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Last edited by fitzoo7; April 3, 2025, 12:04 PM. -
Here is my process, which I have pretty well settled on after numerous years of experimentation.
If you have a bone-in pork butt, fillet it open to remove the bone. If boneless, this is already done for you. Cut your pork butt into fist-sized irregular chunks, usually about 6-8 in a regular full-size butt. Sprinkle lightly with MSG, then fairly heavily with salt, then coat liberally in rub. If your rub has salt in it (mine doesn't), then you can reduce how much salt you use, but I find a pork butt and eventual pulled pork needs a bit more salt than in most commercial rubs. But this is to taste, obviously.
Once cut into chunks, smoke using your preferred smoker - kettle, pellet, drum or offset stickburner, whatever. I like the offset for maximum bark and smoke flavor, but I have found ways to get excellent smoke and bark on essentially all of my cookers.
Smoke until you reach 'the stall' - usually for me with pieces this size, it is about 160-165. Continue smoking through the stall - which will be shorter than with a large single hunk, as these smaller pieces push through it quicker. Once I reach about 170 or so, I place all the pieces in a foil pan and cover it with aluminum foil. I do not really push the heat too much, as I don't want to boil these chunks in their own juices, but at 275ish, they will braise quite well. Another hour or hour and a half after the pan/wrap stage, they are usually in the 200+ range. I take them to 205-210, mostly. Instant-read thermometer like a Thermapen is a Godsend.
Pull from smoker, keep wrapped in pan, let sit on counter for 1-2 hours and slowly reduce in heat. About 145-160 range is when I will pull/shred.
Here is a pic of how they all look in the pan, has about 1/4" of liquid, which all gets mixed back in with the shredding.
This was 2 full butts, maybe 18 lbs before deboning. I also, after much experimentation with ACV, apple juice, orange juice and even straight butter, have settled on white grape juice. I add about 1/4 cup of white grape in with this amount, shred it all together, mix back in all the rendered fat, liquid and juice - the white grape adds just a hint of sweetness, without being cloying or overpowering.
Once all shredded, I keep mixing the juices and fat back in as a separate it into vac seal bags (as it all wants to settle out as it sits) and then seal it up in 1-1.5lb batches, which is perfect for The Wife and me to pull out and use for several meals over the course of a week.
This is my firmly settled method after over 12 years of experimentation, and it is night and day better than any pulled pork at the local BBQ places. Absolutely phenomenal - tons of bark, tons of rub, plenty of smoke and flavor, super juicy and luxurious mouth feel from keeping the rendered fat and juices with it, just the lightest hint of sweetness. No sauce needed - except I do use a Carolina gold-style sauce, along with pickles and sliced onion on pulled pork sammies. Any other dish, nothing else, really. Not as far as sauce goes, anyways.-
I did this today, almost exactly as written, except I seasoned and rubbed (Memphis Dust) the chunks yesterday, and the results were exceptional! I love how much smoke and rub flavor there is! Started the coals at 7 am, ran at 240-250 on my Slow N Sear, stalled at 170, went into the foil-covered pan and opened the vents just a tad. Off the grill at 205, shredded at 150, and was done by 2:30 pm. Better and faster - win/win. Thanks for posting this and inspiring me! -
Absolutely davidleesmith, I've got a batch in the offset right now, as well! 18.5lbs, rubbed with Meat Church's Holy Cow and Deez Nuts. Running 250-275, at 3h in, they were all in the 150s and some in the 160s. These will be totally done in probably 6 hours, a helluva lot quicker than doing a whole, intact pork butt!
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Do you want to work that hard to get out of your routine? LOL What’s wrong with your routine? Do you still enjoy it? If so, enjoy!Comment
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DogFaced PonySoldier took the batch I made ( in a slow-cooker on warm) to a pot luck tonight with some slider rolls my wife baked and it vanished! People inhaled it. And the whole room smelled like smoky goodness!Comment
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When I want some smoked pork, but want something a bit different, I do Kalua Pork. This recipe is similar to the Hawaiian version that uses banana leaves to wrap the pork in.
The pork flavor is very clean and flavorful with a hint of smoke. Pile it on top of white rice and add chopped green onions, slaw, maybe a little mango/pineapple salsa with a splash of teriyaki sauce and oh my my. Like I said, when I want pulled pork, but a tad different, I go with this.
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Pulled Pork
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