Smoking a juicy, flavorful pork shoulder doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, the easier the better when it comes to achieving smoky BBQ nirvana. This straightforward smoked pork shoulder recipe keeps things deliciously simple with just a few basic ingredients and low-maintenance steps. But the payoff? An unbelievable display of low-and-slow smoked meat perfection.
Get ready to sink your teeth into the most succulent, incredibly tender pulled pork that will make you question everything you thought you knew about true barbecue. We’re talking fall-apart, mouth-wateringly juicy pork absolutely packed with sweet, smoky, crispy-edged flavors so insanely delicious, you won’t even need sauce (but you’ll definitely want it anyway because, well, it’s BBQ!).
Why This Recipe Is a Game-Changer
- Foolproof Execution – Follow basic instructions for perfect pulled pork every time.
- Budget Bites – An inexpensive pork shoulder transforms into BBQ gold.
- Flavor Bomb – A mind-blowing sweet, smoky, savory taste explosion.
- Versatility King – Use this smoky pulled pork for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, pizzas, and more (check out all the leftover pulled pork recipe ideas)
- Crowd Pleaser – This simple recipe makes enough to feed a ravenous crowd.
What You’ll Need
- A Bone-in or Boneless Pork shoulder or butt – Either boneless or bone-in.
- Kosher salt
- Sweet dry rub – Your favorite or use my pork rub recipe with smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, oregano, black pepper and celery seeds.
- Wood Chunks or Pellets – Apple, cherry, or pecan are my preferred wood type for smoking pork.
- Jump down to see the tools & special equipment I use.
Jump to the full recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Smoke a Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
Follow these simple steps to achieve smoked pork shoulder perfection. Beginning the prep a day in advance allows those sweet-spicy seasonings to penetrate deeply, yielding unbelievably juicy and flavorful results. Let’s get smoking!
- Trim and Score. Trim excess fat on pork shoulder (if needed), leaving a 1/4-inch fat cap. Score the cap in a diamond pattern, being careful not to slice into the meat. This allows seasonings to penetrate better and render that fat beautifully.
- Apply Your Flavor Ammo. Lavish that pork shoulder with a gratuitous amount of kosher salt and our sweet, spicy dry rub. Don’t be shy here – this is what’s gonna build that crazy flavorful bark.
For the most flavor, let it hang out uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to let that salt penetrate deep into the meat. - Prep the Smoker. About an hour before go-time, get your smoker preheated to 250°F (± 25° F). Have your thermometer probes at the ready too so you can cook to temp rather than by time.
- Smoke That Beauty. Once your smoker is preheated, carefully transfer the seasoned pork shoulder to the grates. Close the lid and let the low and slow smoke work its magic. There’s no need to peak if you are remotely monitoring the temperature.
Pro Tip: Embrace the Stall. Don’t panic if the internal temperature gets stuck hovering around 160°F for a while (even a few hours) – this is the notorious “stall” period and it’s totally normal. You can power through by wrapping in foil or butcher paper if you need to speed it up. Otherwise, just ride it out patiently with another cold beverage.
- Pull That Porker. When the pork finally hits 195-205°F in its thickest part (203°F internal is what I go for), carefully remove it from the smoker. Wrap it up tightly in foil or butcher paper to rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours. You can place it in a cooler so it stays hot. This crucial rest lets those juices incorporate.
- Shredding Ceremony. After resting, unwrap your smoked pork prize. You can use pork-pulling claws or just go caveman with a couple of forks or even just your hands with nitrile gloves on to shred it, working against the grain. If desired, mix in some of your favorite BBQ sauce at this point. Then it’s chow time!
And that’s all it takes to create smoked pulled pork mastery. This pork shoulder is so incredibly delicious and tender, you might just shed (or shred) a happy tear. Your friends and family will go crazy over this insanely flavorful, fall-apart pulled pork. After mastering this recipe, you’ll be the undisputed Pitmaster of the neighborhood!
Be sure to check out the sous vide pork shoulder recipe and other ways to make pulled pork.
How Long to Smoke a Pork Shoulder?
The cook time for a boneless pork shoulder is around 80 to 90 minutes per pound in a 250° F smoker. A 4-pound pork shoulder will take approximately 6 hours. A 9-pound pork shoulder will take approximately 13 1/2 hours. A bone-in pork butt will take slightly longer than a boneless cut.
Top Tips for Success
- Plan ahead and start early: Low and slow smokes usually take much longer than you expect. The simple solution is to start early (you can even start smoking it the night before).
- Use a high-quality meat thermometer to cook by temperature, not time. Every cook is different so letting the internal temp guide you is key.
- Keep that smoker lid closed! Every time you lift the lid, you’re losing precious heat and smoke. Resist peeking as much as you can.
- Cook it Faster – If you do need to speed things up, you can wrap the pork once it hits 165°F or bump the smoker temp up to 275°F.
