Everyone loves a good pulled pork sandwich, but getting it just right requires proper technique, some great flavors and a little time. Lucky for you, we’re here to walk you through it, step by step, but this isn’t any basic Barbecue Boston Butt Pulled Pork Shoulder recipe. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve!
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Trimmed and opened up: Removing the fat cap and cutting open the seam between the two muscles exposes more meat to the rub and smoke and lets you trim out hidden fat and connective tissue.
- Strained injection with a reserved portion: Injecting only part of the liquid in a grid pattern and setting aside the rest for the wrap seasons the inside of the meat and keeps the wrapping liquid clean.
- Two-rub bark: A layer of Yardbird rub followed by Smoky Chipotle Coffee seasoning, each set until wet, builds a dark, flavorful crust.
- Foil wrap and hotter finish: Wrapping with the reserved injection and solids and raising the grill to 325°F carries the butt through the stall to pull-tender.
Barbecue Boston Butt Pulled Pork Shoulder
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.9 stars by 167 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
32
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
7 hours
Calories
462
Delight your guests with juicy, succulent, and flavorful Barbecue Boston Butt Pulled Pork Shoulder! Perfect for backyard grilling and dinner parties alike, this all-time favorite recipe is guaranteed to have them coming back for more.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 lb) Boston Butt pork shoulder
-
1/2 cup Sweetwater Spice Smoked Apple Spice Butt & Rib Bath
- 1 cup water
-
Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub
-
Cattleman’s Grill Smoky Chipotle Coffee Steak Seasoning
-
Reida Wildflower Honey
-
Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang BBQ Sauce
Directions
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 225ºF, set up for smoking.
Before beginning to trim the pork butt, feel around the roast and trim any small bone fragments or hard cartilage that may be left on the surface. Using a sharp boning knife, remove all of the fat cap to expose the meat.
- Flip the butt over and trim any excess fat on the surface. Find the seam near the bone side. Begin to pull the crevice open and carefully cut in-between the two muscles. Trim the excess fat, connective tissue and anything that is not meat from the inside of the opening.
Combine the Sweetwater Spice Smoked Apple Spice Butt & Rib Bath and 1 cup of water. Mix well in an injection mixer bottle. Strain the mixture. Reserve the solids. Set aside 1/2 cup of the liquid and reserve for later.
Using a marinade injector, inject the remaining 1 cup of liquid into the pork butt, inserting the needle every couple of inches in a grid pattern. After inserting the needle, move it around a bit to create a pocket and fill the pocket with injection until it begins to come back out.
Pat the surface of the roast mostly dry with paper towels. Shake on a layer of Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub on all surfaces, including inside the crevice where you trimmed the fat and tissue earlier. Then season all surfaces with the Cattleman’s Grill Smoky Chipotle Coffee Steak Seasoning. Let the rub set up on the outside of the pork butt until it all looks wet and is fully adhered.
- Place the butt on the second shelf of the smoker. Smoke until it has achieved a nice dark mahogany color on the outside, about 5.5 hours, or roughly 155ºF internal temperature.
- Remove from the pit and place the roast on top of two sheets of foil, large enough to wrap the roast. Pour the reserved 1/2 cup of injection liquid, as well as the solids you strained off earlier, on the meat and tightly double wrap in foil. Return to the cooker, increasing the temperature of the grill to 325ºF.
- Continue cooking until the blade bone can be easily pulled out of the pork butt, and the pork is tender enough to “pull” or shred, roughly 1.5-2 hours more; about 7-8 hours of total cook time.
Using cotton knit gloves covered with nitrile gloves, you can pull the meat by hand.
Serve the pulled pork topped with a drizzle of honey and Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang BBQ Sauce.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why remove the fat cap and open the seam between the muscles?
Trimming the cap exposes the meat directly to the rub and smoke. Opening the seam lets you remove hidden fat and connective tissue from the middle and gives the seasoning more surface to work on.
Why strain the injection and set aside part of it before injecting?
Straining keeps solids from clogging the needle. Reserving 1/2 cup before injecting means the liquid used later in the foil wrap never touched the raw meat.
Why inject in a grid pattern and move the needle around?
Inserting the needle every couple of inches spreads the liquid through the whole butt. Wiggling it creates a small pocket that holds the liquid in until it begins to come back out.
Why pat the roast mostly dry and wait for the rub to look wet?
Drying the surface helps the rub stick. After a few minutes the seasoning turns wet in appearance, which shows it has dissolved into surface moisture and adhered for the long cook.
Why smoke at 225°F until the bark is dark mahogany?
The low temperature gives the butt time to take on smoke and set a deep bark, which takes about 5.5 hours or roughly 155°F inside.
Why wrap the butt in foil and raise the grill to 325°F?
Wrapping with the reserved injection and solids braises the pork and helps it push through the temperature stall. The hotter grill finishes it in another 1.5-2 hours.
How do I know the pork is done?
The blade bone should pull out easily, and the meat should be tender enough to shred. That tenderness usually comes at an internal temperature around 195-205°F, far above the 145°F USDA minimum for pork.
Why wear cotton gloves under nitrile gloves to pull the pork?
The nitrile layer keeps the meat clean and the cotton layer beneath insulates your hands from the heat, so you can pull the pork while it's still hot.
Why finish with honey and barbecue sauce?
A drizzle of honey adds sweetness, and the Tarheel Tang sauce adds a tangy, vinegar-forward finish to the smoky, rich pork.
How should I store leftovers?
Refrigerate the pulled pork within 2 hours of cooking, with some of its juices to keep it moist. It keeps for about 3-4 days, and it freezes well for several months.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5. A 225-325°F oven can cook the butt to the same tenderness, but you'd lose the smoke and bark that define the recipe.
Recipe Highlights
Trimmed, opened butt: Exposes more meat to rub and smoke.
Grid-pattern injection: Seasons the pork from the inside.
Double rub bark: Builds a deep, dark crust.
Foil wrap with injection: Braises the pork tender.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 462
- Carbs
- 5 grams
- Protein
- 36 grams
- Fat
- 31 grams
- Sodium
- 1975 milligrams
