Smoked Pork Shoulder
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My husband loves his smoker. One of the BEST things he makes on it is a Smoked Pork Shoulder, which he has fine-tuned through a lot of trial and error. So, I followed his steps, asked a gazillion questions, and am now sharing his delicious smoked pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) recipe and methods.
About This Recipe
While I’m a self-proclaimed freezer meal queen, my husband’s domain is the grill. More specifically, the smoker.
Ever since he got his smoker, a Kamado Joe, he has been smoking all types of meat.
In fact, he and a group of his friends have an active text chain in which they exchange recipes they are trying, tips and tricks they have learned, and lively meat-smoking banter.
This post shares the collective wisdom and tips to give you the best smoked pulled pork you’ve ever had.
Equipment You’ll Need
- A Smoker – Yes, you can make pulled pork in the slow cooker or make pulled pork in the Instant Pot but for this recipe, use a smoker!
- A Large Cutting board – You’re going to have lots of meat!
- Aluminum pans – A must-have for catching drips.
- Meat injector (optional) – Helps add flavor and moisture.
- Internal meat thermometer – A must-have for this recipe and helpful for most meat recipes.
- Meat shredders – Two forks will work. It’ll just take a long time!
- Heat-resistant gloves – Makes transferring the meat easier.
Ingredients Needed
There are 3 main ingredients you will need for this pork shoulder recipe:
- Seasoned rub
- Pork shoulder (bone-in preferred)
- Meat injection juice
How Much Pork Shoulder Per Person?
Plan on serving at least 1/3 pound (and up to 1/2 pound) of smoked pulled pork shoulder per person. But, how do you know how big of a raw pork shoulder to buy to yield that amount?
With that principle in mind, here’s what you can calculate when buying bone-in pork shoulder:
- 10 pounds = 12-18 servings
- 8 pounds = 10-14 servings
- 6 pounds = 7-10 servings
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the Smoker and Make the Rub
Preheat your grill to between 225-250°F.
As with most smoked meats, it starts with a great rub. Mix seasonings in a small bowl.
Now give your pork shoulder a good rub down. Make sure it’s completely covered on all sides.
Give the Roast an Injection (Optional)
Your pork will still be tender and delicious, but if you want to take it to the next level, giving it a flavor injection is something you can do.
Inject the pork all over with the juice recipe listed below.
Don’t stress if you don’t use it all. Just try to get a bit of liquid in every few inches or so. If you get squeamish with shots, you might want someone else to do this!
Add the Pork to the Smoker
One trick I do before adding the pork is place an aluminum pan beneath where the pork will sit to catch the drips.
Carefully add your seasoned meat to the smoker.
Close the lid and don’t peek for at least 6 hours! You’ll want to monitor the temperature of the grill through the gauge on your smoker and keep it hovering between 225-250°F.
Check the Temperature at Around 6 Hours & Drizzle Agave Syrup
At around 6 hours in, use your meat thermometer to give it a quick temperature check. Be sure to check it in a few different spots. Since every cut of meat cooks a bit differently, this will help you know how close your pork is to being done.
It’s ready to take off when it reaches an internal temperature of 190-195°F.
That’s the ultimate goal you’re working towards. Depending on the size of your pork shoulder, this will likely take 8-10 hours.
While you have the smoker open, drizzle some agave syrup over the pork. If you don’t have any, you’ll be ok, but this makes the outside SO delicious.
Tent the Pork
Next, tent the pork with some foil to protect the outside from getting too burned. Now close that smoker and give it a few more hours, until it reaches the desired temp of 190°F. Check with your meat thermometer as needed.
Allow Time for the Pork to Rest
When the internal temperature has reached at least 190°F, remove it from the smoker. This can be a little tricky. My husband likes to use his meat shredders to do this. You could also use a large spatula to help or even your heat-resistant gloves.
Wrap your pork shoulder in foil and let it rest for 45-60 minutes. This allows the juices to distribute throughout the meat and the internal temperature to rise 5-10 degrees more, helping to break down the connective tissues even more.
Pro Tip:
My husband likes to wrap it up in a towel as well and put it in a cooler for safe keeping.
How to Serve a Pork Shoulder
Well first, you have to shred it up. Two forks will work fine but if you have your meat shredders, this will speed up the process. This is one of the most satisfying parts of smoking meats so don’t rush it!
You can also sneak little bites as you shred the meat.
You can eat the shredded pork plain or turn it into a sandwich. Just be sure to provide some delicious BBQ sauce with it and pair it with our Coleslaw for Pulled Pork.
