There are two things that will make or break your smoked pork butt — and most guides only talk about one of them.
The first is timing. Nothing else matters if your guests go home before dinner is served. A pork butt is a long cook, and there’s a notorious stretch in the middle of every smoke where the internal temperature just stops moving for hours. If you don’t know it’s coming and how to handle it, you’re going to be in a world of hurt come dinner time. This guide teaches you exactly what that is, why it happens, and the three ways to deal with it — so you stay in control of your timeline no matter what.
The second is the meat itself. Great smoked pork butt isn’t just about getting it cooked through — it’s about that deep, dark, crackling bark on the outside and the jiggly, fall-apart, pull-with-your-fingers tenderness on the inside. That combination doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from proper prep, the right low-and-slow approach, and — critically — not screwing it up in the final leg of the cook when most people do. We’ll take you through the entire process from trimming and seasoning, through the full smoke, all the way to pulling the meat off the grill and getting it to the table.
Known interchangeably as pork butt, Boston butt, or pork shoulder, this cut is incredibly well-marbled. That heavy fat content is what makes it so forgiving and so rewarding after a long, slow cook over hardwood smoke. Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster firing up a massive offset or a backyard BBQ enthusiast working with a pellet grill, this is the only guide you need.
The Cut
Pork Butt vs. Pork Shoulder: What’s the Difference?
You’ll often hear people use “pork butt,” “Boston butt,” and “pork shoulder” interchangeably. While they all come from the front shoulder of the pig, they are technically slightly different cuts.
The pork butt (or Boston butt) comes from the upper part of the shoulder, right behind the pig’s neck. It has a higher fat content, more marbling, and a relatively uniform rectangular shape, making it the absolute best meat for smoked pulled pork.
The pork shoulder (sometimes called the picnic shoulder) sits directly below the Boston butt and runs down through the foreleg to just above the hock. It’s a leaner, tougher cut that typically comes bone-in and skin-on. It contains a bit more connective tissue and often comes with the skin still attached.
While the Boston butt is our go-to choice for smoking, both cuts will yield fantastic pulled pork when cooked low and slow. You’ll most likely find Boston butt at any major grocery store or big-box retailer. Picnic shoulder is less common at standard supermarkets but easy to find at a local butcher shop or carnicería.
Meat Prep
Preparing Your Pork Butt for Smoking
Your preparation will depend on your smoker or grill style, but whether you’re using a high-end dedicated smoker or a basic kettle grill, the prep method remains consistent. A proper pork butt prep ensures the smoke penetrates the meat and the bark forms perfectly.
1. Trim the Fat Cap
Most pork butts come with a thick layer of hard white fat on one side. Grab a sharp boning knife and remove most of this large fat cap, trimming it down to about ⅛” to ¼” thick. Leaving a massive layer of fat won’t make your meat juicier — it will just keep your delicious rub and tasty smoke from reaching the actual meat. You want just enough fat left to render down during the cook.
2. Fat Side Up or Fat Side Down?
This is one of BBQ’s most fiercely debated questions, and the honest answer is: it depends on your smoker. The fat cap does not melt down into the meat — fat and muscle are separated by a membrane that liquid cannot penetrate. So the old “basting from above” theory is mostly a myth. What the fat cap actually does is act as a heat shield.
The rule of thumb is simple: point the fat cap toward the heat source. If your heat comes from below (pellet grills, drum smokers, most kettle setups), cook fat side down to protect the meat from direct heat and prevent the bottom from drying out. If your heat source is indirect and comes from the side (offset smokers), fat side up is fine. Either way, you’ll get great results — don’t lose sleep over it.
3. Bone-in vs. Boneless
Go with bone-in — it’s what you’ll typically find at your local grocery store, it’s the better cook. The bone acts as an internal heat conductor, keeps the meat moist during the long smoke, and gives you a foolproof doneness test at the end: when that blade bone wiggles loose and slides out clean, you’re done. No thermometer needed for that final confirmation.
