Once the internal temperature reaches 203°F, remove the pork from the smoker, keep it wrapped and let it rest for 30-60 minutes.
Remove the foil or butcher paper from the pork, use your hands with gloves, meat claws or two forks to shred the pork.
Notes
When picking out a pork shoulder or butt at the grocery store, make sure the fat cap is intact, but there is no skin on the pork. You can purchase a bone-in or boneless pork butt, but I highly recommend buying a bone-in pork butt whenever possible. When shopping for your pork, note that a pork butt may also be called a “boston butt” and a pork shoulder may be called a “picnic shoulder” or “picnic roast”.
This recipe works for anything from a 5-10 pound pork butt. I recommend planning for about a half pound of meat per person. Also note that the pork butt will cook down and weigh less at the end of the cooking process. I usually plan for a 6 pound pork butt to feed around 10-12 people.
I recommend apple wood or pellets for this recipe, but you can also use any mild to medium flavored smoke from a sweet tree, such as maple, peach or cherry.
Cook to temperature, not time! The cooking time for a smoked pork butt will vary based on a number of things. For this reason, I always recommend using temperature, not time, to determine when to remove the pork from the smoker. That being said, you can expect around 90 minutes per pound of meat using the Texas Crutch method or 2 hours per pound of meat without the Texas Crutch method.
To add a little tang to the recipe, feel free to use yellow or dijon mustard instead of olive oil. Simply rub the mustard on the pork butt, then sprinkle on the dry rub.
Leftover pulled pork will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container. To reheat the leftover pork in the microwave, place it on a plate, cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes. The wet paper towel will help keep the pork moist. To reheat the pork in the oven, mix the pulled pork with a little apple juice, water or chicken broth to add moisture. Place it in an oven-safe dish and pop it in a 325°F oven for 20-30 minutes.