- Finish it in the oven – If you run out of fuel for your smoker, or need to speed up the process, you can wrap and finish cooking the pork shoulder in a 275 to 300° F oven and it will turn out great.
- Allow for a long rest – at least 1 hour but 2 to 3 is better. Letting those juices redistribute makes the pulled pork incredibly moist and flavorful. You can hold it in a cooler for many hours as long as the internal temp of the meat remains above 140° F.
Serving Suggestions
Pile that glorious smoked pulled pork high on a buttery bun with fresh slaw, pickles and a zesty sauce for an epic sandwich. Use it for overstuffed BBQ tacos or cheesy smoked pork nachos. Or keep it simple by serving it protein-style over a salad or a rice bowl, inside a baked potato or mac and cheese. The smoky, sweet, savory flavor plays so nicely with:
And if you love pulled pork, you just have to give BBQ pulled chicken a try!
Storing & Reheating Instructions
This smoked pulled pork is amazing as leftover for days! Before storing, let any leftovers cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
For longer storage, the shredded meat freezes incredibly well. Portion it out into sealable freezer bags, squeeze out any excess air (or vacuum seal it), and freeze for up to 6 months.
To reheat, try:
- Skillet method for crispy bits: Add shredded pork to a hot skillet over medium heat and heat until crisped up and warmed through.
- Simmer with sauce: Add pulled pork and your favorite BBQ sauce to a pot and simmer until heated through.
- In the smoker or the oven in a pan until it reaches 140°
- Sous vide right from frozen: Add the vacuum-sealed frozen bag of pork right into a 140°F water bath and warm for 1 hour.
Tools & Special Equipment Used
It’s hard not to mention the gear when it comes to smoking meat. The most important tool? A top-notch remote probe thermometer to monitor that internal temp so you nail the perfect pull every time… Check out all my most recommended smoker accessories
- Sharp knife for trimming the butt and scoring the fat cap.
- Smoker – a pellet smoker like a Traeger, a charcoal smoker like a Big Green Egg, or any other type of smoker will work great.
- Meat thermometer – A two-channel remote thermometer for remotely monitoring the internal temperature and an instant-read probe thermometer for spot-checking doneness towards the end of the cook.
- Drip pan – Place it below the meat with some water in it as it cooks to catch the drippings. I prefer disposable aluminum drip pans for easy clean-up.
- Aluminum foil or butcher paper – for wrapping the pork shoulder to rest.
- Shredding tool – Pulling claws, an ice chipper or nitrile gloves over cotton gloves for shredding the pork. You can even just use two forks.
More Delicious Smoker Recipes
Crazy Delicious Smoked Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 6 to 10 lb Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt
- 3 tbsp Diamond Kosher Salt
Dry Rub
- 1/8 cup Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Packed Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Dark Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Celery Seeds
Instructions
Prep the Pork Shoulder
- Trim off excess fat using a sharp knife. Score the fat side with a 1" crosshatch pattern, being careful not to slice into the flesh.
- Make the dry rub by combing all the dry rub ingredients in a shaker or small bowl.
- Season the entire pork shoulder with about 2 tablespoons (1 teaspoon of Diamond kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp Morton Kosher salt) per pound of meat and sprinkle a liberal amount of the rub all over the pork. Refrigerate uncovered for 12 to 24 hours if possible.
Smoke the Pork Shoulder
- Remove the pork shoulder from the refrigerator at least 1 hour prior to cooking it. Insert a remote probe thermometer into the thickest part.
- Setup the smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions for indirect heat cooking and bring the temperature up to 250° F.
- Place the pork in the smoker on the grate and smoke for about 90 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 195-205° F. Continuously monitor the temperature with a probe thermometer.
Rest and Shred
- Remove the pork shoulder from the smoker and wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or butcher paper and place it in an insulated cooler to rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hour.
- Shred the pork using or a large fork or BBQ meat forks, pulling across the strands to maintain the texture. Optionally combine with BBQ sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This recipe will work for both small and large pork shoulders. Larger roasts will just take longer.
- Important: If your dry rub already contains salt, then be cautious about adding too much more. If it’s not in the rub, then it should be added separately.
- Applying salt and a dry rub ahead of time is optional, but highly recommended. If you can’t season the day before, season it at least 1 hour before.
- Apple or Cherry wood is best for smoking pork. Use 3 to 4 wood chunks for a charcoal smoker.
- Cook time: Approximately 90 minutes per pound at 250° F
Smoked my pork sirloin until it reached 191 degrees had to pull it off smoker let sit wrapped in foil on counter until morning before refrigerating should it still be ok to eat?
Hey Gray,
That’s a tricky one and depends on a lot of factors. To be safe, it would have to fully be re-heated to 165 degrees F. Hope it works out delicious for you.
