How to smoke a Boston butt for perfect pulled pork barbecue

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Labor Day is just around the corner and everyone loves BBQ this time of year. With family vacations or parties at the house, sometimes it's nice to do a little preparation beforehand. Pulled pork bbq is one of those dishes you can prepare ahead of time.

Here is my preparation method for smoked Boston butt for mouth watering pork BBQ. Whether you like your meat pulled, sliced or chopped, this method has worked for me for years. Follow the  gallery below for a step by step recipe on how to smoke mouth watering pork BBQ.

Joe Songer

Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Select a high quality Boston Butt

First, start with a good roast, making sure that it has an adequate fat layer, but not too much. A well marbled roast works best. I start by washing the roast in the sink and patting it dry. Transfer the roast to a baking pan with at least 2 inch sides.  (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Clean the roast well

Use a pork butt that weighs at least 5 pounds as the roast will shrink during the smoking process.  (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Inject the roast with apple juice or your favorite injectable

Fill a glass with apple juice and use an injecting needle to inject the juice into at least 10-12 spots on the roast. I vary the depth of the needle and move it around in the roast to evenly distribute the juice through the meat. Apple juice adds a sweet flavor to the pork and the acid in the juice begins to break down the meat fibers helping to tenderize the roast. Other injectable marinades are available at the grocery store .

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Inject thoroughly

Get the needle deep into the pork butt and vary the depth of the needle, injecting the meet all the way to just below the surface.   (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Rub the butt with you favorite rub

Next, sprinkle your favorite dry rub liberally over the entire surface of the roast. Use your hands to gently rub or pat the dry rub into the meat. Turn the fat layer side up in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and place the Boston butt in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. This allows the acid in the apple juice to tenderize the meat and allows the rub to seep into the meat from the outside.  (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Prepare the smoker

About an hour before smoking, take the roast out of the refrigerator. It will warm slightly. This will decrease your cooking time. You can use either an electric smoker or a charcoal smoker. Use indirect heat. The electric smoker in this photo uses a wood box that slides over the heating element for effective indirect smoking. For a charcoal smoker use the smokers indirect method. For example, in a kamado grill, use the deflector plate.  (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Load some quality wood chips or chunks

Load your smoker's wood box with your favorite wood and make sure the drip pan is in place and the bottom of the smoker is covered with heavy duty aluminum foil. This really helps make clean easier. Avoid widely fluctuating cooking temperatures with make the meat tough and cooking times will vary. I prefer hickory chips or chunks, but apple and cherry are also great choices.  (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Load the butt into the smoker

Once the smoker is ready to go, load the Boston Butt on the middle rack or on the cooking grate with the heat deflector in place. . Attach the temperature probe of a reliable meat thermometer and close the door. Set the temperature  of the smoker to 225-240 degrees. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Keep a close eye on internal temperature of the butt

I prefer to use an electronic thermometer with a meat probe. A minimum temperature of 185 degrees must be achieved for sliced pork and over 190 degrees if you want to pull the pork. I personally prefer just over 203 degrees. The internal temperature is much more important than time when cooking a Boston butt. You can use a regular meat thermometer but remember, every time you open the smoker door, you let out the heat. It takes longer to cook and the temperature fluctuates inside the smoker. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Smoke the butt to 203 degrees

Once the internal temperatures reaches 203 degrees, take the butt out of the smoker and immediately wrap it tightly with aluminum foil, wrap the foil wrapped butt in a towel and place in a cooler. The meat will continue to cook in the foil for 20-30 minutes. Allow the roast rest for between 30 minutes to an hour before unwrapping it and slicing or pulling the meat. Be careful when pulling pork from the roast as the internal meat near the bone will still be extremely hot. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com).

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Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com

Enjoy!

Now it's time to enjoy! If you have left over BBQ, place it in zip lock bags in smaller portions. Vacuum packing is best. If will last in the fridge for 3-5 days. I have heard of people vacuum packing smoked pork and freezing it. I've never tried it because we never have enough left.

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