For someone that is an early adopter of most technologies, I have to admit I’ve taken a step backwards. For well over 20 years I’ve owned one type of propane grill or another. Small, large, extra burners, rotisserie – I’ve owned all types at one point. And no matter the price point or the brand, they only lasted me a half dozen years or so before something rusted out.
That’s a pretty expensive appliance to replace twice a decade, not to mention the constant refilling of the tank. I didn’t notice the taste, but some swear they can tell when meat is cooked over propane. Plus with extra gadgets like an electrical start, side burners and more, there are more things that can break. I realized what I needed to do – go back to how my dad taught me when I was a preteen and cook over charcoal.
After searching and searching, I found a model that was solid cast aluminum and made in the USA. The simplicity of the grill means it will easily outlast me, and the costs of charcoal, when bought around the Fourth of July, is negligible. Thanks to the oblong design, I have the option to configure it as a smoker since aluminum is such a great heat conductor. My very first attempt at smoking a large piece of meat was such a great (and easy) success, I decided to do it again, this time documenting the process.
You don’t need this same grill to get the great results I did. You simply need to configure whatever grill you’re using to cook via indirect heat (your meat isn’t over the heat source) and the airflow directs the wood smoke over your meat. “Slow and Low” is the mantra here, and while it does take a LOT longer than normal grilling, the final results are well worth it.
The first thing you’ll need is some pork. For pulled pork you’ll want a fatty piece of the pig, usually a pork shoulder (also called Boston Butt). Since there will be no difference in cooking time with one or two, we elect to double up and freeze the results of one. Each weighing in at 7-8 pounds, this will easily make 30+ sandwiches per shoulder!
On the underside of the cut there will probably be a 1/4″ thick piece of pure fat. Cut this off before drying off the roast with paper towels.
Grab any pork/rib rub and thoroughly coat them all over. Allowing them to sit for a few minutes after coating help keep the spices on while transferring to the grill.
As for the grill itself, you’ll want to start your coals before you begin the meat preparation. That way they’ll be ready in about the same time (10 minutes). Put the charcoals on one side of the grill, opening any air vents directly beneath them and closing any above.
It is best to place a drip pan underneath the pork as it will drip quite a bit as the fat is rendered off. Pouring a can of beer or apple juice into the pan before cooking will help ‘steam’ the meat, keeping it moist and adding some additional flavor.
The pork will be placed on the opposite side of the grill, with the top vents open and the bottom closed. This forces the airflow up through the charcoals, over to the side the meat is on and then out through the top.
The first time we smoked a pork butt we used hickory wood. It does a fantastic job of infusing the smoke flavor into the meat and is generally considered the smokiest of all traditional grilling woods. For some it is too smoky, and my clothes and skin smelled like the grill for days afterwards. This time we elected to use apple wood, which emits less smoke and has a sweeter smell. It turned out to be the perfect choice.
The trick to smoking over a long period of time is temperature control. Keeping the grill at between 200°F and 240°F requires the addition of only a few additional briquettes every 60 minutes or so (when you notice the temperature dropping to the low side of the range). Every once in a while we would add another piece of apple wood to the grates directly above the coals and then flip it when one side was fully charred.
I neglected to grab photos of the meat once complete (internal temperature of 190°F), but they will look like big burnt lumps of meat after 10-12 hours of slow cooking. Don’t worry, this is what good pulled pork should look like – black and with a semi-hard to hard crust on the outside. Let it set for at least 15 minutes wrapped in foil to redistribute its juices, then unwrap and drop it in a large bowl to begin the pulling process.
Using your fingers or forks, pull all of the meat off the bone and separate into bite-sized chunks. Be sure to break the bark in to tiny pieces and distribute them nicely. Put into a serving bowl and freeze any leftovers or extras for a later time.
Serve the pulled pork on a bun topped with BBQ sauce, cole slaw, pickles or any other condiments and topping of your choice. The meat will be soft and have a subtle taste, but will melt in your mouth. Smoking on a grill beats making pulled pork in a slow cooker any day. Once you taste the difference, you’ll never want to cook pulled pork inside again!
While I don’t consider myself an expert on smoking meat, if you have any questions about the process, feel free to ask them in the comment below! And if you’re in the area any time soon, stop by for a sandwich or two! We can always make more!
With your smoker running steady at 225 degrees F, you can typically plan about 2 hours of cook time per pound of pork. For example, an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 16 hours from start to finish.
5 pork butt (also called Boston butt, picnic, pork shoulder, etc.) will require about 14 hours of total cook time if you run your smoker low and slow at about 225°F (107°C). Smoke the meat until it reaches 185°F (85°C) for slicing or about 207°F (97°C) for pulling (pulled pork).
