Pork Butt vs. Pork Shoulder – Pork butt and pork shoulder are technically different cuts, but the terms are used interchangeably. – Pork butt comes from the pork shoulder primal cut, along with the picnic shoulder. – Pork butt has a lot more marbled fat than the picnic shoulder and is perfect for pulled pork. – If you ask your butcher for a pork shoulder, you are going to get a pork butt.
Ingredients – 1 8-10 pound pork butt – 1 cup pork butt rub Injection – 1 cup apple juice (or cider) – 1 tablespoon pork butt rub – 1/4 cup water – 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar – 1/4 cup butter, melted – 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Preheat your Traeger or pellet grill to 225°F. Remove the pork butt from the packaging and pat it dry. Use a sharp knife to trim away any excess fat.
Sprinkle the pork butt rub on the pork shoulder. Be sure to cover the entire cute of meat and rub into all of the crevices of the butt.
Inject the pork butt with the marinade. Work in a grid-like pattern with about 1 inch spacing between each injections. Continue to inject the marinade into the pork butt until you use all of the liquid or until the meat can no longer hold any more liquid.
Smoked at 225°F until the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 203°F. It will take about 1.5 to 2 hours per pound of meat.
This is an optional step. Once the pork butt reaches an internal of 160°F, it may hit a stall and temps will stop rising quickly. You can remove the pork butt from the smoker and wrap in butcher paper. Return it to the smoker once it is wrapped.
Remove the pork butt from the smoker and let it rest for 1-2 hours. You can place it in a cooler to keep it hot as it rests. When you are ready, pull apart the pork butt. It should shred easily. Add some additional pork butt rub to the pulled pork and drizzle on some BBQ sauce.
– Use a mustard binder. If you want to mix it up, you can coat the pork butt in some mustard to give it some tang and to help bind the pork butt rub. – Marinade instead of injection.You can skip the injection and simply add the marinade to a bowl to marinade the pork butt. You may need to add some water to the marinade to have enough volume. – Focus on the internal temp. Pulled pork needs to hit about 203°F in order to be tender enough to shred easily. If you undercook it, the pork butt will be tough and chew. Use a trusty thermometer.
How to Store and Reheat Pulled Pork – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. – Store in a vacuum sealed bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. – Reheat the pulled pork in a water bath or sous vide. Use a vacuum sealed bag and set the water temp to 165°F.