This is probably the most forgiving thing you can smoke. Pork butt is cheap, it’s hard to screw up, and it feeds a crowd. I usually buy them when they’re on sale and throw one on the smoker whenever I have a free day. Low and slow, wrapped at the stall, pulled when it’s done. That’s it.
What you need
- 1 bone-in pork butt, 8-10 lbs
- Yellow mustard (as a binder)
- BBQ rub — I use Meat Church Honey Hog. Heavy coat.
- Apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle
- Butcher paper for wrapping
How to make it
1. Trim any loose flaps or hard chunks of fat. You don’t need to go crazy. A pork butt is pretty forgiving on the trim. Coat the whole thing with a thin layer of yellow mustard — you won’t taste it, it’s just there to help the rub stick.
2. Season it heavy. All sides. The rub is where the bark comes from so don’t be shy. Let it sit for 30 minutes to let the rub sweat in.
3. Smoker at 225. Hickory, oak, or cherry. Put the pork butt on fat cap up. I spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour after the first two hours.
4. Around 160 internal, you’ll hit the stall. The temp just stops climbing. This is normal. Wrap it in butcher paper. Foil works but paper lets the bark breathe. Foil can make it mushy.
5. Keep cooking until 203 internal. Not 195, not 210. 203. When a probe slides in with zero resistance, like butter, it’s done. Usually 12 to 14 hours total for a 9 lb butt.
6. Rest it. Minimum one hour. I wrap it in an old towel and put it in a cooler. It’ll stay hot for 3 to 4 hours in there. The longer it rests the better it pulls.
7. Pull it apart with your hands or bear claws. If it was cooked right, the bone should slide right out and the meat should fall apart with almost no effort.
I serve it on cheap white buns with coleslaw on top. Sometimes I’ll make a vinegar-based Carolina sauce if I’m feeling it, but honestly good pulled pork doesn’t need much.
