One of the most all-purpose meats in barbecue is the smoked pork butt or Boston butt from which we get the famous smoked pulled pork. Here are 6 Marvelous Steps to Smoke the Best Boston Pulled Pork Butt!
Smoked pulled pork is extremely easy to make with only a few steps required for getting the pork ready for the smoker. The hard part is in the keeping the smoker going for 14+ hours while it slowly smoke cooks to perfection.
Helpful Information
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14-16 hours
- Smoker Temp: 225°F
- Meat Finish Temp: 195-205°F
- Recommended Wood: Cherry
What You’ll Need
- 6-8 lb pork butt or pork picnic roast
- Yellow mustard
- Rub
- BBQ Sauce
Pro-Tip: It’s optional to remove the skin.
Pro-Tip: Instead of letting some of a spice rub melt off with the slowly melting fat, the mustard helps bind the spices to the meat. This is especially true of meats where a good volume of the meat is lost to fat. If you like smoked meat with an awesome, flavorful bark, then add a layer of mustard to it. It doesn’t need to be a thick layer, or even expensive mustard!
Steps to remove the skin
You can use the Boston butt without needing to skin it, but if you do find yourself with a picnic, here’s how to remove the skin:
- Lay the roast on the cutting board skin side up.
- Make a cut through the skin right down the center.
- While pulling up and away from the center, run the blade of a sharp knife along the attached skin.
- Turn the roast over to finish removing the skin.
It takes a little work, but the skin will come off easily this way.
Now Let’s start 6 Marvelous Steps to Smoke the Best Boston Pulled Pork Butt!
1. Mustard and Rub the Pork
Whether you use a skinless picnic roast or a Boston butt is up to you but I personally think the butt is not only easier, but has better flavor and texture.
As with most pork, I use yellow mustard to create a binder or base for the rub to stick to. Then spread the mustard over the meat.
Flip the roast over and get the bottom side the same way.
2. Now You’re Ready for the Smoker!
Set up the smoker for cooking at 225°F and make sure you have plenty of cherry bisquettes for about 6-8 hours of smoke.
Once the smoker is running steady at the prescribed temperature, it is time to put the meat in the smoker.
3. Smoke the Pork
While the meat is smoking for 225°F, you can expect a 6-8 pound roast to take 14 hours or more to completion. Sometimes it can even take up to 20 hours. Especially with large pieces of meat like this, it’s crucial to only take it out of the smoker to check for the desired texture and tenderness that you are going for.
Place the meat fat side down so that the bottom of the roast tends to stick to the grate. When it’s time to remove it, you might lose the fat cap, but it’s better than losing a big slice of the actual meat.
Keep the cherry wood smoke going for 6-8 hours minimum in the Bradley Smoker.
Pro Tip: Use Bradley’s Digital Thermometer for the most fail-safe way to tell when the meat is done. That way, you can monitor the temperature while it’s cooking. You can experiment with the guesswork after several smoking attempts.
When the pork butt reaches 200-205°F in the very center, it’s done.
4. Rest the Pork Butt
Once the pork butt is done smoking, it can be pulled right after or it can be kept in the smoker for 4 hours or more by wrapping it in a double layer of foil, then in a thick towel.
Place the wrapped bundle into an empty ice cooler and fill in any remaining space with more towels or blankets.
5. It’s Time to Pull the Pork
If you take the pork butt out of the smoker too early, you will have a tough time pulling the meat. The longer you smoke the pork, the easier it will be to fall apart very easily with very little effort.
Now this is the fun part, use a couple of forks to pull or shred the meat removing any clumps of fat that you find.
6. What you can use Pulled Pork For
Smoked pulled pork can be used anywhere that ground beef is used such as on tacos, in burritos, on taco salad, on pizza, mixed with cream cheese as a dip, piled on top of baked potatoes, with eggs and potatoes for breakfast and almost anything else you can imagine. Use your creativity!
Closing Thoughts
If you’re craving more pork-related recipes in the Bradley, look no further than Steve’s Smoke Pork Tenderloin recipe.
There you have it, 6 Marvelous Steps to Smoke the Best Boston Pulled Pork Butt. The art of smoked meat is so versatile! Remember to share these recipes with your loved ones and visit our blog for more tips and tricks for your next backyard BBQ!
