Smoking a pork butt in an electric smoker is one of the best ways to achieve tender mouthwatering pulled pork. The low slow cooking method perfectly breaks down the collagen while infusing incredible smoky flavor.
While it requires some patience smoking pork butt is worth the wait. Follow this step-by-step guide and you’ll have juicy flavorful pulled pork coming off your electric smoker in no time.
Ingredients Needed
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Pork butt (also called Boston butt) – get a bone-in pork shoulder roast between 6-8 lbs
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Dry rub – use your favorite blend or make your own.
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Wood chips – select flavorful varieties like hickory, maple, applewood.
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BBQ sauce or finishing sauce (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Pork Butt
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Pat the pork dry and trim off any loose fat or silver skin.
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Generously apply a dry rub all over the pork butt. Cover it evenly.
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Place the rubbed pork in a plastic bag or container and refrigerate overnight.
2. Prep the Electric Smoker
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Soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes prior to smoking.
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Preheat your electric smoker to 225°F.
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Add drained wood chips to the chip loader box.
3. Smoke the Pork Butt
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Place the pork butt directly on the smoker rack, fat-side up.
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Smoke the pork, maintaining the temperature at 225°F for 7-8 hours.
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Spritz with apple juice or add more wood chips every 1-2 hours.
4. Wrap and Continue Smoking
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Once the internal temp hits 165°F, wrap the pork tightly in foil.
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Return the pork to the smoker and smoke until 203°F internally, about 2 more hours.
5. Rest and Pull the Pork
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Remove pork from the smoker and let rest wrapped for 1 hour.
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Unwrap and pull or shred pork using two forks.
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Toss pork with BBQ sauce if desired.
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Serve on buns for amazing pulled pork sandwiches!
Tips and Variations
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Use a meat probe thermometer to monitor the internal temp precisely.
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Play around with different wood chip flavors like apple, pecan, cherry.
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Convert your pork butt to carnitas by adding orange juice and spices to the foil packet.
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Make it more of a Carolina-style pulled pork with a vinegar-based finishing sauce.
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Garnish pulled pork with coleslaw, pickle chips, and BBQ sauce.
With minimal hands-on time, your electric smoker does most of the work for incredibly moist and tender pulled pork. Enjoy the smoky meat in sandwiches, tacos, pizza, salads, and more!
Common Questions
What is the benefit of wrapping the pork butt in foil?
Wrapping the pork butt helps it cook faster and speeds up the breakdown of collagen. This allows the meat to get incredibly tender. It also helps keep it moist.
How much wood chips do you need?
Have around 2 cups of wood chips soaked and ready when you start. Add more as needed, about 1-2 cups per hour to maintain smoke. Don’t let the loader run out.
What temperature should pulled pork be?
Cook the pork butt until it reaches an internal temperature of 203°F. At this point, the connective tissue has melted into the meat, making it perfect for pulling and shredding.
Can you oversmoke pork butt?
It’s difficult to oversmoke pork butt since it stands up well to heavy smoke flavor. But if the smoke level is too bitter, wrap it in foil to mellow it out. Add more chips gradually if you want more smoke.
How long does smoked pork butt last?
Properly stored pulled pork will last 3-4 days refrigerated and 2-3 months frozen. Reheat gently before serving. Freeze any leftovers you won’t eat quickly.
With these helpful tips and step-by-step instructions, you can master cooking incredible pork butt on your electric smoker. Enjoy tasty pulled pork sandwiches!