I always make my Simple Smoked Pulled Pork Butt (also called Smoked Pork Shoulder) when I need to feed a lot of people quickly. With only 3 ingredients, you’re looking at some good, classic BBQ with plenty of flavor.
This process for smoked pulled pork is a delicious way to cook pork butt. It’s a relatively easy process that requires a bit of time, some simple ingredients, and a trusty smoker.
This post is the perfect guide for your first pulled pork. It has a lot of useful information, so make sure you read it all the way through and then scroll down to the printable recipe card to learn even more about pork. Then you’ll be ready to face this tasty beast.
The reason I call this smoked pulled pork butt “simple” is because of how little effort it takes. For this recipe to always turn out perfectly, you don’t need any fancy injections, tools, spritzing mixtures, or wrapping. single. time. You only need a good pork shoulder, my famous sweet BBQ rub, some smoke, and a lot of time for this recipe to work.
Pulled pork is a classic American barbecue dish that is beloved for its super tender and smokey meat. While traditionally made by slowly smoking a pork shoulder or butt over indirect heat from charcoal or wood, pulled pork can easily be made at home using an electric smoker. With an electric smoker, you get that same delicious smoky flavor and fall-off-the-bone texture without having to constantly tend to a fire or monitor temperatures.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make competition-worthy pulled pork in your electric smoker. Whether you are a beginner smoker or a seasoned pro, you’ll learn tips and techniques for maximizing flavor and tenderness Let’s get smoking!
Benefits of Using an Electric Smoker
Electric smokers provide some key advantages that make them ideal for pulled pork
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Set it and forget it – Electric smokers are designed to maintain a steady temperature over long cook times with minimal effort. Once you set the temperature, the electric heating element does the work of precisely regulating heat.
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Simple temperature control – Most electric smokers have a basic temperature dial or digital panel. Unlike charcoal or wood, controlling heat is as easy as turning a knob.
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Even, indirect heat – Electric heating elements surround the food to evenly distribute smoke and heat without intense direct heat This gentle cooking is perfect for break down tough cuts into tender pulled pork
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Adds smoke flavor – Electric smokers have a built-in wood chip tray or box to infuse smoke into the meat. You get authentic BBQ flavor without having to constantly add more wood.
Step 1: Choose Your Pork Cut
The most common choices for pulled pork are pork shoulder and pork butt (also known as Boston butt).
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Pork shoulder – This is an economical cut taken from the front leg/shoulder of the pig. It contains a good amount of fat and connective tissue that melts away to make pulled pork incredibly moist and tender. A boneless pork shoulder usually weighs 8-10 pounds.
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Pork butt – This comes from the upper shoulder/neck region and is similarly marbled with fat and connective tissue. Pork butts can range from 5-8 pounds. Go with a boneless rolled pork butt for easiest smoking.
For electric smokers, I recommend going with a bone-in shoulder or butt if possible. The bone adds moisture and the meat near it tends to absorb the most smoke flavor. Or choose a boneless cut that has been butterflied or rolled and tied to promote even cooking.
Aim for 1⁄2 to 1 pound of meat per person. A 6-8 lb shoulder or butt makes perfect portions for pulling and leftovers.
Step 2: Prep the Pork
Minimal prep work is needed since the pork will cook low and slow:
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Trim – Use a sharp knife to trim off any loose fat or silver skin. Leave a thin layer of fat intact to baste the meat as it cooks.
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Season – Generously rub salt, pepper and any other dry spices or herb rubs all over the pork. Get into every nook and cranny. Applying a basic seasoning at least 8 hours in advance allows time for the flavors to penetrate deep into the meat.
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Inject (optional) – Injecting a marinade like apple juice, vinegar, broth, or your favorite BBQ sauce deep into the meat helps keep it super moist. Use an injection needle tool to evenly distribute the liquid.
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Marinate (optional) – For a flavor boost, let the seasoned pork marinate overnight in the fridge in a sealed bag or container with some apple cider vinegar, citrus juice, or other acidic marinade.
With prep complete, the pork is ready to meet the smoker!
Step 3: Configure the Electric Smoker
One of the beauties of an electric smoker is that most of the setup is done for you. But there are still some key steps:
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Oil the racks – This prevents sticking. Use a high smoke-point oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
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Add water – Fill the smoker’s water pan with water, cider, wine, broth or other liquid to create steam that keeps the pork moist.
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Insert wood chips – Fill the smoker box with dry wood chips or chunks. Soaking isn’t needed. Good woods for pork include hickory, oak, apple, cherry, pecan and mesquite.
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Heat – Plug in and preheat the smoker to between 225-250°F. Let it run for about 30 minutes to stabilize the temperature before adding the pork.
Step 4: Smoke the Pork
Once your electric smoker is hot and filled with fragrant wood smoke, carefully place the pork on the center rack, fat side up. Insert a meat probe thermometer into the thickest part, if desired. Now the waiting game begins!
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Maintain temperature – Try not to open the smoker too frequently. Add more wood chips if smoke output decreases. Monitor the temperature, but avoid drastic changes up or down.
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Spritz and wrap – After several hours when the pork hits around 165°F, remove it and lightly spritz with apple juice or cider vinegar. Wrap in butcher paper or foil and return to the smoker. This prevents the exterior from drying out.
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Pull at 200-205°F – Allow the pork to slowly smoke until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F. This can take 8, 10, 12 or more hours depending on the size of your cut and smoker temperature.
