How To Make Smoked Pulled Pork – Great for Sandwiches and More

Inside: Keep reading to find out how to make a delicious, smoked pulled pork on your wood pellet smoker. 

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boulder Canyon Chips. All Opinions Are My Own

Ever since I bought my husband a Traeger pellet smoker last year for his birthday, we have been experimenting with many different recipes. We have tried burgers, brisket, and more. One of our favorites is definitely smoked pulled pork. It is so versatile and can be served in different ways. 

For example, the first time we made it, we used it to make some delicious sliders on the first night. The next day, we used the leftovers to make smoked nachos, and then we used it again for burritos! 

Accompany with Boulder Canyon Chips. 

Pulled pork sandwiches are so good, so they deserve equally delicious sides. A couple of good options are cole slaw, and also your favorite chips. Our personal favorite chips to serve with smoked pulled pork is Boulder Canyon chips. These chips are better for you than most, but they don’t sacrifice flavor. They are made with unique oils like olive, avocado, rice bran, sunflower, and coconut. 

I love these chips, and I feel good giving them to my family because I know that they use only a few, minimally processed, yet better ingredients. Of their more than thirty products, many include only three or four ingredients, so you can eat them with confidence. Next time you buy some of these chips, I encourage you to flip it over to the nutritional information to see just how few ingredients they include! 

Boulder Canyon is going to be updating the packaging starting in mid-January, so keep an eye out so that you can pick some up to go along with this pulled pork. The new look will include new packaging, a new logo, and more! However, it will still have the same recognizable, delicious flavor and crunch that you have grown to love. 

When you pick up some of these chip with the new packaging, make sure you take pictures and share them on social media to spread the word! You can also find some great product giveaways on the Boulder Canyon Foods Facebook Page. Check it out here. 

What Cut Of Pork Should You Use For Smoked Pulled Pork?

My favorite cut of pork to use for this recipe is a pork butt (bone-in, or boneless). This cut is perfect since it is tender and has a good marbling of fat which is necessary for this recipe. 

For this recipe, I recommend buying one that is about 6-10 pounds.

How To Prepare The Pork For Smoking

When you have a good quality smoker like this one, you can let the smoke do most of the work. However, it is important to do a little bit of preparation before you start. 

The first thing you will want to do is trim any excess fat. Of course, you are going to want to keep some fat, but you will be better off trimming off excess fat on the top portion (leaving the bottom fat cap intact). 

Next, you should choose your favorite rub. You can always make your own rub, but there are a lot of other choices that you can buy pre-made, like this summer shanty rub from Traeger. 

After you have chosen the rub, you should use it to season the entire pork generously on all sides. After adding the rub, I like to let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours to let the rub settle in. 

What Kind Of Wood Pellets Should You Use?

My personal favorite type of wood pellets for this smoked pulled pork recipe is mesquite. It adds the perfect level of smokiness that complements the natural flavors of the pork perfectly. 

Of course, you can use other pellets as well, such as apple or maple. No matter what you use, you can’t go wrong. 

At What Temperature Should You Set Your Smoker?

Smoking meat is not quick. To make this pulled pork recipe, you will want to set aside around 7-8 hours. To start, you should set your smoker to about 250 degrees. Then place the pork butt directly on the grill and cook for approximately 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. 

At that point, you will remove the pork and wrap it in aluminum foil. Before enclosing it completely, you will want to add some apple cider or apple juice directly to the pork butt. Next, close up the aluminum foil and return to the grill. I like to put the entire aluminum wrapped pork butt into an aluminum pan as well, just to avoid any leaks getting down into the fire. 

For the remainder of the cooking time (about 3-4 more hours), you will want to cook the pork at the same 250 degrees. You will know it is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of about 190-195 degrees. That is when you should take it from the grill and let it rest.

How Long Should You Let The Pork Rest Before Pulling It?

Letting the pork rest is just as important as any other step in this recipe. I generally let the pork rest for about 45 minutes, at which point I remove any excess liquids and separate the fat. I then like to mix the liquid (not the fat) with some additional rub to taste that I can then add back to the pork once it is pulled. 

 

Once you have removed the excess liquid, you can take a couple of forks and start to pull the pork. At this point, it will be so tender that you won’t have to put too much effort into it. 

Once you have pulled the entire pork butt, you will add it to a large aluminum pan or other glass or ceramic baking dish. Then you will add the seasoned liquid to the pork, a little at a time, tasting as you go. 

The smoked pulled pork is now ready to serve on sandwiches, in burritos, on nachos or all by itself. 

I know that this may seem overwhelming because of the time, but I can assure you that it is really pretty simple as long as you give yourself time to finish!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe, and let me know how it turns out below!