Our award winning smoked pulled pork recipe is made with pork shoulder cooked over cherry wood, paired with a flavorful dry rub, and doused in mop sauce. Pile the meat high on sandwich buns and top with your favorite coleslaw recipe for the perfect barbecue.
We are so excited to share with you one of our all-time favorite barbecue recipes: smoked pulled pork!
Marrekus is an expert pitmaster when it comes to barbecue, and he’s spent hours perfecting this recipe.
From the tender pork shoulder to the mouthwatering mop sauce and our signature dry rub seeasoning, this recipe is the real deal – it’s like a taste of championship BBQ right in your own backyard!
Whether you’re hosting a cookout with friends and family or simply craving some Southern food, this smoked pulled pork is sure to hit the spot. And the best part? It’s easy enough for beginners to master, with simple ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
We also put together two pulled pork smoking guides:
- How Long to Cook a 10 Pound Pork Shoulder (3 Ways)
- How Long to Smoke a Pork Shoulder (Pork Butt) at 225F
So fire up the smoker, grab a cold drink, and get ready to indulge in some seriously good barbecue.
What we love about this recipe
- It has the perfect bark: The test of a true pitmaster, am I right? Real barbecue enthusiasts know that the key to the best pulled pork is perfect, flavorful bark.
- It’s tender and flavorful: This pork shoulder recipe is so delicious. The meat is cooked perfectly and it has the best smoky flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 to 10-pound bone-in pork butt
- Yellow mustard
- Soul food seasoning (alternatively, use your favorite BBQ dry rub)
- Cherry wood, for smoking (preferred)
NOTE
Yellow mustard acts as a binder (glue) to keep the spices on the meat and helps add to the bark on the pork. Not a fan of mustard? You don’t have to worry about the flavor because once the meat starts to smoke, the mustard will dehydrate and you will not be able to taste it.
Pulled pork dry rub
A dry rub for smoked pulled pork often includes a combination of spices and seasonings that complement the natural flavor of the pork. Here are some ingredients we recommend as a base:
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: Salt is essential for seasoning the pork shoulder and enhancing its natural flavor. It helps to penetrate the meat and distribute the other spices evenly throughout.
- Black Pepper: Black pepper adds a bold, spicy kick, balancing out the sweetness of the brown sugar and adding depth of flavor to the pork shoulder.
- Granulated Garlic: Garlic powder brings savory notes, enhancing the overall flavor profile of the pork shoulder.
Feel free to use our homemade soul food seasoning recipe or customize your own signature dry rub recipe to suit your taste preferences.
Pulled pork mop sauce
A combination of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, hot sauce, salt, and pepper is perfect as a mop sauce for smoked pulled pork.
Add the mop sauce to the pork butt within the first hour of smoking. By this point, the pork will start to have some color to it and pick up some bark as well.
We keep our mop sauce in a small or medium sauce pan and carry it out to the smoker along with our barbecue mop brush. You will want to dip your mop brush into the sauce and then douse the brush on the meat, letting the sauce drip. Do not brush the mop sauce on, because you may accidentally brush the rub off the meat. Repeat every 45 minutes.
How to make smoked pulled pork pork
Select a high-quality pork shoulder.
- Look for a pork shoulder weighing between 8 to 10 pounds for best results.
Prep
- Before cooking, place the pork butt in a foil pan and allow it to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Next, apply yellow mustard as a binder, then season the pork shoulder generously with our soul food seasoning or your favorite dry rub or seasoning blend. Be sure to coat the entire surface of the meat.
Set up your smoker
- Properly setting up your smoker is crucial for maintaining a consistent cooking temperature and infusing the pork shoulder with a delicious smoky flavor.
- Start by preheating your smoker to 275°F. If you want to cook your pork shoulder at a lower temperature, check out this guide for how long to smoke pork shoulder at 225°F.
- Once the smoker is preheated, add your preferred wood to the firebox or smoker box. We used cherry wood, but other popular wood choices for smoking pork shoulder include hickory, apple, and oak.
Smoke
- Place the pork shoulder on the smoker grate, fat cap side up, to allow the rendered fat to baste the meat as it cooks. Baste with mop sauce every 30 to 45 minutes (recommended).
