Smoked Pork Butt

This Smoked Pork Butt (also known as Smoked Pork Shoulder) is amazing, and after a long day of smoking and tending the smoker, the end result of a perfectly smoked pork butt is an amazing meal!

This will be a great recipe for your next big gathering or party because almost everyone loves a great pulled pork sandwich.

We finally got a smoker this summer so we have been smoking all sorts of meats! Pulled Pork, Ribs, Chicken and Brisket have been on the menu all summer!

Well I just knew I had to start sharing these recipes with you all! Enjoy the first recipe from our Smoked Series with this Smoked Pork Butt.

What is the difference between Pork Butt and Shoulder?

First let’s talk about the meat. One thing that is confusing about this cut of meat is the names like pork butts, pork shoulders or Boston butts.

Good thing is, it is all the same cut of meat, meaning they all come from the same area of the pig. They can come bone-in or boneless.

I prefer bone in, as it really gives the butt or shoulder a nice shape. This is not the actual rear end of the pig which is the ham, but the area right around the spine to shoulder and on down to the upper portion of the front legs.

Picking the right Pork Butt (Shoulder):

Pork does not have the famous USDA tags that Beef has. Sometimes your local grocery store does not also specify between the Pork Butt or Shoulder as well.

Most major grocery store chains will have Shoulders almost always in stock. My local butcher has the more variety of pork cuts I like to look at, as does my local Sam’s Club.

The key to picking a great pork butt is to look at the marbling. Marbling is the fat that is throughout the pork butt. Marbling also leads to the great flavor.

How to make the Perfect Smoked Pork Butt:

Smoking any meat is a long and dedicated practice that people have been perfecting and adapting for years. As Jennie stated earlier, I learned smoking from the restaurant I ran for almost 2 years.

He was a local Pit Master that has been invited to be on some Food Channel shows, and has been smoking BBQ for over 40 years.

I make my own Homemade Butt Rub. It is a “secret” blend of spices that I rub onto and into my pork butt to provide amazing flavor through the smoking process. This “secret” recipe I will share with you now!

Ingredient Notes:

• Pork Butt Bone-in (Shoulder) – 7-9lbs is what I typically try to get.
• Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Coarse Black Pepper
• Red Cayenne Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Brown Sugar

Directions:

Step One: Trim your Pork Butt.

• Tip: I prefer to trim my fat cap (the large fatty top of the pork shoulder) to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Too much of the fat cap left on there, in my opinion, just leaves a cooked fatty mess that is not enjoyable. You also want that area covered by the fat cap to be able to get a good “bark” when smoking. Leaving the fat cap on will not allow that area to bark as well.

Step Two: Prepare your Pork Butt Seasoning or as I like to call it my Pork Butt Rub.

Step Three: Rub your pork butt down completely on all sides with your seasoning rub. Use a firm, strong hand to get it in there good. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

• Tip: I like a dry rubbed pork butt or shoulder. Many people will rub their pork butt down with a mustard rub before the seasonings to help add acidity to the pork, and to ensure the rub stays on the pork.

Step Four: While your seasoned pork butt is resting, it is time to get your smoker ready and rolling. You want to get the smoker heat temperature to 225 degrees.

I usually start with 2 chimneys of nice lump charcoal as my base. Try to assemble your charcoal under base in the backside of your heat source if you can.

Once the heat is at or around 225 you want to get your wood preheated. Cold, or air temperature wood will provide a white smoke much like charcoal.

You do not want that. You want to set your wood on top of your heat source or right in front of the coals inside the heat source. Warmed wood will give you the best smoke for your meat.

Step Five: Place meat on smoker and insert your meat thermometer. Close smoker lid, and do not open for minimum 4 hours.

• Tip: I use a WIFI enabled meat thermometer so I can watch the meat all smoke long. Here is the thermometer I use.

It is essential not to open that smoker during the first hours. You want that good smoke and heat to penetrate and permeate your pork butt.

When you open the lid of your smoker it lets valuable smoke and heat escape.

Step Six: After 4 hours you want to take your meat off of direct heat by wrapping the pork butt in aluminum foil or butcher paper.

• Tip: Internal temperature of the pork should be around 150-170 degrees at wrap point.

Step Seven: Once wrapped allow to cook for about 3-4 more hours. This recipe has an 8lb butt used, and 8 hours is perfect for this.

Once the 8 hours has been hit, internal temperature for pork needs to be at least 190-205 degrees, pull from heat and allow to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

This rest time will allow the juices and fats to come back together in the meat.

Should I spritz my pork?

Before you wrap your meat, I recommend using a spritzer bottle mixed with half apple cider vinegar and half apple juice.

Spritz your pork so that when you wrap it, that extra liquid will help permeate the meat, and it will “steam” while wrapped.

What is the Stall?

The Stall is a a normal and natural process in smoking any meat. It is the time when the meat hits 165 degrees and the the liquid in the meat starts to “sweat.”

This essentially cools down the meat, which results in the temperature not moving much. That is why you wrap it when it hits the 165 degrees and the stall happens. Do no worry when this happens.

It will take a few hours to cook through this, so just let it smoke and keep your thermometer in so you can watch the temp. When the Stall ends you will start to see the temperature rise, and then it will finish smoking.

Can your freeze your Smoked Pulled Pork?

As with freezing any meal you need to get your meat cooled before freezing. You definitely want to pull your pork into strips before cooling or freezing.

Put it on a baking tray spread out to allow it to cool faster. You can also place it into the refrigerator to help cool faster as well.

Once it is cooled, you want to place your pork in freezer safe bags, and make sure all the air is out of the bag when sealing it. It will last 6 weeks in the freezer.

If you tried any of my recipes I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I would love for you to follow along and discover more amazing recipes.

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