4. Apply the Binder
To help your seasoning stick and build a great bark, coat the entire pork butt with a thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil. Don’t worry if you aren’t a mustard fan — the vinegar cooks off during the long smoke, and it won’t leave any mustard flavor behind. It simply acts as a glue for your rub, and it contributes to better bark formation.
5. Season Generously
Don’t be afraid to get dirty here — this is BBQ, not a dinner party. A pork butt is a massive, thick cut of meat and it can handle a serious amount of seasoning. I like to throw on a pair of non-latex disposable gloves for this part — not BBQ gloves, but the thin food-safe kind. They let you get in and around every crack and crevice and really work the rub in thick and even. Get all sides, the fat cap, and anywhere the meat folds over itself. We use a classic, savory rub in the recipe below. If you want to experiment with different flavor profiles, check out our collection of the best pork butt rubs for sweet, spicy, and regional variations.
Smoke Profile
Best Wood for Smoking Pork Butt
Pork is incredibly versatile and pairs well with a variety of hardwoods. Because a pork butt is going to be on the smoker for 9 to 14 hours, you want a wood that provides steady, clean smoke without turning the meat bitter.
- Apple and Cherry: These fruit woods are fantastic for pork. They provide a mild, sweet smoke profile and give the bark a beautiful mahogany color.
- Hickory: The classic BBQ wood. Hickory provides a stronger, more traditional bacon-like smoke flavor.
- Pecan: A great middle-ground wood that offers a rich, nutty flavor — stronger than apple but milder than hickory.
My favorite approach is to blend woods. Mixing equal parts hickory and apple wood gives you the robust traditional BBQ flavor from the hickory, balanced by the sweet, colorful finish of the apple wood. Sometimes, I’ll use Jack Daniel’s wood chips for the first part of the cook — say the first 4 hours — then switch to apple for the remainder. The whiskey barrel oak gives the bark a unique, slightly sweet depth that guests always notice and ask about. You can usually find it at Kroger, but if your local store doesn’t carry it, grab a bag on Amazon — it’s worth tracking down.
Avoid using straight mesquite for a cook this long, as it can easily overpower the pork and leave an acrid, bitter taste.
The Cook
Smoking the Pork Butt
Whether you’ve got a fancy dedicated smoker or a basic kettle grill, you can make this happen. With a dedicated smoker, fire it up according to your usual routine. With a grill, you’ve got to set up for indirect heat — here’s how to smoke meat without a dedicated smoker. The meat goes on one side and the heat goes on the other. For a gas grill, you’ll use just one burner. For a charcoal grill, you’ll put the charcoal on just one side, with a disposable aluminum drip pan on the other side to catch the rendered fat.
Smoker Setup & Temperatures
So, do you opt for 225°F or 250°F?
When it comes to smoking pork butt, 225°F is the sweet spot for most BBQ enthusiasts. It creates that perfect low-and-slow environment to break down tough connective tissues while keeping the meat juicy. 225°F is the go-to for beginners, offering a lower risk of drying out your meat. However, many seasoned pitmasters prefer to smoke at 250°F or even 275°F for a slightly faster cook. Because pork shoulder is so forgiving and packed with fat, it can handle the slightly higher heat without drying out.
Don’t stress about getting the temperature spot-on to the single degree. As you gain experience, you’ll learn to balance the fuel and airflow to maintain that ideal range. Just keep an eye on those temps — brief spikes are usually manageable, but don’t let them climb too high for extended periods.
🔥 Geek Tip: If you’re serious about your BBQ game, a reliable wireless thermometer is a game-changer for monitoring overnight cooks without babysitting the smoker. Check out our picks for the best BBQ thermometers — it’s the single most impactful tool upgrade you can make.
How Long to Smoke a Pork Butt?
