Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt)

slow-smoked-pork-shoulder

by: Matt Zentz

This was my 1st real attempt at a pork shoulder/pork butt/Boston butt (same things).

Notes: I did not cover with foil at any point so I may have lost some flavor from that. Next attempt should cover after 5 hours so it doesn't get too dried out. The inner meat was moist and delicious. The outer bark layer did get a little dry and tough in some areas. Check out this video for the next attempt. It's interesting how he used 275 for a shorter cook time, whereas I used 215.

Here's another video about injection vs no injection. Turns out he liked the no injection better and he never covered the meat with foil until he pulled it out.

Servings: 16
Prep Time: 15-20 m
Cook Time: 12-15 h

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat smoker to 215
  2. Inject pork with marinade until pork will no longer hold the juice
  3. Season pork liberally with rub. Can't really put too much on. Let sit and absorb moisture from the meat.
  4. Put pork in smoker, fat side up. 
  5. Add wood chips for up to 2 hours - I added chips 3 times over 2 hours
  6. Let cook until internal temperature reaches between 195 and 205. My 10 lb pork shoulder cooked for 15.5 hours.
  7. Pull out of smoker and let sit for up to 2 hours (until you can pick up with your hands). This is really important. If you pull the pork apart right away it will dry out.
  8. Pull apart into bite sized chunks and serve or store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.