Pulled Pork on an Electric Smoker

Instructions:

Rub the pork butt with mustard on the meat sides, then season generously with my pork rub. Turn it over and score the fat with a sharp filet knife, cutting one inch squares, but only going deep enough to reach the meat. Rub the fat side with mustard, working it in between the scoring cuts, then season very generously anywhere you rubbed mustard.

Start your smoker and set to 225°, loading the tray and the hopper both with hickory and apple chips. Don’t forget to fill the water pan. Once the smoker reaches about 200°, the chips are smoking sufficiently to put the meat in. Place it on the middle rack, FAT SIDE UP, with the thicker bone side facing your heating element. Set the top vent to about 25% open and smoke for about 10 hours. You should only need to add more chips every one to two hours, but you only need to add them for the first 4-6 hours.

After about 10 hours, check the pork. It should be in the 150-160° range, and the fat on top should be melting away. Now, turn up the temperature to 250°, add more chips, and let it smoke another two hours.

At this point, the bark should be set, so it’s time to wrap. Place two 2.5 ft sheets of tin foil together and fold the edges together, one over the other, then roll it slightly. This will make a small seal in the foil. Wrap the pork tightly in the foil. You can also take another sheet to go across the bottom and wrap it from underneath to prevent dripping. Return the pork to the smoker and increase the temperature to 275°. Smoke for another 1-4 hours, until the pork is probe tender (the thermometer slides easily into the meat without resistance). This is usually around 205° internal temperature.

Now, remove the pork from the smoker and open the foil to let some heat out and add about 1/4 cup of butter pads (cut into tablespoon chunks) directly on top of the pork. Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of brown sugar, spooned over the top of the butter. Close the foil back up and place into a dry cooler for at least one hour. You can rest it this way for several hours, up to 6 or 7. Honestly I find it is the most moist after about 3 hours.

After allowing the meat to rest (don’t skip that step!), open the foil and pull the meat with heat resistant gloves. It should come right apart, pulling very easily. Mix up the meat to get the bark and the caramel solution mixed throughout. You can sprinkle some more of my pork rub on now, too, to add a little more punch to each bite. Enjoy!

Pork Rub Recipe:

3 tsp salt
3 tsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp powdered honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients together in a bowl or shaker using a fork to ensure thorough blending. This recipe is sufficient to season a whole pork butt and have plenty of leftovers for recipes like this.