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Rest – Remove the pork, wrap in a towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes before pulling. This allows juices to redistribute through the meat.
Step 5: Pull and Serve the Pork
Now comes one of the most fun and rewarding parts – pulling the pork!
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Pull – Using insulated gloves or hand protection, gently pull chunks of hot pork apart. Use two forks to shred any larger chunks into stringy, tender pieces.
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Season – Mix in your favorite bbq sauce or other liquid to moisten and add flavor. Toss and coat the pork completely. Taste and season again if needed.
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Serve – Pile high on slider buns, over baked beans or mac and cheese, stuffed in tacos or sandwiches, or enjoy on its own!
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Save leftovers – Store any remaining pulled pork in an airtight container. It holds well in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes for months. Reheat gently before serving again.
Tips for Juicy, Tender Pulled Pork
The key for incredible pulled pork from an electric smoker is long, slow cooking paired with some simple tips:
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Choose well-marbled cuts – Look for generous fat streaking throughout shoulder and butt cuts. This melts and bastes the meat from within.
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Pre-salt the pork – Generously salting 8-24 hours before smoking deeply seasons the meat and promotes moisture retention.
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Use a water pan – The water vapor helps regulate heat spikes and keeps the pork from drying out over hours of smoking time.
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Wrap mid-way – Once the pork hits the stall around 160°F, wrap in paper or foil to protect from drying out.
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Pull when probe tender – Don’t rely just on temperature. The pork should shred easily when poked with a probe or fork around 200-205°F.
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Let rest before pulling – Resting allows moisture to redistribute so you don’t lose juiciness.
Common Pulled Pork Problems and Solutions
Even using an electric smoker, you may encounter some issues while smoking pork. Here are some common problems and troubleshooting tips:
Problem: Pork comes out dry or tough
Solution: Smoke at too high of a temperature. Keep temps closer to 225-250°F and wrap the pork at the stall.
Problem: Pork has bitter, unpleasant smoke flavor
Solution: Use too much wood or smoke for too long. Wood chips should combust slowly and produce thin blue smoke.
Problem: Pork takes forever to cook through
Solution: Meat not getting up to proper cooking temp. Check smoker temp and use a meat thermometer to confirm doneness over 200°F.
Problem: Pork has little to no smoke flavor
Solution: Not enough wood chips used. Replenish chips 1-2 times through entire smoking duration.
Problem: Outside of pork is mushy but inside is underdone
Solution: Temperature too low. Increase heat to around 250°F for remainder of cook.
Final Tips for Smoky Pulled Pork Success
Smoking a perfect pork shoulder does take some patience. But armed with the right techniques, your electric smoker can turn out phenomenal pulled pork every time. Here are some closing best practices:
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Play around with different wood chips like hickory, apple and mesquite to find your favorite smoky flavor.
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Use disposable foil pans for easy cleanup of water pans and collected meat drippings.
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Apply dry rubs up to 24 hours before smoking so
How Long to Smoke a Pork Butt
Your smoker should stay at 225 degrees F the whole time. Each pound of pork should take about two hours to cook.
For example, an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 16 hours from start to finish. Note: The cook time will vary depending on the cut of meat you choose. For example, some 8-pound smoked pork butts finish in 12 hours, while others 10 pounds take 20 hours.
I recommend a good instant read probe thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature of the meat, and for this one reason. You’ll notice a pattern emerge as you start to smoke pork butts more frequently. Your meat rises in temperature up to about 145 degrees F pretty quickly, then the cooking process will slow dramatically and take hours to increase in temperature from 145 degrees F to 165 degrees F. This phase is called the “Stall” and is completely normal. Don’t panic, just let everything keep cooking and eventually the temperature will start to rise again.
A lot of pitmasters choose to wrap their smoked pork butt in foil or butcher paper at this point to speed up the process and get the meat through this time of waiting (you can see how I do this HERE). For this simple smoked pork butt recipe, I did not wrap at all.
I let the smoke keep working on the pork shoulder instead, and it helped create a great crust on the outside of the meat that is called “bark.” People who aren’t into BBQ might think this top layer looks burned, but people who do know what they’re doing love that dark caramelized bark!
Smoked Pork Butt vs. Smoked Pork Shoulder
Most smoked pork butt recipes call for a pork shoulder with the bones still in it. This cut of meat is also known as a Boston butt roast or a pork butt. All of these labels are for the exact same cut of pork.
It can be hard to tell, but none of them come from the pig’s butt end. Instead, they all come from the upper part of the shoulder. The muscle groups in the pork butt, also called the pork shoulder, overlap and work hard. They are held together by tight connective tissue.
That tight tissue makes this cut particularly well suited for smoking. A pork shoulder roast that wasn’t cooked low and slow to break down the muscles and connective fibers would be hard to just cut up and serve. You’d end up chewing for a long time and not getting anywhere.
By cooking the meat slowly over a wood fire for a long time, those tissues start to break down and become tender, making amazing strands of smoked pork shoulder that are very tasty.
Smoked Pulled Pork (Masterbuilt Electric Smoker)
FAQ
How long to smoke pulled pork in an electric smoker?
How do you keep pulled pork moist in a smoker?
How long does it take to smoke pulled pork at 225?
Is it better to smoke a pork shoulder at 225 or 250?