hard to mess up. Yet, we’re always seeking the best way to do it. Everyone has their own way, but I encourage you to give this one a try! You won’t be sorry! However, I’ll admit, like most smoked foods, it’s a time commitment.
Unlike, brisket which is arguably the most popular meat to smoke, it’s not a huge dent to the pocketbook. Yes, the pulled pork was incredibly trendy a few years back. Everyone was doing it! Now we look to the all mighty brisket as the poster child of smoked goods, which by right, it deserves. It’s far more difficult to make and requires way more attention. That being said, pulled pork is still a go-to for family events, bbq’s, and backyard parties, so you best know how to make it work.
The Smoker
First things first! For this recipe, you will need a smoker. What kind? Well, that’s up to you! We will be using our Pit Boss Pellet Grill for this recipe. It’s easy and requires little to no attention over the 10 or so hour cook. You can make delicious Pulled Pork using your regular oven, however everything tasted better SMOKED.
Tools We Recommend (optional)
We included some of our affiliate links so you can check it the exact products we use! (we do make some pennies on any items you purchase yourself, however we would recommend these products even if they didn’t give us all the pennies, they’re amazing!)
Ingredients
- 1 Bone-In Boston Butt
- 1 Bottle of Mustard
- Salt + Pepper
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
Method:
Ok. Let’s begin! First things first, you’re going to want to trim it up a bit. Take off some of the fat, but not too much. You want this melting into the meat as she cooks. If there is a huge fat cap on the thing, feel free to take it down a peg.
Side Note: some people preach that brine is necessary for pulled pork. Meh, I don’t do it. This cut of meat does not need much help. Brine if you want. It is not essential.
Pre-heat your grill to 270℉
1) Now that you’ve trimmed up Boston Butt (still sporting a liberal amount of its fat), you can now coat the pork in mustard. Rub it down and get a generous coat over the entire thing. You want this to be even. The mustard mixed with the salt and pepper is going to make up the base of your bark.
2) Once coated, sprinkle on the salt and pepper and be very generous. When you break this butt up, all this will mix into the entire batch therefore you don’t have to be shy. Coat it as much as you want!
3) Ok, now you’re going to draw in some apple juice into your injector. You’ll now fill up the pork with apple juice. Watch it expand. Space your injections out and try and cover the entire piece of meat.
4) Fill up your water tray and place it on the grill.
5) Next, lay the pork butt on your grill. I suggest putting it in the center of the smoke, in an area of in-direct heat. Be sure to have the fat cap up. By doing this, this will allow the fat juices to flow down through your shoulder.
6) You are going to leave it to sit in the Smoker for roughly 2.5 hours. At this point, you are going to fill up a spritz bottle with water and apple cider vinegar. Spritz your pork butt all over. This is going to help keep the outside hydrated. You will do this now once, then every 30-40 minutes or so. You don’t need to go crazy. Just get the surface coated to cool it off a bit.
7) If you have a meat probe, stick it in and keep an eye on it.
8) Once you see the fat cap split, it’s time to wrap. (roughly 6.5 hours in)
9) Remove the butt from the grill and wrap it up. You can choose to wrap it in foil, or you can wrap it in butcher paper. We recommend wrapping it in Butcher Paper because it lets the butt breathe and doesn’t harm your bark.
10) Once wrapped up, place it back on the grill. Turn the grill up to 290℉ and leave it there for roughly 3 hours or until an internal temp of 203℉ (personal preference) is achieved.
11) Remove the butt from the grill and allow it to rest on the counter for roughly 40 minutes.
12) Unpack and serve up! Slather it with your favorite BBQ sauce and continues to pull it all apart.