The Best Smoked Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Pork Butt Dry Rub
  • 1/2cup brown sugar
  • 1/2cup kosher salt
  • 1/4cup black pepper
  • 1/4cup paprika
  • 1/4cup dry mustard
  • 1tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1tablespoon onion powder
  • 1tablespoon chili powder
  • 1teaspoon cumin
  • 1teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4cup dark brown sugar
Spicy-Sweet Barbeque Sauce
  • 1/2cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2tablespoons dry rub mix
  • 2cups ketchup
  • 2 chipotle peppersfinely chopped
  • 1teaspoon cayenne pepper
Smoked Pork Butt
  • 1 5-6pound pork butt
  • 1/4cup kosher salt
  • 1/2cup vegetable oil
  • Apple or hickory wood chipsor any fruit wood*
  • 1cup apple cideroptional
Instructions
Pork Butt Dry Rub
  1. Add all ingredients into a jar, cap, and shake vigorously.
Spicy-Sweet Barbeque Sauce
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well to combine. Slowly bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
  2. After it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Smoked Pork Butt
  1. The night before you plan to smoke your meat, take the salt and rub liberally all over the pork. Let the salt-covered meat sit in the fridge overnight so the salt can start to penetrate inside and get the flavoring process started.
  2. The following day, prepare your dry rub and cover the meat with it, and rub it in really well, reserving 2 tablespoons for your barbeque sauce.
  3. Let the meat set at room temperature while you prepare your smoker. You will want the smoker to be between 225 and 250 degrees. I like to place mine in disposable aluminum pans in preparation of basting.
  4. Once the smoker is ready, place the pork inside and cover, letting the meat smoke undisturbed for 2 hours.
  5. At this point, you can baste the meat all over with some of your barbeque sauce and continue to baste at one-hour increments. You don’t necessarily need to baste the meat; I’ve had it both with and without the sauce and either way is delicious. If you choose to baste the pork, you will probably want to double the barbeque recipe so you have plenty of sauce left over for your pulled pork sandwiches. You can also mix the barbeque sauce with apple cider (NOT vinegar) in about a 50:50 ratio as shown in the accompanying photo.
  6. Optionally, you can cover with aluminum foil to keep from having to baste as often. However, you won’t get quite as much smoke flavor (which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your flavor preferences).
  7. After you’ve basted a few times, or at the five-hour mark, insert your meat probe to start keeping an eye on the internal temperature of the meat. It will be ready once it reaches 195 degrees. Also, keep an eye on the temperature of the smoker to make sure it doesn’t go below 225 degrees.
  8. Once your pork is at the right temperature, remove it from the smoker and let it rest at least 15 minutes before you start slicing or pulling it apart. I like to pull it all apart and throw it in with my barbeque sauce, but you can serve it any way you please. However you eat it, it’s delicious.
Recipe Notes

* Check out our guide to different types of wood for smoking for more information on selecting your variety.

Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe | Foodal.com