Ingredients

  • 5 pound Bone-In Pork Butt
  • Hardwood chips, soaked in water for 1 hour
  • Apple juice, for spritzing

Rub

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ½ cup garlic, granulated
  • ½ cup kosher salt
  • ½ cup paprika
  • 2 Tbsp. onion, granulated
  • 1 Tbsp. dry mustard
  • Tbsp. Creole seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp. ground red pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. ground black pepper

Sauce

  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¾ cup cider vinegar
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. dry mustard
  • Dash ground red pepper

Details

Product:

Pork Butt

Meal Course:

Dinner, Lunch

Dish Type:

Entrée, Sandwich

Preparation

  1. Stir together all rub ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Set aside.
  2. Stir together all ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes.
  3. Divide sauce into separate containers for basting and servings at the table. Use as a basting sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking for steak, pork, burgers, or chicken. Discard any remaining basting sauce, and refrigerate any leftover table sauce.
  4. If needed, trim the fat back to about 1/8 inch thick on shoulder. Sprinkle meat generously with rub, massaging it into the meat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
  5. Prepare your smoker or grill until the temperature reaches 250°F. Take the meat out of the refrigerator, and let it sit for about 30 to 45 minutes. Having the pork at room temperature is very important, because if you put it on the smoker cold, the outer portion will burn.
  6. Soak hickory wood chips (or any other hardwood chips used for barbecuing) in water overnight to prevent burning. A handful of wood chips should be added to the fire every 30 minutes or so. The more you add, the stronger flavor of smoke you get.
  7. Place meat on the smoker fat side down. After two hours, turn the meat over so it is fat side up. Total cook time will be 1 1/2 hours per pound. Maintain the temperature in the smoker between 225°F and 250°F. Use a pit thermometer for an accurate reading. (If the smoker temperature is hotter than 250° F, the meat will cook too quickly; any lower than 225°F, and the meat will not get done.
  8. Every time wood chips or charcoal is added, spritz the meat with apple juice from a spray bottle. This will add moisture and a fruity background flavor during cooking.
  9. Remove the meat from the smoker with two hours remaining, and place on heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spritz generously with apple juice, and tightly seal foil around pork.
  10. Place meat back on the smoker, and cook for two hours more. Using an instant-read meat thermometer, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat, being careful not to touch bone with the tip of the thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 195° F, the pork is ready.
  11. Remove the meat from the smoker, and let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove foil after it has cooled enough to handle. Remove the bones, which will easily pull away. Begin pulling, or shredding, the meat with two large forks, and place in a large baking dish or pan. Remove and discard any remaining fat.
  12. Add the sauce to pulled pork, and toss. Serve with additional sauce.