The Best Smoked Pork Shoulder
This smoked pork shoulder is juicy, tender, and packed with smoky barbecue flavor. A sweet and savory injection marinade combined with a flavorful dry rub creates the ultimate smoked Boston butt with incredible bark and fall-apart pulled pork perfect for sandwiches, platters, tacos, and cookouts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rest Time: 1 HOUR
- Cook Time: 10-14 HOURS
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10-12 SERVINGS 1x
- Category: bbq, Dinner, Lunch
- Method: smoker
- Cuisine: AMERICAN | BBQ | SUMMER
Ingredients
Scale
Pork Shoulder
- 1 (6–8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder or Boston butt
Injection Marinade
- 1/3 cup apple juice
- 1/3 cup white grape juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Dry Rub
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the apple juice, white grape juice, sugar, and salt until dissolved.
- Using a meat injector, inject the marinade throughout the pork shoulder in multiple spots.
- Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels.
- In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, dry mustard, cumin, and ginger.
- Generously coat the entire pork shoulder with the dry rub, pressing it into the meat.
- Place the pork shoulder onto the smoker fat side up.
- Smoke for 10–14 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F–205°F and the pork is probe tender.
- Remove from the smoker and loosely wrap in foil or butcher paper. Rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Shred the pork using forks or meat claws and mix the bark throughout before serving.
Notes
- Applewood, hickory, cherry, or pecan wood all work great for smoking pork shoulder.
- Spritz with apple juice during smoking if desired for extra moisture.
- Cook until probe tender, not just to temperature.
- Leftovers are excellent for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and baked potatoes.
Find it online: https://www.firsthomelovelife.com/best-smoked-pork-shoulder/