The most common question in BBQ is “how long is this going to take?” The answer is always: it takes as long as it takes. You are cooking to a specific internal temperature and tenderness, not a clock. That said, for planning your day, here is a quick reference table for estimated smoking times:
| Pork Butt Weight | Est. Time at 225°F | Est. Time at 250°F | Est. Time at 275°F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lbs. | 7.5 – 10 hours | 6 – 7.5 hours | 5 – 6 hours |
| 7 lbs. | 10.5 – 14 hours | 8.5 – 10.5 hours | 7 – 8.5 hours |
| 8 lbs. | 12 – 16 hours | 10 – 12 hours | 8 – 10 hours |
| 10 lbs. | 15 – 20 hours | 12.5 – 15 hours | 10 – 12 hours |
Remember, these are just estimates. Always use a trusty quick read thermometer for spot checking — never rely on the clock alone.
Basting During the Cook
Once your pork butt hits around 165°F internal temperature and the bark is starting to set, you can begin basting to add another layer of flavor and keep the exterior moist. A simple baste of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1 part apple juice works beautifully — apply it with a brush or a spray bottle every 45 to 60 minutes. If you want a touch of sweetness, dissolve a tablespoon of brown sugar into the mix before applying. Don’t baste too early in the cook — you want the bark to set and firm up before you start introducing moisture to the exterior.
The Big Challenge
The Stall – Why is My Pork Taking So Long?
So things are going well so far. You’ve got the heat dialed in, the internal temperature of the meat is steadily rising, and you’re mentally setting a dinner time. But then something happens: the temperature just sits around 150°F to 160°F and won’t move. There’s nothing wrong with your thermometer — you’ve encountered The Stall.
Around 150°F, you will hit The Stall, where the internal temperature plateaus due to evaporative cooling. The moisture sweating out of the meat is cooling the pork at the exact same rate the smoker is trying to heat it up.
The Stall visualized — that flat plateau in the middle is completely normal.
Aside from maintaining consistent pit temperature, the biggest thing that newbies struggle with when working with a large roast is the Stall. It’s the time where everything seems to come to a halt and no matter what you do the meat’s temperature doesn’t increase. This arouses contempt into the stomachs of your guests — you begin to panic because you told them they would be dining on delicious BBQ come 6pm — lucky for you, you know better and prepared in advance for the Stall. Bravo.
Thanks to evaporative cooling, the Stall can last 2 to 4 hours, making even the most seasoned BBQ enthusiast question their life choices. You have three options to handle it:
1. Wait it Out
Patience is key. If you have the time, just let it ride. This produces the absolute best, crunchiest bark. Grab a drink, relax, and let the magic of the Stall work wonders for your pulled pork.
2. Higher Heat
Increase your smoker temp to 300°F briefly to push through the evaporative cooling, then return to 225°F once the meat hits 170°F. The timing’s everything here — waiting too long and you miss out on the glorious bark formation.
3. The Texas Crutch
Wrap the meat tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or unwaxed peach butcher paper at 160°F. This traps the steam, stops the evaporative cooling, and speeds the cook up significantly. Wrapping in foil will soften your bark, while butcher paper strikes a nice balance between speeding up the cook and preserving the crust.
Partially smoked pork butt before hitting the proverbial stall.
Finishing
When is a Pork Butt Done?
Knowing when your pork butt is perfectly cooked can feel like a culinary mystery, but the key is to focus entirely on internal temperature and feel.
If you’re used to cooking steaks, you might be thinking about carryover heat and pulling your smoked pork early to coast into the good zone. That’s a concept that doesn’t really apply here. Carryover is an issue when the inside and outside of your meat are at radically different temperatures, like a rare steak with a 400°F exterior. Here, the inside of the meat is 200°F and the outside is 225°F. They’ll equalize a little, but not enough to matter.
To ensure your meat is ready to melt in your mouth, target an internal temperature between 195°F and 205°F. For pulled pork, 202°F to 205°F is the absolute sweet spot.