A basic rule of thumb, but in no way is it an exact guide, is 90 minutes of smoking time per pound at 225° to 250°. Another way is to use a thermometer the entire time for indications of when your pork may be done. Remove it from the smoker once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
Some people even like to increase the smoker temperature a little bit to 325°F (163°C) once the butts are safely wrapped. If you want to speed things up by doing that, go for it. If your pit temp falls, even with the Billows fan engaged, it probably means you're low on fuel. Add more as necessary.
However, if the pork is cooked too long, it may become dry and hard instead of tender. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 210 degrees F or more, the muscle fibers become tougher, and the meat becomes dry and chewy.
Cooking temperature when smoking pork butt all depends on how much time you have to really work some love and smoke into that pork. If you have the time, 225°F is an excellent sweet spot for low-and-slow cooked pork butt.
Smoking: Smoking a bone-in pork shoulder can take all day due to the low cooking temperature. We estimate about 45 minutes to 1 hour per pound at a smoking temperature of around 275°F.
When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F on an instant read meat thermometer (after about 4 to 5 hours), remove it from the grill and double wrap in aluminum foil to keep the juices from leaking out.
Lake Dogs said: I've never cooked butts that small; most of ours are 9 to 9.5# bone in, but at 250 and foiling mid way they're usually done right at that 9th hour, usually just under 1 hour per pound, consistently.
The low-and-slow method is the cornerstone of excellent pulled pork. This technique involves cooking the pork at a low temperature (typically between 225°F to 250°F) for several hours. This slow cooking process breaks down the tough muscle fibers and connective tissue, resulting in tender, fall-apart meat.
Cooking pork thoroughly can eliminate the risk of infection. The meat should be cooked to temperatures of 145–160°F (63–71°C) and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes before eating.
“Low and slow” experts typically recommend keeping the internal air temperature of your smoker at about 225°F (107°C) during the cook. But at that temperature, it can take as long as 18 hours to bring the internal temperature of the pork up to its target of 195-205°F (91-96°C).
Smoke until the internal temperature of the pork shoulder reaches 195°F on an instant-read thermometer, this can take up to 24 hours if you maintain your smoker temperature at about 220°F, but don't worry if it only take 16 to 20 hours it will still be very tender.
Preheat a grill or smoker to 300 degrees F. Place the pork butt on the grill or in the smoker, and cook over indirect heat until tender, 4 to 5 hours. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Most barbecue enthusiasts (including our team here) recommend cooking pork butt according to the heat source. So, if you've got a vertical smoker or grill with a bottom heat source, cook the pork butt fat side down. If you're using an offset smoker with a one-sided heat source, point the fat cap toward that.
-set your smoker at 225 degrees and let it come up to temp. -I placed the meat in a tinfoil pan fat side down this way the drippings remain in the pan and helps with the cook. -I smoked the meat over night until it reached 203-204 internal temp. Total cook time was about 13 hours.
If you choose to spritz the pork shoulder (optional): After 2 hours of smoking, pour the prepared spritzing mixture into the food-safe spray bottle, and spray every 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve about ¾ of a cup of the spritzing liquid and set it aside.
The longest you should let a pork butt roast rest is about two hours. That's because, at this point, the temperature will have dropped down to a level that is approaching the danger zone. You never want to let meat (raw or cooked) sit between 40 degrees and 140 degrees.
Try brine: Choose a wet marinade rather than a dry one. Dry rubs may work fine but brine or a wet rub will add that extra moisture along with the flavor that will penetrate deep inside the meat. Keep a spray bottle handy: Keep spraying the meat during smoking or reheating to replace the lost moisture.
The number one tip is to make sure you give the pork plenty of time to cook. If the meat is cooked too quickly, the fat, connective tissues, and muscle fibers won't have a chance to break down, so the meat will be full of gristle and tough.
This was all Steven's idea. Buoyed by the success of 3-2-1 ribs, one of our most popular blogs, Steven wondered what would happen if we treated a pork butt (aka, shoulder) to 3 hours of smoke, 2 hours wrapped in butcher paper, foil, or parchment paper, and 1 hour unwrapped.
Set the Overnight Pork Butt directly on the Traeger Ironwood XL and set a ChefAlarm to 160℉.Shut the lid and let the meat smoke overnight. Once the overnight pulled pork smoked reaches 160℉ (mine took about 12 hours), take it off the pit and lay it on a large sheet pan double-lined with aluminum foil.
How long to smoke your pork butt. We like to smoke our butts at 275 degrees for about 6 to 7 hours - until the butt internal temp is at about 180. Then you will want to wrap the butt and put it back on the smoker for 1 - 2 hours till the internal temp reaches 205. It's not burnt!
For Slow Cooker Pulled Pork: Place pork in slow cooker and pour co*ke around it. Cover and cook on LOW (recommended) 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until pork is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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