Smoked Pork Butt

Get your smoker warmed up because we are making the BEST and most delicious pulled pork. I say it’s the best because my dad and I spent months perfecting this recipe together… and there’s nothing better than a family recipe.

Together we tried multiple spice blends, different binders, and have even tested this recipe in 2 smokers, his vertical smoker and my wood pellet grill. We quickly realized you can’t go wrong with seasoning a pork butt, but there is an art to making it fall off the bone, tender, and juicy.

We have claimed bragging rights to this Smoked Pork Butt recipe because…

• It’s simple. There’s no spritzing, injections, brine, or over complicated steps. All you need is a couple ingredients, your smoker, some tin foil, and time.
• Our low and slow smoking method breaks down the pork butt and tenderizes it with consistent heat.
• Can be made into a lot of delicious things like pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, pizza, BBQ egg rolls. You can even throw it on a salad or in your morning eggs. The possibilities are endless.
• It works in the both major smokers, vertical smokers and wood pellet grill smokers. By the way, there is a difference in how they cook meats. That information is further down if you’re interested.

What Is Pork Butt?

Spoiler alert! Pork butt is NOT from the butt of a pig.

Pork butt is actually from the shoulder region of the pig and has really great marbling throughout. It is a tough cut of meat with a lot of tight muscles, connective tissue, and fat which takes time to break down and tenderize. This makes it perfect for cooking slow in our smokers.

Pork butt is often referred to as a Boston butt or pork shoulder because they come from the same area of the pig. All three are actually different cuts of meat and that should be noted.

Smoked Pork Butt Ingredients

Let’s get to it! This recipe is 5 simple ingredients and you’ll want to keep reading for notes and potential substitutions on each ingredient.

• Pork Butt: I used an 8 pound, bone in, pork butt. If you cannot find a pork butt, you can also use a pork shoulder or Boston butt (they are different cuts of meat but cook similar).
• Mustard: This is used as a binder, or glue to stick the seasoning the pork butt. It is also what creates that delicious caramelized crust. I recommend using my Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, but you can also use Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, or your favorite mustard.
• BBQ Rub: I use Memphis BBQ Rub by Pit Boss, it has a blend of brown sugar, paprika, garlic, and smoke flavor in it.
• Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper is an essential. Please note, if your BBQ rub already contains salt and pepper you may need to omit this or not add as much.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: This is added to our aluminum pan later on, it tenderizes the pork and keeps it moist as it smokes. The acid in the apple cider vinegar is what makes the pork butt even juicier (apple juice can be used but it just isn’t the same).

Smoker Equipment and Tools:

• Smoker: This recipe was tested on the vertical smoker and wood pellet grill. I use Pit Boss smokers, but any wood pellet smoker will be great for this recipe.
• Wood Pellets: Pork goes great with fruit, so think light and fruity wood pellets. I used a mixture of Apple and Competition Blend pellets by Pit Boss (it is my go to combo). Others you could use are cherry, maple, oak, pecan, or a combination. Stay away from mesquite or hickory because they tend to be a little too strong for pork.
• Baking Pan: Disposable aluminum pans are the best because it keeps the moisture close to the pork butt. This is great if you want to make gravy with the juices too.
• Digital Meat Thermometer: I use a ThermoPro and absolutely love it because I plug the probe right into my smoker and monitor the temperature throughout the cooking process.
• Aluminum Foil: Heavy duty foil is used to wrap the partially cooked pork butt in. There is a stage called “stalling” which I explain later and this helps the pork butt get up to temperature quicker while reserving the use of your wood pellets.

Vertical Smoker versus Pellet Grill Smoker

If you didn’t know, there are two types of smokers: vertical smokers and pellet grill smokers. My dad and I own both and use them for different things.

Pellet Grill Smokers are what most people have. They are small, can smoke a wide-variety of foods, and are easier to manage. Vertical Smokers are not as common. They are a large, multi-rack smoker, that can smoke anything you want, but best handle large volumes or quantities.

So, what’s the difference when it comes to smoking a pork butt?

• The vertical smoker was made for cooking large hunks of meat. It will use less wood chips, more efficiently smoke the pork butt, and make a more tender meat. On the downside, they require more energy and can take longer to cook because of the large chamber.
• The pellet grill smoker creates the crunchiest bark exterior and cooks the pork butt faster due to the smaller chamber. On the downside, they use a lot more wood chips and the meat isn’t as tender (don’t worry it’s still tender).

