Smoking a pork butt on the BBQ/Smoker

Smoking a pork butt with our BBQ rub gives the pork a classic smokehouse BBQ flavor with a hint of bacon. This cook is easy just add the BBQ rub, prep the BBQ/Smoker, and smoke away. Before you know it you will be enjoying a pulled pork burger.

this recipe

This post may contain affiliate links, please read the disclaimer policy.

BBQ rub

We love creating easy BBQ rubs so you can use household spices to wow your taste buds. Our BBQ rub uses celery salt and seed to highlight the smokehouse BBQ flavors for this low and slow cook. The pepper and Paprika give that kick of spice, and the garlic salt and minced garlic combine all these flavors. The light brown sugar adds a beautiful and tasty caramelization while smoking. This homemade classic BBQ rub can be used on pork, chicken, or beef to give it a sweet-salty and subtle peppery taste.

Grill Master Tips

1. Let the BBQ/smoker get the job done, be patient, and plan ahead.
2. Dry brining is your flavor and tenderness friend. The longer in the fridge, up to 24+ hours, the better.
3. You won’t taste the dry mustard. It is for tenderizing the pork butt.
4. Timing your cook, the general rule for smoking a pork butt is an hour per pound at 250 degrees F.
5. Prep the BBQ the day/night before the cook.
6. Charcoal BBQers, place your smoking wood off-center on top of the charcoal to get a good long smoke.

Big Green Egg pork butt

The Big Green Egg, BBQ, or smoker are outstanding for smoking a pork butt. You can use natural charcoal and wood for each of these. This brings out not only the smokehouse BBQ flavor from the wood smoke but also gives a moist cooking environment. This Big Green Egg pork butt can be smoked in any of these cookers. Each will give you a pork butt that is tender and moist. Cooking low & slow lets the Big Green Egg pork butt pick up so many complex smokehouse BBQ flavors from the hickory wood and our BBQ rub. The only hard part is having the patience to let the pork butt smoke.

Big Green Egg pulled pork

What I love about smoking a pork butt in the Big Green Egg, BBQ, or smoker is how the pulled pork turns out. The Big Green Egg pulled pork is so tender that it can be shredded easily with two forks. The smokehouse BBQ flavor is remarkable as is or with your favorite BBQ sauce. If you have any leftovers or you were family meal planning, the Big Green Egg pulled pork can be frozen. Then it can be ready for a quick and flavorful dinner on a busy night.

Pulled pork burger

So you just finished smoking a 10-pound pork butt…now what? The possibilities are endless. Our go-to is to make pulled pork burgers. They are simple and easy to make. Use your favorite type of buns or any leftover hamburger and hotdog buns. Just add the pulled pork with your choice of toppings and you will be in a smoked pulled pork burger paradise. Speaking of leftover buns, you know you always have more hotdog buns than hot dogs. Here is a solution make burger dogs.

Pulled pork temperature

Here is the beautiful thing about the pulled pork temperature. It has already been cooked to around 200 degrees F., so you can enjoy it even when it gets cool. This is why I enjoy serving it at a big get-together. It is of course delicious nice and hot and as it cools you will start to taste even more of the wonderful Big Green Egg pulled pork flavors.

How long to smoke pork butt

This is an important question, “how long to smoke pork butt?”. It will depend on the weight and the BBQ/smoker temperature while smoking a pork butt. As a rule of thumb to determine how long to smoke a pork butt, plan on around an hour per pound. For this recipe, I was smoking a 10-pound pork butt, which took 10 hours and was well worth it. Oh, don’t forget to let it rest. If this is your first time smoking a pork butt and you are concerned about the length of the cook time simply choose a smaller one. All you will need to do is follow the temperature and visual cues in the recipe card. Remember knowing how long to smoke pork butt is key to planning your timeline for this recipe.

Best wood to smoke pork butt

So what is the best wood to smoke pork butt? I think the best choice is hickory for its strong and sweet bacon flavor. However, the best wood to smoke pork butt is a personal choice. It is important because smoking a pork butt is going to let the wood smoke aromatics deeply infuse into the pork. Honestly, smoking a pork butt allows you to have fun with the woods and rubs. So enjoy searching for your best wood to smoke with. Start your search with sweet wood, like peach. Then change the BBQ rub to a tangy lemon pepper rub to find a new flavor combination you and your family will love. Check out our section on “Smoking Wood” in the Smoked Sausages post. It can give you different options for your next best wood to smoke pork butt with.

