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The best pulled pork you've ever had is a few simple steps away with my Smoked Boston Butt Recipe! With practically no hands-on effort and only a few ingredients, this pork cooks low and slow for 10 hours until it's fall apart tender.
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Boston Butt Pulled Pork
It's no secret that I love family dinners! Getting everyone in town together for a big dinner party is an incredible way to reconnect with loved ones, and there's nothing better than treating them all to an incredible feast of smoky, tender, unbelievably flavorful boston butt pulled pork.
Now, with my smoker, it's never tasted better. The super long cook time means it's the perfect recipe to start early and forget about until dinner is ready, making this the lowest effort boston butt recipe I've ever made.
And if you've ever cooked boston butt, you know it makes a ton of food! This means leftovers, and there's no shortage of amazing recipes for leftover pulled pork. From flatbreads to pastas, tacos, burritos, and sandwiches, this recipe will keep you trying out new amazing meals all week long!
Smoked Boston Butt Ingredients
- Pork Butt
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Minced onion
- Chili powder
- Olive oil
How to Smoke Boston Butt
- Add pellets to the smoker, and preheat to 225°F. While it's heating, combine half of your brown sugar with paprika, pepper, garlic, minced onion, and chili powder in a small bowl, and mix well.
- Set the pork butt on a cutting board, and rub down entirely with olive oil.
- Making sure to get every side, sprinkle the whole pork with salt flakes.
- Sprinkle the boston butt rub mixture on all sides of the boston butt, making sure to spread it evenly across the entire surface including crevices.
- Open the preheated smoker, and place the butt inside. Cook for 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the pork from the smoker, then place it in an aluminum roasting pan and sprinkle it with the last half of brown sugar. Place the stick of butter on top of the roast, cover the pan with tin foil, and place it back in the smoker.
- Continue smoking for another 4-6 hours, depending on the size of the boston butt, until the internal temperature reaches about 203°F.
- Remove, and allow the pork to rest for another 2 hours without removing the foil. Once rested, shred with a fork and enjoy!
How Long to Smoke Boston Butt
How long to smoke boston butt is up to the size of the meat, with some general rules! A 7 pound boston butt cooks for about 10 hours, but a bigger or smaller roast will call for different smoking times, so keep your meat thermometer handy and be sure to pull the roast from the smoker as soon as it reaches 203°F.
Boston butt is a tricky cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue, meaning that it needs to be cooked low and slow for a long time to get tender. But when it's done, it's some of the most tender, juicy meat you'll ever have!
Smoked Boston Butt Recipe Tips
- If you want to save on pellets, move the pork to the oven after wrapping the pan and cook at 225°F. The smoke will not reach the meat once it's covered, so the remaining cooking time is purely for heating it further.
- For an even more incredible roast, dry brine the pork! Just rub it in brine salt and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
- Make sure you add salt to the meat before you add the rest of the rub. This will ensure completely even salt distribution, which is critical to the flavor!
- If you have an excessively fatty boston butt, feel free to cut some of it away. Just don't remove too much, as the fat melts and adds tons of incredible flavor while the meat cooks.
- The overall cook time is just a guideline to get to the right temperature! A bigger or smaller roast will need different times, so keep your meat thermometer handy and be sure to pull the roast from the smoker as soon as it reaches 203°F.
Looking for more Boston Butt recipes? Try out my incredible 3-ingredient Grilled Boston Butt for your next cookout!
Smoked Boston Butt FAQs
Due to the tough nature of boston butt pork, the best smoked boston butt temp is 225°F. Raising the temperature can cook the meat too fast, without leaving the tissues and fats enough time to break down and turn into the ultra-tender meat you're looking for.
Pork shoulder, or Boston Butt, is perfect for recipes that cook the meat over low temperatures for a long time! Roasts, stews and BBQ recipes all do very well with this meat, and it's extra good for pulled pork, as it shreds easily and naturally separates from the bone!
If you're like me, you might be confused about why the butt roast is located on the shoulders of the pig! This is because "butt" or barrel cuts were the name for cheap, lower-cost meat cuts, rather than being a description of where the meat was cut from. And luckily for all of us, boston butt cuts are super affordable!
Best Pork Recipes
- Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Smoked Ham
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Slow Cooker Pork Tacos
- Pulled Pork Nachos
- Pulled Pork Pasta
- Grilled Boston Butt Recipe (Pork Butt)
Did you enjoy this recipe? Try more of my best pork recipes, and leave a comment and rating below! We love to hear from you.
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Smoked Boston Butt
Equipment
- Tin foil
- meat thermometer
- Aluminum roasting pan
Ingredients
- 7 lb. Boston butt
- 1 stick Salted butter
- 1 cup Brown sugar divided
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- ¼ cup Black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Minced onion
- 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Add pellets to the smoker, and preheat to 225°F. While it's heating, combine ½ cup brown sugar, paprika, pepper, garlic, minced onion, and chili powder in a small bowl, and mix well to combine.1 cup Brown sugar, ¼ cup Black pepper, 3 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Minced onion, 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
- Set the pork butt on a cutting board, and rub down entirely with olive oil.7 lb. Boston butt, 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- Making sure to get every side, sprinkle the whole pork with salt flakes.2 Tablespoons Salt
- Sprinkle the boston butt rub mixture on all sides of the boston butt, making sure to spread it evenly across the entire surface including crevices.
- Open the preheated smoker, and place the butt inside. Cook for 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the pork from the smoker, then place it in an aluminum roasting pan and sprinkle it with the last ½ cup of brown sugar. Place the unmelted stick of butter on top of the roast, cover the pan with tin foil, and place it back in the smoker.1 stick Salted butter, 1 cup Brown sugar
- Continue smoking for another 4-6 hours, depending on the size of the boston butt, until the internal temperature reaches about 203°F.
- Remove, and allow the pork to rest for another 2 hours without removing the foil. Once rested, shred with a fork and enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to save on pellets, move the pork to the oven after wrapping the pan and cook at 225°F. The smoke will not reach the meat once it's covered, so the remaining cooking time is purely for heating it further.
- For an even more incredible roast, dry brine the pork! Just rub it in brine salt and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
- Make sure you add salt to the meat before you add the rest of the rub. This will ensure completely even salt distribution, which is critical to the flavor!
- If you have an excessively fatty boston butt, feel free to cut some of it away. Just don't remove too much, as the fat melts and adds tons of incredible flavor while the meat cooks.
- The overall cook time is just a guideline to get to the right temperature! A bigger or smaller roast will need different times, so keep your meat thermometer handy and be sure to pull the roast from the smoker as soon as it reaches 203°F.
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