More importantly than the number on the screen is how the meat feels. When you slide your probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, it should slide in with zero resistance — like a hot knife through room-temperature butter. If you are cooking a bone-in roast, grab the exposed blade bone with a pair of tongs and give it a twist. If it wiggles loosely and feels ready to slide right out — congrats, you’ve achieved competition-worthy BBQ.
The Rest
Resting and Holding
After removing the pork butt from the smoker, don’t shred it immediately. If you do, all the boiling hot juices will run out onto your cutting board, leaving your meat dryer than it would have been if you had waited.
Wrap the pork butt tightly in aluminum foil (if it isn’t wrapped already) and let it rest for at least an hour at room temperature. This allows the muscle fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout the roast, ensuring moist, flavorful meat.
The Texas Crutch Hold
If your pork finishes cooking hours before your guests arrive, don’t panic. Smoked pork butt holds incredibly well using the Texas Crutch method. Once the pork is off the smoker and double-wrapped in heavy-duty foil, wrap it again in a towel — the towel acts as insulation, trapping the residual heat inside. Tuck the whole bundle into an empty, dry cooler and close the lid. This setup will keep a large pork butt at safe serving temperatures (above 140°F) for 3 to 4 hours easily, and many competition teams swear the extended rest actually improves the texture and tenderness of the final product. If you want to keep an eye on temps while it rests, leave a wireless probe thermometer in the meat — it’ll give you peace of mind without having to crack the cooler.
Serving
Pulling and Serving Ideas
When it’s time to eat, start by removing the bone from the bone-in pork butt. It should slide out completely clean with ease; in fact, a clean bone pull is the signature of a well-smoked shoulder.
Once you’ve removed the blade bone, shred away. You can pull the meat apart into shred-like chunks using meat claws, heavy-duty BBQ gloves, or just a couple of standard dinner forks. Once the meat is shredded to your ideal consistency, be sure to mix it thoroughly so the dark, flavorful bark and the rendered fat juices from the pan are distributed evenly throughout the pile.
Serve it up on a soft brioche bun topped with a vinegar-based coleslaw for the ultimate pulled pork sandwich. If you have leftovers, smoked pulled pork is incredibly versatile:
Tacos & Nachos
Loaded Baked Potatoes
BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza
Smoked Baked Beans
Mac & Cheese
Leftovers
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Smoked pork butt makes for incredible leftovers, provided you store and reheat it correctly so it doesn’t dry out.
Storage: Allow the pulled pork to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container or a heavy-duty zip-top bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, pulled pork freezes well for up to 3 months.
Reheating: You spent a full day cooking this pork shoulder — don’t you dare put it in the microwave. The microwave is the opposite of low-and-slow and the sworn enemy of leftover BBQ. Here are three methods that will actually do your hard work justice:
Best for small portions. Place pulled pork in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a splash of apple juice, chicken broth, or leftover BBQ sauce. Stir gently until heated through and liquid has absorbed.
Best for large batches. Spread pork in a foil pan, add a splash of apple juice, thin-sliced onion, and a pinch of brown sugar. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 290°F for 20–25 minutes.
Best for meal prep. Vacuum seal portions and drop the bag into simmering water at 165°F for 20 minutes. The gentlest method — produces perfectly moist results every time.
Get Cooking
Getting Started: The Smoked Pork Butt Recipe
The main ingredients for great smoked pulled pork are the cut of pork, smoke, and time. Everything else is details — but the details matter. There are three non-negotiable components: salt, sugar, and spices. Salt brings out the flavor of the meat and draws moisture to the surface, which enhances bark formation and browning. Sugar also draws moisture from the meat, but its main job is to caramelize and add depth to the bark. Brown sugar adds a natural molasses note that pairs perfectly with smoke. The spices are the fun part — and that’s where the rub below comes in.
