Boston Butt (Slow-Smoked Pork Shoulder)

This is one of my very favorite things to throw on the smoker for a few hours of fun:

Boston Butt aka pork shoulder.

What you'll need is a nice piece of bone-in pork shoulder, between 4 - 5 lbs. Have the butcher trim the fat off a little because it does tend to have a bit too much of it. Next thing is to prepare it. I use a simple dry rub the night before, consisting of

- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 1-2 tablespoons Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon or more Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 cup Coarse Salt
- 1/4 cup Brown or White Sugar


This will coat up to 6 lbs of Pork Ribs and 10 lbs of Pork Shoulder or Pork Roast.

The next morning...Yawn! Just woke up and haven't had my coffee yet...but I digress. Off to the yard I am.

Building the fire. I use some Kingsford Brickets to get the fire going, and then switch to Lump All-natural charcoal. In order to get the smoke going, wooden chips of either Hickory, Apple wood, seasoned Oak or Cherry will do just fine. Make sure to soak them in water for at least an hour and drain them before throwing them onto the fire. Next thing we need is a thermometer...well, two actually. One meat thermometer to measure the inside temp of the meat and one to check on the temp inside the smoker. You can either use one of those stand-up little thermometer or better yet, if your smoker has a built-in one, use that one. A consistent temperature for the smoking process should be between 225° F to 275° F, not much lower or much higher.

Furthermore, we'll need two aluminum pans, one for the drippings and one for water. The water one is crucial because the water will evaporate and keep the meat somewhat moist. I also always keep a spray bottle of Apple cider handy when smoking larger pieces of meat since it adds a subtle flavor to it.

Anyway, place the meat on the grates, close the lid and keep an eye on the temperature. If it drops significantly, add some wood to it but refrain from checking on the meat every five minutes. I only open the lid when I spray it with apple cider, which is every hour or so. I flip the meat about midway through the smoking process. At the end of the smoking process, which should be after 6-7 hrs, use the meat thermometer and check the inside temp of the pork shoulder. It should be around 165° F to 185° F. It is done once the needle hits that temp.

Once the meat's done, wrap it in heavy aluminum foil and let rest for at least 45 - 60 mins before pulling it apart or cutting into it.

Now kick back, enjoy a cold one and have fun...