Smoked Pulled Pork

Smoked pulled pork with dry rub on a Traeger is an amazing recipe! Tender fork tender pork shoulder is fabulous for tacos or sliders. If you loved our smoked pork steaks recipe recipe, this shoulder uses this same dry rub.

OH MY let me tell you how incredible this smoked pulled pork Traeger recipe is. With TONS of flavor in our custom rub and barbecue sauce on top it’s over the top YUM. An easy smoker recipe we love.

Smoked Pork Shoulder

We started this journey creating a lot of electric smoker recipes. Those will work great if you’re looking for a long list of others after you enjoy this one. I don’t know about you but I love cooking outside. Not only do you keep the heat out of your house but the smoky flavor brings each bite to a whole new level.

There are a few types of cuts you can choose from. Depending on your budget you can find ones with bone-in, boneless shoulder, butt, or making smoked pork roast. The one thing you do want is a nice flap of fat on the outside. It will not only keep it moist but also add lots of flavor. You can trim it off later.

To get your meats absolutely perfect we have this printable meat smoking chart to refer to so each and every time it will be fork tender.

This one is added to our best meats to smoke post and great for beginners to start with. 😉 It’s one of those meals that we threw together on the fly. I found this boneless pork shoulder at the store for 30% off. That made it a whopping $5 and I knew it would feed the 4 of us for dinner and lunch the next day.

I call that a HUGE win if you ask me. When it comes to smoking pork it is just so incredibly versatile. One day you can make sliders, the next use it inside pork tacos and over rice if you have any at the tail end.

• If you’re looking for a cheap recipe, just keep your eye out and cook what is on sale that day.
• As long as you have a great pork dry rub on the outside it will be mouthwatering no matter how you serve it.

It is if you’re going to cook it low and slow they say. When you’re going to cook or smoke meat for a long period of time it gives this cut a chance to break down and get really fall apart tender.

What is the best meat for pulled pork?

The shoulder, that is why we used it! I scored and found a boneless piece for next to nothing but bone in is fine too. Only difference is the cook time. A Boston butt or roast are great choices too, both benefit from long, slow cooking methods.

First step of course is to unwrap your meat and I like using these disposable aluminum pans. Not only does it mean your clean up is way easier, but you can just cover the top and store the leftovers in the same pan too.

The key to the most amazing pulled pork recipe is the rub and sauce y’all!! I love a thick coat of our signature pork dry rub here. We use on everything, not just pork. It’s great on steak too.

What is in a good pork dry rub?

You will want some light brown sugar to sweeten it, paprika gives it a deep flavor you’ll love, you can add more or less chili powder depending on the heat level you prefer (below would be mild), salt is necessary for all meats and we add garlic powder as well as some onion powder too.

If you have a much larger piece than us you might want to double this so you really cake it on the sides, bottom and top. Do NOT scrimp on this, you want a nice crust on the outside.

How long should dry rub sit on pork?

Give it a good 30 minutes before putting it on your smoker. You could coat up to 24 hours beforehand but the flavors will be more intense the longer it’s on.

How Long to Smoke Pork Shoulder

You would follow the same instructions for a butt too, I buy what is on sale really because they both work well. It is best to not rush things and allow for a good 6 hours depending on the thickness of your piece.

You’ll want to use a 9×13″ aluminum pan to have a bit of wiggle room on both sides of your meat. The ingredients for the rub are above and in the printable card below. Beyond that just use your favorite bbq sauce.

I do not trim the excess fat off before cooking. I think it lends to more flavor and moisture so I leave that on and trim it off when it’s done. For Easter, Cinco de Mayo or 4th of July this is always a HUGE hit when it’s served.

At what temperature does pork shoulder fall apart?

Now you should check the internal meat temperature near the end. You really want center to reach 200 degrees F for it to really fall apart when cutting. If it isn’t there put foil back on and continue adding time, about 45 minutes at a time until it reaches 200.

Is pulled pork done at 180?

Yes, you can pull it off at this time but you may want to wait, it is worth it to. You need to leave it in a while longer if you want the connective tissues to break down more and peel away easier.

If internal temp is under 200 degrees it won’t fall apart as you picture it in restaurants and love. Unlike other methods of cooking, and other pieces of meat, the longer it cooks on low heat the more tender it gets. You need low, slow, and a long duration to break down the connective tissues and have it just. Fall. Apart.

Tips

Create a thick layer of rub on the outside and cover every nook and cranny. Don’t remove until middle has reached 200 degrees so it falls apart and is super tender. Allow meat to rest for at least 30 minutes (longer is great) before slicing or pulling apart to serve.

Then if you want to use your favorite sauce you’d add near the end to kinda’ caramelize in the heat in order to create a bit of a sticky crust on the outside we love. Use any brand you want but we love Stubb’s and if I want some spiciness I love this one that’s called sweet heat with a bit of kick.

What should I serve with pulled pork?

OH the choices my friends!! It is great as is right out of the pan but some like some yellow mustard on top, or a sauce. Our very favorite thing is a batch of this garlic smoked bread. That is right, you can just throw it on at the end so everything is done around the same time. NO heating up your house!

1. You can serve some mixed smoked vegetables. A healthy side dish for everyone with a bunch of different goodies mixed together is key.
2. If you haven’t yet, I’d give smoked baked potatoes a whirl. Seriously, with some olive oil and salt on the outside the skin will be your favorite part. OR stuff the meat inside with some sour cream!
3. Mashed potatoes are always a great alternative if you want something quick in your pressure cooker. Load them up however you want and bam, dinner is done.

With leftovers I always make a quick casserole with it. A favorite one pot meal that has everything in one bite. You can dice the meat you have, throw it in with some noodles, sauce and it all cooks together in one pot in less than 20 minutes.

How long can you keep pulled pork in the refrigerator?

If you do have leftover pulled pork don’t throw it out!! Best suggestion is to just pull or slice what you’re eating right then and there. Leave the rest in a large chunk and store in a gallon freezer bag with all air sucked out.

• Max time you should leave it there before eating would be about 4 days.
• If you want to freeze pulled pork it will last much longer, up to 3 months!

If you’re just starting smoking this is a great beginner recipe.

• If you want to wrap the pork in bacon you’ll want to try our smoked pork chops.
• Our smoked pork steaks use this same rub. If you want a faster cooking meal I’d choose this cut.

You can see that we threw in some smoked corn in foil in the bottom there. We love being able to cook “all the things” at the same time!! Usually we just leave the husks on, but this time they’d been removed at the store.

Low and slow cooking is always best, try our slow cooker pork shoulder recipe too.

What is your favorite easy smoker recipe to make? Do you always veer toward smoked chicken thighs or smoked steak maybe? They’re an easy choice and don’t take very long. This is a bit more time consuming but so worth it!

If you tweak this and it turns out fantastic too let us know. We love trying other methods and seeing which way we love best, but it’s hard to top this rub we have going on. 😉 For some comfort food on your grate, try this Traeger pizza roll up recipe too.