Step 1: Pre-Salting (The Night Before)
The single biggest upgrade you can make to your smoked pork butt is also the easiest: salt it the night before. Salt needs time to work. When you apply kosher salt to the surface of the meat and let it rest uncovered in the refrigerator overnight, the salt draws moisture out of the meat initially, then gets pulled back in — taking flavor deep into the muscle. The result is meat that is seasoned all the way through, not just on the surface.
Aim for about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat. For an 8-pound pork butt, that’s roughly 4 teaspoons. Rub the salt all over the surface, wrap it loosely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 10 hours — overnight is ideal. When you’re ready to cook the next day, unwrap the pork, let it come toward room temperature while you prep the smoker, then apply your rub right before it goes on.
🔥 Forgot to Pre-Salt? No Worries — Here’s Your Play:
Relax, it’ll be OK. You can still make a great pulled pork without an overnight brine. You’ll need to modify the rub below to include salt so it can do some work on the outside during the cook. Here’s the day-of adjustment:
- Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt directly to the dry rub mixture below.
- Coat the pork butt with ¼ cup yellow mustard as a binder (the vinegar cooks off completely — you won’t taste it).
- Apply the rub all over the meat and let it sit at room temperature for as long as you have — even 20 minutes is better than nothing. The salt will keep working during the cook.
The bark won’t be quite as deep and the seasoning won’t penetrate as far, but you’ll still end up with a damn good pork butt.
Step 2: Apply the Rub
Once your pork butt has been pre-salted (or you’ve made the day-of adjustment above), it’s time to build the flavor crust. Coat the entire surface of the pork butt with a thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil as a binder, then apply the rub below generously — all sides, the fat cap, and any crevices. Don’t be shy. A pork butt is a big, thick piece of meat and it can handle a heavy hand with the seasoning.
Smoked Pork Butt
Top Geek
For BBQ Geeks Who Don’t Like to Mess Around
A down-the-middle rub and a simple pre-salt brine. This is the classic method — great bark, juicy pull, and enough smoke flavor to make your neighbors jealous. Perfect for pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, or just eating straight off the cutting board.
Ingredients
The Meat
- 1 bone-in pork butt (Boston butt), 8–10 lbs
- Yellow mustard or olive oil (binder)
Dry Brine (Night Before)
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt
The Classic Dry Rub (Day Of)
- ¼ Cup Sweet Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
Note: If you skipped the overnight brine, add 2 tbsp kosher salt directly to the rub mixture above and let it sit at room temperature for as long as you have before it goes on the smoker.
Instructions
- The Night Before — Dry Brine: Rub kosher salt all over the surface of the pork butt so it’s completely covered. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 10 hours).
- Prep Day — Trim and Bind: Remove the pork butt from the fridge and unwrap. Trim the fat cap down to ⅛” to ¼” thick with a sharp boning knife. Coat the entire surface with a thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil as a binder.
- Apply the Rub: Mix all dry rub ingredients together and apply generously all over the pork butt — all sides, the fat cap, and any crevices. Let the meat rest at room temperature while you prep the smoker.
- Fire Up the Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 225°F–250°F. Add your wood of choice — we recommend a blend of hickory and apple wood. Wait until the smoke runs thin and clean (nearly blue) before putting the meat on.
- Smoke: Place the pork butt on the smoker. Fat side down if your heat source is below the meat; fat side up for offset smokers with side-mounted fireboxes. Close the lid and resist the urge to peek for the first 2 hours.
- Handle the Stall: Around 150°F–160°F, the internal temperature will plateau. This is normal. Wait it out for the best bark, or wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil or butcher paper (the Texas Crutch) to push through faster. See our Stall section above.
- Baste (Optional): Starting around 165°F internal temp, baste the exterior every 45–60 minutes with a mix of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1 part apple juice. This keeps the surface moist and adds a subtle tang to the bark.
- Pull When Probe-Tender: Target an internal temperature of 202°F–205°F. More importantly, your probe thermometer should slide into the thickest part of the meat with zero resistance — like butter. For bone-in butts, the blade bone should wiggle loose and pull out cleanly.
