Classic Pulled Pork

What is Classic Pulled Pork?

A classic pulled pork recipe consists of any pork meat smoked low and slow until the meat is tender enough to easily shred. Usually mixed with BBQ sauce, this recipe is an American BBQ classic. When done right, the tender and flavorful meat just melts in your mouth.

Traditionally pulled pork is made from the pork shoulder or pork butt. Both are the same cut of meat. The word “butt” comes from the colonial era when butchers would pack less desirable cuts of pork, like the shoulder, into large barrels called “butts” for storage.

A bone-in pork shoulder is the ideal cut of pork to make pulled pork because of it’s shape. An even cube, that cooks evenly on the grill for hours. Stay away from the boneless ones.

The pork shoulder is a very large cut of meat ranging anywhere from 7-10 lbs. It is also a cheaper cut because of all the fattiness making it very economical since 1 shoulder can feed 10+ people and makes meals for days.

Making pulled pork for dinner or a friendly gathering is not a last minute decision. Because of it’s size, you should estimate 8-10 hours before it’s ready to eat. So PLAN AHEAD!

Ingredient List for Classic Pulled Pork.

• Pork Shoulder: depending on how many people you are cooking for, try to stay under 10 lbs. Make sure to get a bone-in pork shoulder.
• Seasoning: I used a blend of an all purpose seasoning and a sweet BBQ rub that compliment pork.

• Mustard: use yellow mustard for the seasoning binder.

• Butter: unsalted butter to add richness.

• Brown sugar: adds sweetness to the pork during the wrapping phase.

• Honey: adds more sweetness to the pork during the wrapping phase.

• Apple cider vinegar: used to spritz the pork shoulder while smoking on the grill to add moisture.

How to properly prepare a pork shoulder.

To get started,  remove the large pork shoulder from its packaging and pat it dry. Do NOT wash it. Take a few paper towels and make sure to pat the sides. Patting it dry will make it easier to handle and work with.

Next, take a look at the fat cap. It should be no more than a 1/4 inch thick. Slowly trim off any extra layers of fat. Take your time and remove a little bit a time. This fat will not render down making for one unpleasant fatty bite.

When the fat is trimmed, we can now score the fat cap in a checkered pattern. Do not go too deep, just enough to cut through the fat. Scoring allows the seasoning and smoke to penetrate deeper into the meat locking in those amazing BBQ flavors. 

Finally, coat the entire bone in pork shoulder with yellow mustard which will work as a binder for the seasoning. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste any of the mustard once cooked through.

For the seasoning, I use Dad’s All Purpose rub. It has the perfect balance of classic savory BBQ flavors that compliment the natural flavor of pork. DON’T BY SHY with the seasoning. This is a very large piece of meat. You don’t want bland pulled pork, coat heavily. Make sure to season all sides of the pork shoulder.

Pat the seasoning down vs. rubbing to avoid any of the spice from falling off.

Set aside the seasoned pork shoulder in room temperature for about 30 minutes and allow it to sweat which opens up the meat to absorb all those wonderful spices.

2 Step Method for Making the BEST Classic Pulled Pork

In order to make the best classic pulled pork, the cooking process requires most of the day to achieve tender, juicy and flavorful meat. The first step will give us that delicious smokey flavor and the next will get it fall apart tender.

The pork shoulder has a lot of fat and connective tissue that needs to render down. This takes time. Patience is key here.

Step 1 – Smoke low and slow

Preheat your grill or smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and set it for indirect heat. I used my Weber Searwood Pellet Grill for this cook.

Place the seasoned pork shoulder directly on the grates and let if smoke away.

For the first 4 hours, leave the pork should on the grill. Do NOT peek. Let the grill do its magic. After that, you should start to check the bark and see if is not drying out. If so, pour a little bit of apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz the pork every hour. This helps keep the meat moist and helps prevent the bark from burning.  It does not impact the flavor of the meat.

Depending on the size of the shoulder, you should estimate 1.5 hours/lb. Total cooking process will last 7-9 hours. By this time, the internal temperature on the pork will read around 170-175 degrees.

Step 2 – Wrapping classic pulled pork.

The next step in our cooking process will get the meat so tender, that it falls off the bone.  In order to keep the moisture and prevent the protein from drying out, you need to wrap it for the final cook.

Once the smoked pork shoulder reaches 170 degrees, transfer it from the grill into an aluminum pan or on a large foil sheet.

Add brown sugar, honey, cubed butter and Dad’s Sweet BBQ rub for the sweetness.

Seal the entire pan with a large sheet of foil and wrap it tightly. The wrap will help keep all the moisture inside the pan and allow the butter and sugar to penetrate through the meat and infuse it with all those amazing classic BBQ  flavors. And if you’re feeling festive, try my Smoked Pulled Pork in a Pumpkin recipe.

Increase the grill temperature to 275 degrees and place the pork back on the smoker for another 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Open the wrap and test the tenderness of the meat. Insert your thermometer or fork in the meat and if it goes in the pork easily, like a hot knife through butter, than it’s done. If not, wrap it back up and continue cooking. Check again in 30 minutes. Continue this process until the meat is fork tender. Tenderness is key. This will help make the pork shreddable.

The final temperature on a classic pulled pork can range anywhere from 200 to 205 degrees, so be patient. This is where a lot of the mistakes are made. Pork is removed too soon and the meat ends up tough.

Remember to rest classic pulled pork when done.

When the pork is fork tender, it’s time for the rest. Move the wrapped pork into an insulated cooler or a turned off oven and leave it to rest for 1 hour. Remember, this is a very large piece of meat that has been on the grill for 7-9 hours. It needs time to allow all the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

When it’s ready, start by removing the bone. If perfectly cooked, the bone should come out clean and without any resistance.

Keep the smoked classic pulled pork in the aluminum pan and using heat resistant gloves, start shredding the meat. I like using glove liners under my nitrile gloves for heat protection. Mix the pork with the rendered juices adding flavor to the dish.

Serve a handful of this classic pulled pork on a brioche bun, add some sweet and tangy BBQ sauce and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions:

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