Ingredients

• Pork Butt bone-in (about 10 lbs.)
• BBQ rub:
  • Light brown sugar
  • Ground black pepper
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Celery salt
  • Garlic salt
  • Ground mustard
  • Minced garlic
  • Celery seed

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

Instructions

Smoking a pork butt on the BBQ/Smoker is actually quite easy and straightforward. It comes down to just four steps:

Prep the Pork Butt.

Time to Smoke.

Wrap & Finish.

Rest & Serve.

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for specific instructions and ingredients

Can you freeze pulled pork

You can definitely freeze pulled pork. I used to think that pulled pork was for our big BBQ parties to feed a crowd, which it does fabulously. Until I had a light bulb moment thanks to a friend. She gave us the idea about family meal planning with it. Oh my gosh! Smoked pulled pork at my fingertips. All I had to do was defrost or warm it up for a quick and tasty meal.

Now, my head was filled with ideas of what we could do with the pulled pork. Pulled pork burgers are a regular in our family meal planning. We are a family of four. So, this 10 lbs. pork butt gives us a wonderful meal and 4 others. Our second meal with the fridged leftovers is one we love doing with brisket as well, tacos. It puts a BBQ twist onto Taco Tuesday. All you need to do to freeze pulled pork is wait for it to completely cool. Then place the portions you want in Ziploc freezer bags, remove the air, and freeze.

Family meal planning

Family meal planning with refrigerated or frozen Big Green Egg pulled pork leftovers is a great solution to the always-present, “What’s for dinner question”. In fact, last night was one for us. We defrosted the pulled pork added some BBQ sauce and mixed it in with pasta. Wow, smoked pulled pork rigatoni pasta for a quick and tasty dinner. Here are some of our favorite family meal planning recipes:

• Pulled pork leftover tacos
• Mixed with pasta or rice
• Burgers
• Sliders
• Shredded pork quesadillas
• Fajitas on griddle
• Air Fryer Nachos
• Salad
• Air fryer biscuit pizza

Equipment

• BBQ (with indirect cooking) or smoker
• Smoking Wood (I used Hickory)
• Instant read thermometer
• Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
• BBQ tongs and a BBQ spatula

Storage / Rewarm

• Storage: If you have made this for family meal planning, you have made a great decision. I actually find that the pulled pork is more flavorful when used later. You can keep the pulled pork in the fridge for 3 – 4 days and frozen for 3 – 4 months.
• Rewarm: Since the pulled pork was already cooked you can actually enjoy it cold.
  • The air fryer can rewarm the pulled pork in 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. I would place it in a heat-proof dish so you don’t lose its moisture.
  • A tasty rewarming we do is to add the pulled pork to a pasta sauce as you warm it up. Then add the mixture to your favorite pasta.
  • The griddle is another great option. Warm the pulled pork up and add it to fried rice. Want a southwestern-style breakfast, combine the pulled pork with your meat lovers scrambled eggs.

FAQ

Pulled Pork Goes Great With…

What do you think of smoking a pork butt on the BBQ/Smoker recipe? Please leave us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the review below and tag me @thekitchenbucketlist on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Smoking a pork butt on the BBQ/Smoker

Sean

Smoking a pork butt is much more than just pulled pork. The Kitchen Bucket List signature BBQ rub and the low & slow smoke will give you smokehouse BBQ flavored pork butt conveniently located right in your backyard. Ready? ✨Prep✨Smoke✨Wrap✨Serve✨

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 hours hrs

Dry Brine 12 hours hrs

Total Time 22 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, BBQ, Smoker

Servings 12 People

Equipment

• BBQ or smoker
• Smoking wood (Hickory or your preference)
• Marinading BBQ tray
• Mixing Bowl
• Instant read thermometer
• Heavy duty aluminum foil (2 large pieces to wrap the pork butt)
• BBQ tongs
• BBQ spatula

Ingredients

  

• 10 lbs Pork Butt bone-in (Boston Butt)

BBQ Rub

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (Freshly ground is the best.)
• 2 teaspoons smoked Paprika
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons dry minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons celery seed

Instructions

 

Prep the Pork Butt

• Smoking a pork butt starts with unpacking and drying it with a paper towel.
• Place the pork butt on a prep surface. Set aside.
• Make the BBQ rub by combining the rub's ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Fully coat the pork butt with the BBQ rub.

