Resting Time + Preheat Time: 1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time: 9 hourshrs40 minutesmins
The most flavorful and juicy pulled pork, made on the smoker.
Ingredients
8lbbone-in pork shoulder butt roast
2tbspyellow mustard(approximately)
1/3cupsalt, pepper, paprika mix*
water or apple cider vinegar**in a spray bottle
Instructions
Rub the pork all over with the mustard, spreading it as evenly as you can. The amount doesn't matter so much as making sure that the entire outside is coated in a thin layer.
Season the pork all over with the salt, pepper, and paprika mix. Try to use an even back and forth motion to make the coating as even as possible. Now let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you heat up the smoker.
Prepare the smoker and preheat to 275F. Place a container full of water in the smoker, then add the pork butt so that the fat cap is facing up. Cook for 3 hours, undisturbed.
Spritz the pork all over, then continue cooking for 3 more hours, spritzing at one hour intervals. As you spritz, try to sweep across using your wrist to disperse the spray, instead of hitting any one spot too hard.
Check the meat with a thermometer, and ideally it should be around 165F. If it's not at least 160F, check to see if the fat cap on top is split. If it is, proceed to the wrap. If it's not, keep cooking in 15 minute intervals, until the temperature reaches 160F.
Get a really large piece of aluminum foil that's four times as long as the pork, spritz the inside, then place the pork on the spritzed area, and spritz the pork as well. Wrap the pork up tightly with the foil. There should be a generous amount of foil encasing it, so the juices don't spill out.
Put the meat back on the smoker, and increase the temperature to 300F. Cook for one final hour.
Using oven mitts, pick up the pork and check for tenderness by shifting it around in your hands. If it feels tender, insert a thermometer through the foil and check that it's over 200F.
Let the smoked pork butt rest in the foil wrap for one hour.
Carefully unwrap the foil over some sort of surface that can catch the juices, then shred the pork with a couple forks, making sure to toss it in any juices from the foil. Serve immediately as is, or stuff it into some Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns. Enjoy!
Notes
*This is a method from Aaron's class. Get an empty spice shaker, and combine equal parts kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Then he adds a small amount of paprika for color. You need about 1/3 cup of seasoning for an 8lb piece, so do half of that as salt, half as pepper, and add an additional tablespoon of paprika. Shake it up well and it's ready to use.**I don't find much of a difference in flavor with the apple cider vinegar (it is slightly better). I prefer to use water. Timing may vary depending on the size of the pork butt you buy and the precision of your smoker. If doing a larger pork butt like 9 or 10lbs, you may need an additional hour of 275F cooking. Do not proceed to the final hour of 300F cooking until the meat is at least 160F.Storing leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.Freezing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Before reheating, thaw by moving the container to the fridge the night before serving again.Reheating: I like to fry the leftovers up in a skillet on the stove so it’s moist but also crispy. I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of lard first, to keep things from drying out. The heat time will depend on how much you’re cooking and the size of your skillet. If heating a 6-ounce portion, cook over medium high heat with 1 tbsp of lard for about 3 minutes, until warmed through and browned.