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a smoked boston butt in a masterbuilt electric smoker
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Smoked Boston Butt in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker

A Boston butt, or pork shoulder, rubbed with a classic BBQ rub and smoked in a Masterbuilt electric smoker, or any electric smoker. Pulled and served on a bun with a vinegar sauce.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 hours
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 13 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12 People
Calories 450kcal
Author Mads Martigan
Cost $30

Equipment

  • Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
  • Aluminum Foil Trays
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife
  • Smoking Wood chips
  • Brush or spray bottle (preferably the latter)
  • Large forks or a Pair of BBQ Bear Claws
  • Internal Meat Thermometer
  • Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
  • Plastic Wrap

Ingredients

  • 1 Boston Butt (5 to 8 lb) Sometimes labeled Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder
  • 2 tablespoon Yellow Mustard or Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoon Brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoon Paprika
  • 2 tablespoon Kosher salt or 1 tablespoon of table salt
  • 1 tablespoon Onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoon Ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Cayenne optional for heat
  • ½ Cup Apple Juice or Cola in a Spray Bottle (optional to spray during the cook)
  • ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar adjust to taste
  • Salt to taste to add at the end once pulled
  • ¼ Cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red BBQ Sauce Or any vinegar based BBQ sauce for pulled pork, adjust to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Pork Butt

  • Trim any excess fat from the exterior of the Boston butt. Trim the fat cap down to ¼" thickness. Score the fat cap with a meat knife in 2 directions perpendicular to each other.
    1 Boston Butt (5 to 8 lb)
    trimming the fat from a pork butt with a knife
  • In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. This includes the brown sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne, the onion and garlic powders and the ground black pepper. Mix it all to make the dry rub. Keep in mind you can always buy your own dry rub or use your own recipe. It’s up to you.
    4 tablespoon Brown sugar, 2 tablespoon Kosher salt, 3 tablespoon Paprika, ½ teaspoon Cayenne, 1 tablespoon Onion powder, 1 tablespoon Garlic powder, 2 tablespoon Ground black pepper
  • Cover your Boston butt with a thin layer of olive oil or yellow mustard, then generously apply your rub to coat the entire exterior of the meat.
    2 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
    a seasoned pork butt on a cutting board
  • Wrap your Boston butt in plastic wrap and place it back in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
    a seasoned pork butt wrapped in plastic wrap

Start the Smoker

  • Plug in and turn on your electric smoker. Set the temperature to 250°F.
  • Fill an aluminum foil pan with water and place it on the bottom shelf above the Masterbuilt water pan. Using this instead will make clean up easier later. Make sure all your vents are open.
    pouring water into the water pan of a masterbuilt electric smoker smoking a pork butt
  • When the smoker has come up to temperature, place your chosen wood chips in the wood chip loader and insert it back into the smoker.
    loading wood chips into a masterbuilt electric smoker
  • Remove the pork from the refrigerator, add any additional rub that may have come off, and when the smoker is producing smoke, place your meat on a rack above the water pan.
    a pork butt with a temperature probe smoking in a masterbuilt electric smoker
  • Place your leave in probe thermometer, if you have one, inside the pork making sure to not touch the bone. Run it up through the vent to the controller.
    a pork butt smoking in a masterbuilt electric smoker
  • Set the timer to 12 hours and close the door to the smoker. Every 2-3 hours you can optionally spray the exterior of the meat with apple juice or cola to help form the bark and keep the meat moist.
    ½ Cup Apple Juice or Cola in a Spray Bottle
  • Your meat will take on average 1 to 1.5 hours total to cook per pound. You can empty and refill more wood chips for the first 3-4 hours. After this, the meat will not absorb much more smoke flavor so save your chips.
    a masterbuilt electric smoker with the door closed full of smoke and a pork butt

Texas Crutch

  • After about 7-8 hours, when the internal temperature of the meat hits about 160°F, remove it from the smoker and triple wrap it in aluminum foil. Replace the thermometer and place it back in the smoker.
    wrapping a pork butt in foil
  • Once the internal temperature hits 203°F, remove the pork from the smoker and keep it wrapped in foil to rest for about an hour. You can hold it for longer in an oven set to WARM or back in the smker set to 170 deg F.
    unwrapping a smoked pork butt from foil
  • Remove the from the foil and let rest another 20 minutes open to air before pulling to allow the bark to firm back up.
    a finished smoked boston butt in a foil pan after coming out of an electric smoker

Pull and Serve

  • Pull your Boston butt using your hands, a pair or forks, or bear claws. Discard any large pieces of fat and the bone.
    shredding a pork butt with bear claws into pulled pork
  • After you finish pulling, taste for saltiness and add salt to taste, mixing as you add it in. You can also add some apple cider vinegar to taste to add some acidity.
    Salt, ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
    a tray of shredded smoked pulled pork
  • Serve with buns and a vinegar based BBQ sauce on the side to top with like Blues Hog Tennessee Red.
    ¼ Cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red BBQ Sauce
    a smoked pulled pork sandwich on a bun

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal