Smoking a Pork Butt on a Traeger
This Traeger pork butt is a classic barbecue smoked pulled pork recipe. Rubbed with a dry rub made from pantry staples, smoked on a pellet smoker, and spritzed with a simple mop low and slow until the pork is ready to fall apart in your hands.
Servings: 20
Calories: 252kcal
Ingredients
For the Pork Butt
- 10 lbs bone-in pork butt
For the Rub
- 1/2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Injection
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
For the Vinegar Mop
- 3 1/4 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup cayenne pepper
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Prep the pork
- Remove the pork from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.10 lbs bone-in pork butt
- Whisk the spices for the rub together in a bowl.1/2 tbs brown sugar, 1 tbs sugar, 2 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 2 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ancho chili powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp oregano, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the injection.3/4 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp salt
- Prep the mop by combining the ingredients and whisking together until combined. Store the mop in a clean squirt bottle to make spritzing the pork easier.3 1/4 cups white vinegar, 1/4 cup cayenne pepper, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbs salt
Inject the meat
- Inject the port butt by filling a food-safe syring with the injection liquid and piercing the meat, at least an inch to 2 inches deep before depressing the plunger. Repeat until the liquid has been used up.
Rub the pork
- Sprinkle the rub over the pork, then using your hands, pat the rub onto the entire surface of the pork butt in a heavy coating. Be sure to coat the edges and sides as well.
Prep the grill
- For a pellet smoker, line the bottom with foil to make clean up easier.
- Set the smoker to its smoke setting, according to the manufactures directions, for 15 minutes.
- Add pellets to the hopper and place wood chunks in the back corners of the smoker on the grill grates.
- Set the grill to 225F and allow it to preheat.
Smoke the pork butt
- Place pork, fat side down in the smoker.
- Close the lid and begin smoking for 8 to 10 hours, checking the hopper and temp every 30 to 45 minutes.
- At hours 4 to 6, check the pork temperature, and begin spritzing with the mop.
Wrap the pork
- At this point, you may notice the pork temperature isn't rising, around an internal temp of 150 to 160F, and decide to wrap the meat and add a little additional liquid.
- Place back on the grill and continue to smoke the pork at 225F.
Spritz or Mop the meat
- Begin spritzing the pork with the mop in the spray bottle or mop with a basting brush every 30 minutes.
- At hour 7, check the internal temparature if you arent using a probe as you continue to spritz with the mop.
- The pork is done when it temps at 195 to 205F and easily pulls from the bone.
Rest
- Allow the pork to rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
Pull the pork
- Carefully tug the bone from the pork and then with your hands, meat claws, or two forks, shred the meat. Discard any large reminents of fat. Wear food-safe gloves to protect from the heat and make clean up easier.
- At this point, you may want to add a splash of the mop and toss it into the meat while it cools before serving.
Serve
- Serve the pulled pork hot with a vinegar base sauce and chopped slaw.
Notes
For Keto Pulled Pork: Substitute the sugar with 1/2 tbs Erythritol and the brown sugar with 1 tbsp Golden monk fruit sweetener in the pork dry rub. For the injection, we use apple cider vinegar with a hint of bourbon as an apple juice substitute.
Tested on: We have updated this recipe to test on a Traeger pellet smoker with Cowboy Hickory and Charcoal Pellets but this smoked pork butt recipe will work on any pellet smoker similar, including pit boss.
Tip: We add wood chunks to the hotter corners of the pellet smoker to add a deeper smoked flavor. We used cherry wood chunks to add color and flavor to this pork butt on a pellet grill.
The injection: This step is completely optional. Yes, it will help create a more moist pork butt, but not everyone has a food-safe syringe laying about. Omit the injection and mop sooner, or add a small pan of the injection liquid to the smoker to help keep the environment moist.
The stall: At around the halfway mark of cooking, with a temp of between 145 and 170F, depending on your weather conditions and grill, the pork will 'stall' which means the internal temperature will not rise. You have 2 options. 1) Let it happen and just ignore the pork. Eventually, the pork will gain internal temperature and continue to cook. Or 2) wrap the pork and help shorten the stall time.
This part is vital and can be frustrating. Altho pork is safe to eat at 145 and you can stop cooking at 160, it will not shred until the smoked pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 195 to 205F. Storage: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze batches in vacuum-sealed bags for up to 3 months. Adapted from Bob Gibson's Big Book of BBQ
This part is vital and can be frustrating. Altho pork is safe to eat at 145 and you can stop cooking at 160, it will not shred until the smoked pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 195 to 205F. Storage: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze batches in vacuum-sealed bags for up to 3 months. Adapted from Bob Gibson's Big Book of BBQ
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 2186mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1301IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg