Smoked Pulled Pork
Smoked pulled pork is a whole pork butt smoked low and slow on a pellet grill, overnight at 190°F then bumped to 250 to 275°F, and pulled at 190 to 200°F when it probes tender.
| Smoker temp | 190°F overnight, then 250 to 275°F |
| Pull temp | 190 to 200°F, probe tender |
| Wood | Your pellets of choice |
| Total time | About 15 hours |
| Yield | Feeds about 12 |
This is the easiest cook I do. I rub a pork butt, let it hang out in the fridge, then run it overnight on the pellet grill at 190°F. In the morning I bump the heat and let it ride until it pulls apart. No babysitting, just good pork.
Watch the full cook on YouTube.
Smoked Pulled Pork
Equipment
- Pellet grill
- Instant-read thermometer
- Food service film
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 pork butt, about 9 lb trimmed of loose fat and any glands
- Big Papa’s Hallelujah Jalapeno rub AP rub with heat
- OG Bandits Pecan Bounty pork rub sweet, savory and for color
Instructions
Trim and Season
- Trim the loose bits of fat off the pork butt and remove any glands. No competition trim needed.
- Coat all over with the Hallelujah Jalapeno rub for heat.
- Layer on the Pecan Bounty pork rub for sweetness, savoriness and color.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to cook that evening.
Smoke Overnight
- Set the pellet grill to 190°F and smoke the pork butt overnight, no babysitting.
- In the morning, bump the grill to 250 to 275°F and cook until probe tender.
- Expect probe tender around 190 to 200°F internal. Near the end the temperature climbs about 5°F an hour.
- You will feel a little pullback on the bone and almost no resistance when you probe. That is the tender zone.
Rest and Pull
- Wrap the pork butt in food service film and rest 1 to 2 hours. The wrap redistributes the juices and softens the bark.
- Pull the bone, it should slide right out. Shred and serve.
Video
Notes
Pitmaster Notes
Do not rush the rest. After a 15 hour cook the juices need to redistribute, so wrap it in food service film and let it sit an hour or two. That wrap also softens the bark. Rip into it early and you pour all that moisture onto the cutting board.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature do you smoke a pork butt at?
190°F overnight on a pellet grill, then bump to 250 to 275°F in the morning. Pull it when it probes tender, around 190 to 200°F internal. Plan on about 15 hours for a 9 pound butt.
Why wrap pulled pork in food service film to rest?
The rest redistributes the juices and softens the bark. After a long cook the moisture needs time to settle back into the meat. Pull it apart too early and it runs dry.
Do you use a binder on pork butt?
No. The rub sticks fine on its own once it sits in the fridge. No binder, no wrap during the cook, just rub and smoke.
Machete Boys BBQ is run by the 2023 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Reserve Grand Champion, based in Minneapolis. Methods honed in competition, built for your backyard. Read the full story →
This is the same pulled pork we cook for a crowd on the competition trail. See more in our recipes and read how we compete and win.
