This Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork is a summer staple in our family! It's made outdoors on a smoker, and then we freeze it in smaller packages for winter meals.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time10 hourshrs
Total Time10 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: pulled pork, smoked
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 221kcal
Author: David
Ingredients
1pork shoulderaka pork butt or Boston butt
hickory wood chunks
lump charcoal
For the Spiced Signature Smoky Rub
2Tbspdry mustard
½Tbspgranulated garlic
4tspblack pepper
2tspsweet smoked Spanish paprika
1tspdried thyme
¾tspcayenne pepper
¾tspchili powder
½tspsea salt
For Pulled Pork Sandwiches
hamburger buns
coleslaw
barbecue saucehomemade or store-bought
Instructions
Fill grill/smoker with lump charcoal and wood chunks.
Preheat grill/smoker to 240°.
Combine all of the spices for the rub in a small bowl and mix until well blended.
Apply rub to all sides of the pork shoulder.
Insert probe thermometer into pork shoulder, taking care to avoid touching bone.
Place pork shoulder on grill and close lid.
Periodically check on the temperature of the grill to ensure it stays around 240°F +/- 10°F.
Once the pork shoulder reaches 190°-195° (~1-1.5 hours per pound), remove from grill and wrap in aluminum foil and allow to rest for 1-3 hours.
Using a knife and 2 forks, shred the pork into finer pieces.
For Pulled Pork Sandwiches
In a small bowl, add pulled pork and barbecue sauce. Mix until pulled pork is well coated. Add a heaping amount of meat on each sandwich.
Top with cole slaw and additional barbecue sauce (optional).
Notes
You will likely have plenty of leftovers! (My philosophy when it comes to smoking meats is the bigger the better. It might take longer to cook larger pieces, but once I've got the smoker going for the day, I don't mind an extra couple hours if it means more delicious smoked meats for later!)Because this style of cooking takes so long, I recommend making the pulled pork the day before you'd like to serve it. That way, you won't have to rush against the clock to serve it for dinner. (Oh, and the pulled pork freezes quite well, too. So if you have company coming over this weekend, consider making the pulled pork early in the week and throwing it in the freezer for a few days!)