Pork Shoulder Charcoal Grill

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Smoking a Pork Shoulder on a Charcoal Grill was the beginning of my BBQ journey and I think its a great place to start if you want to learn how to smoke Pork.

Using a weber kettle I will show you how to set up your fire and how to prep the pork shoulder for maximum flavor.

Why You Should Make This Pork Shoulder Recipe

Pork shoulder is a lot more forgiving than Smoked Brisket and a lot cheaper in case you mess up. That said, I will guarantee that if you follow this recipe, you will have tasty bbq pork when you are finished.

The Weber kettle is the OG of the grilling world and I think it's what every pit master should start with before spending thousands on other smokers.

Kettle grills can do it all, from hot and fast steaks to low and slow pulled pork and ribs.

What You'll Need For this Recipe

• Pork Shoulder: They will vary in size from about 4 pounds to 12 pounds so get one that will feed the amount of people you are looking to feed.
• BBQ Dry Rub: There are plenty of tasty rubs on the market you can purchase or you can always make this Pork Dry Rub Recipe yourself.
• Yellow Mustard: This is just to help the rub stick to the pork, you can also use oil, mayonnaise, hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
• Butter: When we wrap the pork butt I like to add some butter for richness
• Apple Cider Vinegar: This is used to add flavor and braise the pork once its wrapped
• BBQ Sauce: I prefer a thinner vinegar based sauce but you can use any bbq sauce you like.

Homemade Smoked Pork Shoulder on a Charcoal Grill

1. Start off by removing the pork shoulder from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Look for any stringy pieces of fat or bone fragments and trim them off.
2. Rub the entire pork butt down with the mustard making sure to get in all the flaps and sides. you don't need a lot, just enough to lightly coat the pork.
3. Season the pork with the dry rub on all sides, don't be afraid to go heavy with the seasoning, Its a big piece of meat and a lot will fall off throughout the cook. Place the pork butt in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can do this step the night before.
4. Set up the smoker for 2 zone cooking. Lay a bed of lump charcoal on one side of the grill. Then light up a charcoal starter on one side of the bed of coals. place about 4-5 chunks of wood across the bed so each piece will catch slowly over the coarse of the cooking process.
5. Once the charcoal grill reaches between 250-275 degrees F. Place the pork but fat side up on the opposite side from the fire. Smoke the pork for at least 3-4 hours until it develops a dark mahogany color and reaches an internal temperature of 165-175 degrees F.
6. Place the pork in an aluminum half pan with butter, apple cider vinegar, bbq sauce and a little sprinkle of rub. Cover with parchment paper then a sheet of foil and wrap tight. Place it back on the grill on the same side opposite the fire. If you need to add a little more charcoal now is a good time.
7. Continue to maintain your temperature and cook the pork butt until it reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F.
8. Probe the pork with an instant read thermometer in different places to make sure its tender in all the spots. Pull the pork off the grill and rest for at least 1 hour with the pan vented but not removed. You can hold the pork for up to 8 hours by placing the pork into a dry cooler and covering it with a towel.
9. Shred the pork shoulder using tongs or large forks. Add more sauce and rub as needed.

Helpful Tips For the Best Pulled Pork

• I highly recommend picking up a wireless meat thermometer. I know they can be a little pricy but they are a life saver when it comes to monitoring the temp of the pork without having to open the lid every 30 minute. There are cheaper wired meat probes that work great as well. I just hate the annoying wires.
• Until you really get the temperature of your weber kettle dialed in I suggest checking the grill temp once an hour. Try to avoid opening the lid as much as possible. The longer the lid is off the more oxygen the fire gets and your temps can spike.
• Pro Tip: I like to do is wrap a few bricks with foil and place them in the center on top of the grill grates to act as a heat deflector which will help the pork butt cook more evenly and not get to dark to soon.
• Don't be in a rush. The longer you let the pork rest the more tender it will be, You can store the pork in a dry cooler with an old towel for 6-8 hours and it will still be hot. You can keep the meat thermometer in the pork to monitor the temp. you need to refrigerate the pork once it reaches 145 degrees F but it will take a long time to cool down that much

What to serve with Smoked Pork Shoulder

The Smoked Pork Shoulder is the star of the show but you will need some tasty co-stars. For me coleslaw is more of a condiment but its a must on a pulled pork sandwich to balance out the richness of the pork.

• Classic Coleslaw
• Squash Casserole
• Smoked Mac and Cheese
• Smoked BBQ Beans

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