How to Smoke Pork Butt | Delicious Carolina Recipe
Why Pork Butt / Shoulder
Learning how to smoke pork butt can seem daunting. But pork butt/shoulder is great for beginners because it’s hard to screw up. I made a ton of mistakes which I’ll share with you so learn from my experience. Despite my blunders, the end product was still delicious. Follow these steps to learn how to smoke pork shoulder on your Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker.
Carolina Meets Midwest | A New Appreciation for Mustard
I modified this recipe from the BBQ guys, How to Smoke a Pork Butt 101, where they detail how to make Carolina Pulled Pork on the Weber Smokey Mountain. This was great for me because it shows how to cook the meat properly while exposing me to a new style of BBQ; Carolina Style. This style has a tangy, mustard/vinegar based flavor and features a yellow “Carolina Gold” sauce, made from yellow mustard, vinegar, brown sugar and spices. This recipe pushed my flavor comfort zone because I prefer sweeter barbecue and don’t like mustard. But, it turned out great even for non-mustard lovers, and I would definitively make again.
The Rub
Here’s where I screwed up first. Because I like sweeter barbecue, I wanted to use a rub mixture with sugar, so I modified two recipes; The Spruce Eats Carolina BBQ Rub + Food Network’s Pork Butt Competition Recipe. For simplicity, I recommend using a premade rub in your recipe. I had no idea what I was doing mixing rubs and styles. It turned out fine but just added unneeded complexity and time.
The Recipe | How to Smoke Pork Butt
Carolina Gold Pulled Pork Shoulder Sandwich
Equipment
- Smoker
- 1 bag Apple Wood Chunks or Pellets depending on your Smoker
- Temperature Probe
- Grill Tongs
- Spray Bottle for Spritzing Meat
- Butcher Paper
- Small Cooler
Ingredients
Meat
- 7+ Lb. Bone-in Pork Butt/Shoulder
Rub
- 1-2 Cups Dry Rub Choose your favorite
Binder for Rub
- ½ Cup Olive Oil Could use Mustard instead
Spritz for Meat
- 2 oz. Water
- 2 oz. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 oz. Beer optional
Water Pan Additions for Smoker
- 16 oz. Water
- 16 oz. Apple Cider Vinegar optional
- 12 oz. Beer optional
Coal & Wood for Smoker
- 1 bag Charcoal Briquettes or Lump Charcoal Use what your smoker requires
- 1 bag Apple Wood Chunks start with 4-5 chunks, add 1-2 as needed throughout smoke
Sandwich Ingredients
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 dash Salt
- 8 Brioche Buns
- 1 tab Butter
Carolina Gold Sauce
- 1 C. Mustard
- ¼ C. Honey
- ¼ C. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire
- 1 T. Tomato Paste
- 1 T. Franks Red Hot Sauce or your favorite
- 2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 T. Olive Oil
Instructions
Prep Smoker
- Layer bottom of smoker with unlit Charcoal.
- Fill Chimney starter ¼ full of Charcoal. Light using lighter cubes.
- Add lit charcoal on top of unlit coals in smoker.
- Fill water pan with Apple Cider Vinegar, Water and Beer.
- Monitor temperature until smoker reaches steady, 225-275° temperature.
- Add 4-5 wood chunks.
Prep Meat
- Rub olive oil on pork, cover entirely.
- Liberally spread dry rub over the meat. Make sure to get a good coating on the meat.
Add Meat to Smoker
- Place Meat on grill grate fat cap up.
- Insert temperature probe into meat.
- Add separate probe next to meat to monitor smoker ambient temperature.
Monitor Smoker Temperature
- Make sure to keep smoker temperature between 225-275°.
- Adjust vents as needed, opening adds air flow and increase temperature. Closing vents decreases temperature.
- If temperature drops, check coals and add as needed.
3 Hour Check
- Check smoke level, if original wood chunks are dwindling, add 1-2 more.
- Check meat temperature – should have steady climb but has a long time to go.
- Check Meat – Look at the meat, likely won't need to spritz, but if dry can spritz.
6 Hour Check
- Spritz Meat – Spray dry areas of meat.
- Check smoke level, if wood chunks are dwindling, add 1-2 more.
- Check meat temperature – should have steady climb but likely has hours to go unless you're smoking a small roast (generally 1 hr+/lb of meat).
9 Hour Check
- Repeat 6 hour check – Spritz, Check coals/smoke, Check Meat temp.
- Estimate time to completion. Goal is to get meat to 201°. How many degrees is the meat temperature increasing per hour? Example: If meat temp rose 5° in the last hour and you're at 196°…you have about 1 hour left.
Remove Meat from Smoker at 201°
- Use grill tongs to remove meat from smoker and place in backing dish.
- Wrap meat in butcher paper and place in cooler for up to an hour to rest.
Make Carolina Gold Sauce
- Mix ingredients in blender, set aside until ready to build sandwiches.
Shred Pork
- Remove wrapped meat from cooler and place in baking dish.
- Pull the bone out, should come out easily.
- Use hands or meat shredding forks to shred pork. If tender enough you don't need forks, just your hands.
Fry Onions
- Heat Skillet with butter on smoker or stovetop.
- Cut onions into full rings.
- Fry onion rings on skillet, add pinch of salt. Fry until lightly browned on each side.
- Remove onions.
- Toast Buns on Skillet. 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
Build Sandwiches
- Place bottom bun on plate.
- Grab handful of meat and put on bun.
- Add onion.
- Pour on Carolina Gold Sauce.
- Enjoy!
Tips to Go Full Dad Mode For Successful Pork Butt
- Fat Cap Up – The fat melts into the meat, adding juicy flavor.
- Buy Dry Rub – Use premade to save time/effort.
- Start Early – Allow 1+ hours/pound at 225-275°.
- Stable Temperature – Wait for smoker tempt to stabilize before adding meat. I added meat too early with way to much smoke, impacting end flavor.
- Don’t Overreact with Temperature Adjustments – Make adjustments BEFORE needed. I overacted and overshot my desired temperature in the first hour of my smoke. Check out How to Control Temperature on Your Charcoal Smoker from Smoked BBQ Source.
Now that you know how to smoke pork butt / shoulder, check out some of my other smoking recipes. For more smoking tips, check out my Beginner’s Guide to the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. Includes top accessories and tips for making your first smokes a success.
I loved trying this recipe and can’t wait to try other styles of barbecue. Drop me a line or comment with your favorite style and why.
Thanks for reading,
Britt
About Post Author
Britt
Hey I’m Britt. I run Full Dad Mode to help people like you make the most of life. I share helpful DIY how to's and recipes designed to make busy lives easier. Click here to sign up for email updates to stay up to date on the latest tips and from Full Dad Mode!