- After the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of about 160° to 165° F, remove it from the smoker and wrap tightly in multiple sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Then, insert your thermometer probe into the meat and put it back on the smoker. You will want to monitor the meat periodically, until it reaches 200° to 205° F.
Rest
- Once it reaches 200° to 205° F, remove the pork butt from the smoker and place inside a cooler or oven to let it rest.
- We typically rest it in a cooler for at least one hour. After the pork butt has rested, carefully remove the foil.
Pull
- Now it’s time to pull the pork! We like to wear gloves with cotton liners underneath and use our hands, but you can also use two forks to shred the pork.
- The meat will still be piping hot, so tender that it easily pulls (falls) apart.
- You can chop it or leave it in shreds.
Recipe tips for the best barbecue pulled pork
- Baste with Mop Sauce: Consider basting the pork shoulder with a mop sauce every 30 to 45 minutes during smoking to keep it moist and add flavor.
- Wrap in Foil at 160-165°F: Once the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of 160° to 165°F, tightly wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil and continue cooking until it reaches 200° to 205°F.
- Rest Before Pulling: After cooking, let the wrapped pork shoulder rest in a cooler or oven for at least one hour before pulling. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in juicier meat.
What to serve with smoked pulled pork
Pulled pork goes good with coleslaw, BBQ baked beans, potato salad, cornbread, and mac and cheese, to name a few. You can also pull all the ingredients together and make a Pulled Pork Parfait aka BBQ in a Jar (pictured below).
How to reheat pulled pork and keep it moist
Reheating smoked pulled pork is simple and can be done using several methods. However, to keep it moist we recommend reheating it in the oven:
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Place the pulled pork in an oven-safe dish or baking pan. Cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent the pork from drying out.
- Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the pork is heated through.
What to do with leftover pulled pork
There are so many different things you can do with leftover pulled pork. Some of our favorite ways to use up leftovers are:
- Spaghetti: We make a delicious pulled pork spaghetti recipe. Just toss reheated pulled pork with cooked pasta and your favorite BBQ sauce for a quick and easy Memphis-style meal.
- Sandwiches: Make classic pulled pork sandwiches by serving it on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce, coleslaw, pickles, or other toppings.
- Tacos or Burritos: Use the pulled pork as a filling for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.
- Nachos: Make loaded nachos by topping tortilla chips with pulled pork, cheese, black beans, jalapenos, and sour cream. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then garnish with fresh cilantro and diced tomatoes.
- Pizza: Use leftover pulled pork as a topping for homemade pizza. Spread barbecue sauce on a pizza crust, top with meat, red onions, and cheese, then bake until bubbly and golden brown.
Frequently asked questions
We hope you love this smoked pulled pork recipe as much as we do! Have questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below, and be sure to share this post with friends and family.
Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 to 10- pound bone-in pork butt
- yellow mustard
- soul food seasoning alternatively, use your favorite BBQ dry rub
- cherry wood for smoking (preferred)
Mop Sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Place the pork butt in a foil pan and allow it to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Next, apply yellow mustard, then season the pork shoulder generously with our soul food seasoning or your favorite dry rub or seasoning blend.
- Preheat your smoker to 275°F. Once the smoker is preheated, add your preferred wood to the firebox or smoker box.
- Place the pork shoulder on the smoker grate, fat cap side up, to allow the rendered fat to baste the meat as it cooks. Baste with mop sauce every 30 to 45 minutes (recommended).
- After the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of about 160° to 165° F, remove it from the smoker and wrap tightly in multiple sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then, insert your thermometer probe into the meat and put it back on the smoker.
- Once it reaches 200° to 205° F, remove the pork butt from the smoker and place inside a cooler or oven to let it rest for 30 minutes to one hour. After the pork butt has rested, carefully remove the foil.
- Wear gloves with cotton liners underneath and use your hands to shred the pork. The meat will still be piping hot, so tender that it easily pulls (falls) apart. You can chop it or leave it in shreds.
This is a great pulled pork recipe! It’s been a while when i saw a good one, the pork is juicy and the juices and seasonings are clearly penetrating the pork which makes it flavorful!
I loved how tender this pulled pork came out. Between the ease of this recipe and the amazing smoky flavor, I was in heaven.
This meat was smokey and delicious! Honestly, my family couldn’t get enough. Can’t wait to make it again.
This is the only pulled pork recipe I will use now. So simple and it’s wild how tender the meat gets! Thank you!