OMG. Followed the directions to a tee. Had about a 3 hr stall at 160, but just let it go. Pulled her off at 195 and directly to the cooler. Had a little trouble getting her off the grill as she was falling apart. That was the hardest part letting her rest. She smelled so dang good. Unbelievable. Everybody Loved it. I do cook for a couple of my elderly neighbors and nothing but rave reviews. This is a keeper.. Thank You..
So great to hear, Bill!!! That darn stall. It still gets me every time. Haha
Totally agree that the rest is so hard. I always want to sneak in and pull off a piece.
Happy smoking!
I used the thermometer on the lid of my Weber to monitor the temp. It read 250 degrees consistently. The big mistake was not relying on my own sense of doneness and the recommended time per pound mentioned above. Using a Thermapen was a big mistake. It consistently read 160 degrees and I kept going to try to raise it to 195. In the end, my shoulder was a touch overdone for my liking. Luckily, I brined it and that made the meat tender despite the dryness.
Hi Cid,
I’m sorry to hear the pork shoulder didn’t turn out perfect for you.
Which Weber smoker do you have?
Have you tested with another thermometer to verify that your smoker’s thermometer is correct?
The BEST pulled pork I’ve ever made! Smoked a 3lb bone-in shoulder over a mix of cherry and apple, at 245 degrees, in my new Traeger grill. Took A LOT longer than 90 mins/lb (almost 8 hours) to reach an internal temp of 203 – double verified internal and ambient temp via MEATER probe and Traeger’s built in one – but man oh man was it worth it! When I pulled the meat after resting it was perfectly done, nice and juicy inside with the most gorgeous crust! Such delicious flavor I’d be happy to eat on its own, but can’t wait to serve the family tomorrow with a smidgen of a sweet-heat sauce and a side of spicy, vinegary greens! Mmmm-hmm!
Hi Susie,
So so great to hear it was the best pulled pork you have ever made. It does always take longer than you think it will. Why the heck is that? haha
Hope the family loved it as much as you did. Cheers!
Hi! This sounds so delicious! Going to try to smoke pork butt for the first time for an upcoming party. I have apple wood chunks, approximately how many do you put in when you start smoking? And how often do you replenish the wood chunks? Do I need to have smoke for the full 14ish hours? I definitely have not perfected my smoke technique yet and I think I may be making my meat too smokey by putting in too much wood for too long. Any tips are much appreciated!!
Hey Amber! I’m super excited for you. It’s going to be great!
I usually use between 4 to 6 wood chunks. I never replenish the wood chunks when I am smoking with the Big Green Egg. The chunks added at the beginning will last a while and give the meat plenty of smoke flavor.
You don’t have to smoke it for 14 hours, but you really should bring the internal temperature to 200 to 205 degrees F. You do have a few options if you want to cook it for less time. 1) you can cut the pork shoulder into smaller pieces 2. Smoke it, then wrap and finish in the oven.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Cheers,
Justin
Hi Justin,
Can you use bone-in pork butt for this?
Hi Cali,
Yes, you definitely can use bone-in pork butt for this recipe.
Thank you! Trying it out today!!
It is my husband’s first time smoking a pork butt, we followed all the directions, but on the rub we cut back on the cumin(glad we did)…ill prob cut back just a little more next time… but honestly this is THE BEST pulled pork ive ever tasted!! I am dieting and struggling not to eat it ALL. Thank you soo much!!!
So glad to hear it, Crystal! You are funny. I have the same problem. I can eat it every day for a week without even realizing it.
I agree with you about the Cumin, actually. I don’t even add any to the rub when I make it now. Maybe I should just remove it from the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Justin
Great looking BBQ and Great looking outer bark for an old school Carolina wood-burning BBQ guy!
I’m fixing to try this recipe it’s been awhile since I smoked anyting kind of lost touch after my father-in-law died he was MasterChef on smoking he told me a lot of stuff hopefully this works out for me I’ll let you know thank you
Hey John,
I hope it turns out great for you and brings back wonderful memories. Cheers!
I just want to say thank you for this awesome article and recipe! It has helped me navigate through my very first bbq with my Weber smoker. Right now the kids are playing, wife is relaxing and the smoker is working its magic at a smooth 250 degrees! Life is good. I can’t wait to try out the pork shoulder! Thanks again- Cheers!!!!
Hi Daniel,
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing. I would love to hear how it comes out. Have a great weekend and happy smoking.
I just added the dry rub to my meat. I will put it in the smoker in about 24 hours or so for the 4th of July. I’m excited to see how this one come out.
Hey Nakia,
I hope it turned out wonderful to make a special 4th of July!
This was delicious. My tasters said it was the best thing I have smoked for them! One issue I had was that the pork wasn’t pull-able. I think it has to do with not having a temperature gauge and using the built in one and having to rush the cooking at the end when my pork was well below temp. That said, I sliced it thin and it was still really tender and delicious.