Recipe FAQs
If your guests are waiting, you can serve the pork shoulder once it is in the 170-190°F range. While it may not be fall-part tender, you can serve it as sliced pork or burnt ends.
And, it’s actually safe to eat pork if it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F according to the USDA. However, you really need it to get higher than that to break down the connective tissues in a cut of meat like this.
If you’re cooking your pork at 225-250°F, it will take roughly this amount of time from start to finish (including preheating grill/meat prep, the cook time, and the cool/rest time):
6-7 lbs = 9ish hours
8-9 lbs = 11ish hours
10+ lbs = 12-14 hours
Yes and no. They cook almost exactly the same way, so are interchangeable in most recipes. But technically, they are cut from different parts of the pig.
Again, both would work. But I asked a local butcher this question and he recommended a bone-in pork shoulder for the smoker. He said it adds flavor and moisture.
Can You Freeze Pulled Pork?
While this is a great recipe for groups of people, you’ll likely have leftover pulled pork. Like, lots of leftovers.
After you have delivered some to your neighbors who have been smelling it all day, you can easily freeze it! You can freeze it in small portions to use later as a freezer meal for 1-2 people, or you can put it all in one big freezer container and make it another dinner down the road.
Since it’s already fully cooked, just rewarm the meat when you want to eat it.
Side Dish Ideas
Here are some side dish ideas that are delicious with smoked pulled pork.
Tips & Tricks for Smoking Meat
Random tips from the chief griller in my home:
- If your grilling temperature gets too high, close the vents and wait for it to lower to the desired temperature. If it gets too low, open the vents more and wait until desired temp.
- Make sure you are going to have enough charcoal for the cook time. Err on the side of too much. If you run out, it’s really difficult to bring the temperature back up. You can always bring it down though.
- Read through the entire recipe and make sure to allow time for the grill to pre-heat (about 30-45 minutes), meat to cook (roughly 8-10 hours), and meat to rest (45-60 minutes). Work backward to estimate your start time. For example, if we want to eat at 6 p.m., the pork must come off by 5 p.m. That means the pork needs to be in the smoker by 7:00 a.m. if we want to be on the safe side. Which means it needs to start pre-heating around 6:15 a.m.
- If you know you’ll be making the recipe again, just double the rub and save it with your seasonings. No need to make it twice!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Rubbed, injected, smoked? Prepare to make the most delicious smoked pork you’ve ever had.
Ingredients
Rub Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Meat Injection Recipe (Optional):
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 Tablespoons salt
- Smoked tabasco sauce to taste (roughly 1 tablespoon)
Other Ingredients:
- 7–10 pound pork shoulder (bone-in preferred)
- Roughly 1–2 tablespoons agave (Optional)
- BBQ Sauce for serving
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Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 225-250°F. (This will take 30-45 minutes.) If you have heat deflectors, make sure they are in. Add aluminum pan to the bottom to catch the juices.
- Combine all the seasonings to make the rub. Rub all over the pork.
- (Optional) Whisk together the meat injection juice in a bowl. Put the pork in an aluminum pan. Inject the meat with a little juice every few inches.
- Transfer the pork to the preheated smoker.
- Cook for 6 hours and then check the internal temperate to determine how much longer you will need to smoke it. Drizzle agave syrup across the top and tent with aluminum foil to project the outside of the meat from getting too burned. Continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 190-195°F+ or the bone just falls right out and meat shreds easily. The total cook time will likely be 8-10 hours, depending on the size of your pork shoulder.
- Remove from heat. Wrap pork in foil and then again in a towel. Let rest for 45-60 minutes. (My husband like to put his in a cooler so curious dogs and kids don’t bother it.)
- Shred the meat using two forks or meat shredders. Serve.
Notes/Tips
- If you need to speed up your cook, you can bump the temperature up.
- This smoked pulled pork stores well in the fridge as leftovers for up to 5 days, and it freezes well (if packaged the right way) for up to 6 months or so.
- Read through the entire recipe and make sure to allow for time for the grill to preheat (about 30-45 minutes), meat to cook (roughly 8-10 hours), and meat to rest (45-60 minutes). Work backward to estimate your start time.
- If you know you’ll be making the recipe again, just double the rub and save it with your seasonings. No need to make it twice!
Took 11 hours but I did 225 for 8 hours, then raise to 250 for 2 hours then to 300 for the last hour. Was delicious!! Everyone raves about it.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Greg. Glad everyone enjoyed it!