- Rest: Remove from the smoker, wrap tightly in foil, then wrap in old towels and place in a dry cooler. Rest for at least 1 hour (up to 4 hours is fine and often better).
- Pull and Serve: Remove the blade bone, shred the meat using meat claws or BBQ gloves, and mix the bark evenly throughout. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Always cook to internal temperature and probe tenderness — not the clock.
- For more rub variations (sweet, spicy, Southwest), see our best pork butt rubs guide.
- Leftovers freeze well for up to 3 months. Reheat in a covered skillet with a splash of apple juice.
- Bone-in is strongly preferred — the bone is your built-in doneness indicator.
Pro Tips
What the Pros Do: Pitmaster Tips for Competition-Level Pulled Pork
There’s backyard BBQ, and then there’s competition BBQ. The gap between the two is smaller than you might think, and a few key techniques from the competition circuit can take your home smoked pork butt from “really good” to “what did you put in this?”
Aaron Franklin
Franklin Barbecue — Austin, TX
Franklin keeps his pork butt seasoning almost insultingly simple — a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. His real focus is on smoke quality. He waits until the smoke turns thin, clear, and almost blue before putting the meat on.
“Don’t choke the fire to reduce the temperature. Cutting off the air will produce the wrong kind of smoke.”
He sprays with apple cider vinegar every hour starting at the three-hour mark. His target pull temperature is 204°F to 209°F — and he describes the ideal probe feel as “a melted bag of butter.”
Myron Mixon
Jack’s Old South — Unadilla, GA
The winningest man in BBQ competition history runs his pork butts at 250°F and is a firm believer in the foil wrap. Mixon cooks until 165°F, wraps tightly in foil with liquid, then returns to the smoker until 205°F. He then rests in a cooler for a full hour before pulling.
“The rest is not optional. It’s part of the cook.”
Chris Capell & The Dizzy Pig Team
Manassas, VA — dizzypigbbq.com
With top-ten finishes in over half of their KCBS competition appearances, the Dizzy Pig team cooks at 240°F and uses a pork stock injection before seasoning.
“The goal is to get good clean smoke flavor and build up a rich brown crust before wrapping in foil to finish the cooking and rendering without losing any moisture.”
They recommend checking for tenderness over temperature — the meat should “wiggle like jello” when it’s truly done, regardless of what the thermometer reads.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes When Smoking Pork Butt
Even though pork shoulder is a forgiving cut, there are a few pitfalls that can ruin your BBQ:
- 1
Pulling the meat too early. Just because the meat is technically safe to eat at 165°F does not mean it is done. If you pull a pork butt off the smoker before it reaches 195°F–205°F, the connective tissues will not have broken down, and you will be left with tough, chewy pork that is impossible to shred. - 2
Wrapping too early. If you employ the Texas Crutch before the bark has fully set and turned a deep mahogany color, you will end up with mushy, steamed meat on the outside instead of a flavorful crust. Wait until at least 160°F and visually confirm the bark looks right before wrapping. - 3
Skipping the rest. Shredding a pork butt immediately after taking it off the smoker lets all the moisture escape as steam. Always rest the meat for at least an hour.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How much pork butt do I need per person?
A good rule of thumb is to plan for ½ pound (8 ounces) of cooked pulled pork per adult. Keep in mind that a raw pork butt will lose about 30% to 40% of its weight during the smoking process. Therefore, an 8-pound raw pork butt will yield roughly 5 pounds of cooked meat — enough to comfortably feed 10 people.
Should I smoke a pork butt fat side up or fat side down?
Point the fat cap toward the heat source. On pellet grills, drum smokers, and most kettle setups where heat comes from below, fat side down protects the meat. On offset smokers where heat is indirect, fat side up is fine. The fat does not melt into the meat regardless of orientation — its only job is acting as a heat shield.
Do I have to wrap my pork butt?