  NOTE: Don't be afraid to rub the pork butt🤣.
• Time to refrigerate and dry brine. Place the pork butt on a tray uncovered overnight, for 12 hours or more. I have found not covering it allows a slight crust to form. This aids in keeping the pork moist through the first part of the cook.

Time to Smoke – 10 hours

• Prepare your BBQ for indirect cooking.
• Preheat the BBQ or smoker to 250 degrees F. BBQers add your smoking wood.
• Place a drip pan under the pork butt. I filled it with water or you can use apple juice for more aromatics.

  NOTE: This step helps catch all the drippings. In my BBQ, I can place a drip pan under the grill grate resting on the diffuser plate with its legs up. If you don’t have room, place the drip pan on the grill grate and place the pork on a rack above it (a roasting pan is ideal).
• Once at the temperature, you are going to start smoking a pork butt. Place it on the grill grate with the fat side up. Take the pork butt directly from the fridge, I find it helps the smoke penetrate more into the meat.
• You will be smoking the pork butt with the lid closed for 5 hours (half of the estimated full smoking time).

  NOTE: If you are smoking a different-weight pork butt use the smoke time estimator of an hour per pound.
• At the halfway point, 5 hours, time to check how smoking a pork butt is going. I could smell the smokehouse BBQ flavors as soon as I stepped outside. It had an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. I could feel the Big Green Egg pork butt getting tender and it had a great golden bark. So, I increased the BBQ temperature to 275 degrees F. (see Notes)
• Peeking time now, every hour or as needed. I know don't peek during the low and slow, but it is ok. You need to see the color and when the crack happens. (see Notes)
• At the 7-hour peek, I could see a slight crack through the fat cap and the Big Green Egg pork butt had a dark red color. This is a great indicator that you are getting close to wrapping, the final part of the cook.
• After 8 hours of smoking a pork butt, the peek showed it had a dark red mahogany color with a deep crack in the fat cap. Prepare the aluminum foil to wrap the pork butt.
• Open the lid and check the internal temperature of the pork. It had reached 185 and 190 degrees F. on the thinner and thicker sides. Time to pull the pork butt and wrap it.

  NOTE: Don't be tempted not to wrap due to the intense smokehouse BBQ flavors. Wrapping is going to allow the pork butt to give you even more tender pulled pork.

Wrap & Finish

• Be careful removing the pork butt from the grill grates, it is tender like Jello. I used BBQ tongs and a BBQ spatula to move it to the foil, which was staged in two layers to prevent any leaks. Wrap the pork in the aluminum foil tightly. Place back on the BBQ and close the lid. Continue cooking at 275 degrees F.
• Wait for the pork to come up to an internal temperature of 200 to 205 degrees F. This took another 2 hours.

  NOTE: Getting the Big Green Egg pork butt up to around 200+ degrees is ideal for the pulled pork temperature.
• At 10 hours, the internal temperature reached 203 degrees F. I removed the wrapped Big Green Egg pork butt and placed it on a sturdy wood cutting board.

Rest & Serve

• I let the smoked pork butt rest for an hour. This is not a set time. I find that resting allows most of the juices to be reabsorbed. This will make shredding the pork easier. Also, you will have even more flavorful and tender Big Green Egg pulled pork.
• Unwrap the smoked pork butt and remove the bone. Be careful, it will still be hot.
• Shred the pork. I used two forks. If you have those cool shredding claws, you will make quick work and have pulled pork in no time.
• Serve and Enjoy, Big Green Egg pulled pork!

Notes

• Increasing the temperature during the smoke helps with the timeliness of the cook, getting through the stall, or if the meat has developed the bark I want.
• Peek. This is one of the things I like about the Big Green Egg. You can remove the top vent and peek inside. You can peek through the top dome vent, as well on the Weber. I use a flashlight for this. This was such a BBQ cook-saver in my early days before using a remote meat thermometer.
  
• The crack in the pork butt fat cap is a great way to tell that it is time to wrap it. So if you are at a different weight or cooking temperature this is a great way to tell that you are close to being done.
• BBQers, a tip to keep your temperature stable when opening and closing the lid. Do it quickly and when you wrap the pork butt “Don’t Forget” to close the lid.

Keyword barbecue, BBQ rub, big green egg, pork butt, pork butt rub, pulld pork temperature, pulled pork burger, smoked pork butt, smoked pulled pork

Happy Smoking!!!

Congratulations on your 1st Smoked Pork Butt! What did you do with the leftovers?
Let us know below.