Justin how long for (2) 12 pound pork butts? I have a party to cook them for.
Hey Todd! Can I get an invite to the party? It’s going to be so delicious 😉
I’d say it’s going to take about 12 to 15 hours, but there are a lot of variables. It’s good to know about how long it will take, but it’s really about the finish temperature that determines when it’s done and not the time.
It’s mostly going to depend on the thickness of the pork butt more than just the weight. The thicker they are, the more time it will take.
It also depends on the size of your smoker. You want to give each pork butt plenty of room for the air to flow around the surface of each and not crowd them.
Some more tips:
– I would highly recommend starting the smoke the night before since it will always take longer than you expect and you want to give plenty of time to rest the meat. I just did two 7 pound butts and started them at 11pm and took them off at 11am. I let it rest for 2 hours wrapped in butcher paper and in a cooler before shredding it for the party at 2. Came out perfect.
– If you use the Termoworks Smoke (talked about above in the post), you will be able to monitor everything remotely and it makes it so easy.
– Definitely give plenty of time to bring the meat to room temperature before placing in the smoker.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Cheers!
Only question I have before I rate this (haven’t tried it yet because it’s not done). Does the cooler need to have ice in it or am I just placing it in a cooler?
Hey Dan! No ice in the cooler. The cooler is just used as an insulator. Let me know how it turns out and if you have any other questions.
This was a super easy recipe to follow! It was our first time and completely agree not science but an art but we did our own seasoning that was close and it turned out well how do I say, we couldn’t stop eating it …absolutely no sauce needed!! And I am a sauce fanatic!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!
So so happy to hear that it turned out amazing and that you made some small changes to make it for your taste. Now I’m totally craving it again and I totally agree about the can’t stop eating part. If you leave it on the table, it will disappear. 🙂
Can I do this in the oven at same temp or what do you recommend?
Hey Alma,
You definitely can do it at the same temperature in your oven. Keep in mind that a ton of flavor is added when it is cooked in the smoker, so you might want to finish it with a glaze. You can also crank up the oven at the end (to around 500 degrees F) to brown the pork shoulder. The time that will take really depends on your oven. It could be 5 minutes or 20 minutes.
I hope this helps. Happy pork roasting.
Best smoked butt recipe ever. Thank you so much
Awesome! So happy to hear that it came out wonderful for you. 🙂
This was the best pulled pork I have tasted in a long tine, and was an easy and simple process and recipe! This was my first attempt at one! I shared it with my family and they loved it as well! Thanks Justin.
Hey David! I’m so happy it turned out so great. It’s definitely one of my favorites and you sure can make a big crowd happy with some smoked pulled pork.
This has been my go to recipe for pulled pork keep an ey on your internal temperature patients is key during the walk they talk about let it go to 198 let rest 40-45 min you will not be disappointed
So glad to hear it, Paul! I just made 20 more pounds of the stuff last week. Always comes out amazing. Definitely keep an eye on the internal temp. I love using a Thermoworks Smoke two channel thermometer. You can remotely monitor the internal temp from anywhere. Makes it so much easier.
Happy smoking!
Justin
Great looking skin on that smoked pork shoulder, nice job.
Thanks, Lisa. It did come out super good. I hope you give it a try. 🙂
Excellent recipe! I could easily have this every day for lunch. Also agree about the probe thermometer, not having to open the smoker to get a read would be great.
Thanks Marcin. Glad it worked out for you, and if you do decide to have it for lunch every day, I wouldn’t mind an invite. 🙂
Sounds great until you advise to wrap it. That softens the wonderful bark you can only get from smoking meat.
Hi Colton,
It keeps it nice and moist. I’ve never had a problem with the bark not being absolutely beyond wonderful with this method. 🙂
Turned out wonderful very easy to follow.
Awesome to hear, Tina! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Mouth watering!!! This meal is one of my favorites and leaves me plenty of leftovers for more mouth watering meals in various combinations throughout the week 🙂
Yay! Glad it’s one of your favorites. I agree, it’s so good!
Well here goes. I’ve got a couple of great places locally to get pulled pork and it’s almost always my wife’s favorite when we go for BBQ. I’ve got a 7.25 lb pork shoulder butt. I followed the rub recipe to the T. It’s 12:30 am on Friday, August 16, 2019, and the butt is in the fridge with rub all over it. I’m going to get my smoker going at about 8 am and I am going to give this a good 8 hours maybe 9 because it does have a small bone in it. I can’t wait to try it. I’ll be back here tomorrow to let you know how it turned out and if I can post a pic, I’ll do that also. Thanks for what sounds like a great recipe.
Hey Daniel,
So excited to hear how it turns out. Just give it all the time it needs to reach the finished internal temp. It is worth the wait if it takes longer.