ELIZABETH’S TIP: If you’re smoking a pork butt that is 8lb or more in a pellet grill smoker (not a vertical smoker), cut it in half! Trust my dad and I on this! You will have two manageable pieces of pork that will smoke much more efficiently.

How To Smoke A Pork Butt

This is a short summary of the steps, the recipe card below will have complete details. I like to give you a “game plan” just so you know what to expect. Like I said before, this recipe is simple but there is an art to it.

1. PREHEAT SMOKER and allow your pork to sit at room temperature to take the chill off. A cold pork butt will take a lot longer smoke!

2. PREP THE PORK BUTT. Place it in a large baking pan, rub it with mustard, and then sprinkling with the seasoning. Make sure it ends fat side up, you want the juices to run down, around, and into the pork butt.

3. SMOKE IT until it hits an internal temperature of 145° F, then you will pour apple cider vinegar into the baking pan. The apple cider vinegar helps tenderize and keep the pork butt moist with it’s steam.

4. KEEP ON SMOKING IT until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. At this point you will remove the pork butt from the smoker and tightly wrap it in aluminum foil.

5. SMOKE IT UNTIL ITS DONE and hits an internal temperature of 195° F to 205° F. At this point you will remove the smoked pork butt from the smoker and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

6. SHRED IT with 2 forks and remove the bone and any fat or gristle. You may also want to sprinkle it with more seasoning or lightly coat it in a sauce before serving.

Notes on Internal Temperature

If you like monitoring temperatures frequently like we do, you will want to use a digital meat thermometer that comes with a cabled probe. They can either be plugged right into your smoker or magnetically sticks to the outside. We typically use 2 digital thermometers on big pieces of meat like this.

In terms of placement, you’re going to want to stick it into the thickest part of the pork butt for a most accurate read. Again, the internal temperature should be between 195° F and 205° F by the time it’s finished.

If you’re wondering, why such a high temperature? Remember how I told you earlier that pork butt is tough cut of meat? It needs to be cooked to a higher temperature for the tissue to break down and tenderizing. If you stopped at 165° F you would be chewing for decades. I like mine closer to 205° F because it’s a lot easier to pull (shred) apart and it’s the most tender too.

The Stall

As you’re smoking your pork butt you will notice the quick and consistent rise in internal temperature. But, once it gets to about 145° F this slows drastically and is what we call a “stall.”

When the temperature stalls we will wrap the pork butt in aluminum foil (or some people prefer butcher paper). This helps it to retain heat and moisture while getting it out of the stall and shortening smoker time. And don’t worry, your pork butt will still have a beautiful crust even if we are temporarily covering it.

How Long Does It Take To Smoke A Pork Butt?

I get this question a lot and it does vary based on a few different things like the temperature of your meat before it goes in the smoker, the outside temperatures, how large your pork butt is, and what type of smoker you are using.

A great rule is for every pound of pork, it takes about 2 hours to cook (at 225° F). For example, an 8 pound pork butt takes about 16 hours to smoke.

This is a great reminder to start your smoker early and plan ahead of time (it’s a labor of love but oh so worth it). If you are worried about getting it smoked in time, you can cook it the day before you plan on serving it. I also recommend investing in a really good digital meat thermometer or probe. You can easily keep track of the internal temperature throughout the day.

Fun Ways To Use Your Smoked Pork Butt

Let me tell you, the amount of ways my dad and I have used our smoked pork is ongoing.

We like topping ours with homemade BBQ sauces like this Apple Butter BBQ Sauce or Blackberry BBQ Sauce. And our favorite way to use it is in this Pulled Pork Sliders recipe or on top of a loaded baked potato. Here’s a few more fun ideas we have tried too:

• on sandwiches, paninis, and hot dogs
• piled in tacos, nachos, or we love it in this Pulled Pork Quesadilla
• on a pulled pork pizza
• in BBQ egg rolls
• the protein for a fresh garden salad
• in our morning eggs or omelets

Other Smoker Recipes From My Dad and I

• Smoked Hot Dogs
• Smoked Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Smoked Queso Dip
• Smoked Cream Cheese
• Smoked Cheez Its
• Or browse more smoker recipes here.