No, wrapping is entirely optional. Not wrapping (going “bareback”) will result in a much darker, crunchier bark, but the cook will take significantly longer as you wait out the stall. Wrapping speeds up the process and retains more moisture but softens the bark.
Can I smoke a pork butt overnight?
Absolutely. Because a 10-pound pork butt can take up to 15 hours to smoke at 225°F, starting the cook at 9:00 PM the night before is a very common strategy. Just ensure your smoker has enough fuel to run unattended, and use a wireless thermometer with high/low alarms to wake you if the fire goes out or spikes.
Why is my smoked pork butt tough?
If your pork butt is tough and difficult to pull apart, it is undercooked. The internal temperature did not get high enough (195°F–205°F) for long enough to break down the collagen and connective tissues. Wrap it in foil with a splash of apple juice and put it back in the smoker or oven until it probes tender.
Why do they call it a pork butt?
Great question — and no, it has nothing to do with the rear end of the pig. The name “Boston butt” comes from pre-Revolutionary New England, where butchers packed the less desirable cuts of pork into barrels called “butts” for storage and transport. The shoulder cut was one of the most common cuts packed this way, and the name stuck.
I smoke alot of butts. I’m in North Carolina so my preference on sauce is sweet and vinegar based. As far as the slaw goes it has to be the red with cabbage, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a little dash of Texas Pete. When it comes to wood for the smoker, apple and cherry are best. Although peach is pretty good too. And before you go rubbing the butt down you have to lather it up with yellow mustard for the rub to stick. The mustard cooks off and doesn’t add any flavor. I actually hate mustard so trust me it doesn’t leave any flavor.
Great feedback David, I’m sure readers will appreciate it. I was just writing up a rib recipe when you posted this which incorporates a slather of mustard prior to adding the rub; and I as well don’t care for mustard much, but agree that it does provide a nice base which is tasty as well as functional.
Great feedback
I followed your recipe for the tomato sauce, or dip as we say here in Lexington NC, and was absolutely disgusted by the gloppy mess it turned out to be. Then I doubled the volume with water and had a perfect dip. Both taste and texture was spot on and it was perfect for my fresh smoked butt and chopped cabbage.
Did you forget the water in your recipe?
Like the song says, it takes different strokes to move the world! I wrote this up as a thick sauce for hanging onto a bun, but if you’re looking for something thinner and clingier, cutting it with water is a great plan. This is giving me ideas – what about some chicken stock for body? Maybe tomato juice plus a bump of vodka – alcohol carries flavors that water doesn’t. Next time I do some pulled pork, it’s time to experiment…
Helpful
There is no such thing as a thick sauce for NC style pulled pork. Both Eastern and Western Sauces are liquid. If it is thick, then you have entered Tennessee.
Thanks! Super informative and a great read.
Your comments are central Texas approved.
Thank you sir.
How often do you recommend to spritz the pork butt?
Honestly, I feel it’s kinda of a waste of time; I’ve never experienced a notable difference when experimenting with it.
Thank you for this. I am getting my first smoker next weekend and after I season it my first smoke is going to be a pork shoulder (the common name in SE Michigan). Reading this has given me some great direction on what to do and is inspiring me to throw a backyard party with a traditional NC pulled pork theme. Have to make sure I have the pulled pork with a super nice bark nailed down first. :-)
Hi! Does the timing on this (90 mins per pound) account for “The Stall” ? I know the timing of the stall can vary.
Yes, exactly, several factors affect time. A good rule of thumb for a pork shoulder reaching 200°F (including stall time without wrapping it) is 90 min per pound with a an average pit temperature of 230°F.
I’ve looked over you rub recipes. What size pork butt are the ingredient quantities calculated for? So if you tell me it’s for a 5-lb pork butt then I’ll double it for the 10-lb pork butt. I just need an idea of you assumed pork butt weight for those recipes.
The pork butt rub recipes above will be fine up to a 10 lbs. pork butt. If you have a smaller one, then you’ll have some left over for next time.