A BBQ Love Affair

There are few things in this world that bring a smile to my face quite like a perfectly smoked pulled pork sandwich. If you've been around me at all, you know that while I try all kinds of BBQ delights, pulled pork is by far my one of my most frequent and cherished cooks. There's just something about that succulent, smoky, melt-in-your-mouth pork that keeps me coming back for more.

And you know what? It’s one of the simpler large cuts of meat to smoke, making it a fantastic entry point for aspiring pitmasters and a reliable go-to for seasoned pros. Unlike a brisket, which demands a lot of attention to keep from drying out and takes so long to cook it is almost always a long overnight smoke for me, pulled pork is incredibly forgiving and can usually get done maybe with just an early wake up. It allows you to relax, enjoy the process, and still achieve legendary results. 

Now I normally will make it with just my standard pork sweet rub or make a carnitas specific rub for tacos, nut I wanted to try to make one with a little different Texas flair. I did that by adding in a cracked black pepper layer to the bark, hoping to bring in some flavors similar to how I'd do a brisket. So here's my approach to crafting the ultimate Smoked Texas Pulled Pork, a recipe honed over countless hours and fueled by pure passion.

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The Foundation: Quality Pork Shoulder and the Perfect Rub

It all starts with the right cut of meat: a good quality pork shoulder, often labeled as a Boston butt, a pork shoulder roast, or even a picnic roast. Picnic and Boston Butt are technically two different parts of the shoulder and while either can be used, the Boston Butt may have more marbling which will help for a long smoke. Look for a well-marbled piece – that intramuscular fat is your friend, rendering down during the long smoke to create incredible juiciness and flavor. I typically opt for a bone-in shoulder, as the bone can impart even more flavor and helps with even cooking, but boneless works too. That bone will just slide right out before you shred it since the pork should nearly fall apart.

I like to do a light trim on the fat cap on top. Some of that fat is going to help the meat cook, but mostly I trim off a little for aesthetics. You can use your personal preference here. I was intentionally trying to see what happens with a leaner cook this time, so I did take a bit more off the top than usual before rubbing it. You can also slice a nice diamond pattern about halfway through the fat cap if you like, which makes presentation (pre-shredding) look nice.

Now, for the flavor backbone: OMML Pork Rub. This pork rub is a little sweet with balance of sugar, brown sugar, and salt, and traditional flavors of cumin and paprika. Now ordinarily, I might say cover the entire thing thoroughly, and I definitely want a good dusting on this, but I'm going to add that black pepper, remember, so I don't want the sweetness to fully overpower the flavor profile. I do need enough on there, though, to help build that bark.

Now to make this a Texas Smoked Pulled Pork, I deviate a little more from my standard, adding this crust across the top of coarsely ground black pepper. I have a huge bottle of this black pepper because I like the way it crusts up in bark for smoked meats, and works well alongside coarse Kosher salt in terms of grain size and texture. Pat that pepper down firmly to create a nice layer across the top. This black pepper will add a little bit of spice and give a great contrast in texture to the tender pork.

The Smoke: Low and Slow with the Right Wood

Once your pork shoulder is prepped and looking glorious, it’s time for the smoker. My preferred wood combination for pulled pork is a blend of fruit woods like apple, cherry, or pear and maybe some oak, but for this one I think you can combine the apple wood with either hickory or mesquite. Apple wood provides a subtle, sweet, and fruity smoke that complements the pork beautifully, while hickory or mesquite deliver that classic, robust, and unmistakably Texas BBQ flavor. The balance between the two creates a complex smoke profile that is utterly irresistible. Pecan could be another option. I typically use large wood chunks in my smoker but get it started with a chimney or two of lump hardwood charcoal like B&B or Royal Oak.

I aim for a consistent smoker temperature of around 250-275°F (120-135°C), though sometimes I know it dips down a little lower. But low and slow is the name of the game here. This allows all those connective tissues in the pork to slowly break down, resulting in that fall-apart tenderness we all crave. Patience, my friends, is a virtue when it comes to BBQ.

The Dreaded Stall and the Texas Crutch

So when you're smoking a big piece of meat like a pork shoulder, you may notice that you'll be cruising along, watching that internal temperature steadily climb, and then BAM! It happens. The "stall." This is a phenomenon where the internal temperature of the meat plateaus, sometimes for hours, as moisture evaporates from the surface, cooling the meat through evaporative cooling. It can be frustrating, but it's a completely normal part of the process and a sign that your bark is developing beautifully. Don't panic, don't crank up the heat (you'll just dry out your meat!), and resist the urge to peek too often. Let it ride.

Once the stall has persisted for a while, or when the bark has reached that deep, dark, almost-black stage that I'm looking for (usually around 160-170°F / 71-77°C internal temperature), it's time for the "Texas Crutch." This is where we wrap the pork shoulder in unbleached peach butcher paper. Why butcher paper? Unlike foil, butcher paper is breathable, allowing some of the smoke to continue to penetrate while still retaining moisture and accelerating the cooking process through the stall. It also helps to preserve that precious bark you've worked so hard to create, preventing it from getting too soggy. It’s the same technique I use for brisket, and it works wonders for pulled pork too.

A few years ago, my wife picked up a set of thermometer probes for me to monitor my long cooks. It was a life saver, and had 6 different probes to monitor all the different things I'd be rolling at the same time. Unfortunately, at some point most of the probes started failing, so I had to replace it. I'll probably do a post at some point about all the different options in probes (and there's a ton from wifi to bluetooth to smart probes, etc.), but I decided to replace mine with the Govee Thermometer probes that work via Bluetooth and have this great display to track the cook throughout the day from your phone. It's a great way to notice the stall there, when you've really plateaued (for me at about 160-165°) for some time. If you don't have one of these you can just use a regular instant meat thermometer (mine is similar to this with the bottle opener and kind of switchblade design), but you'll be checking more often and maybe losing some heat from the smoker when you have to open that door.

The Finish Line: Foil Pan and the Shredding Glory

After wrapping, the pork goes back on the smoker, or sometimes, if I'm running short on fuel or daylight, into the oven set to the same temperature as the smoker. After a few hours on the smoke, you're picking up a relatively negligible increase in smoke flavor, so you're really just looking for heat after four hours or so. The goal is to continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 205°F (96°C) and, more importantly, until it's "probe tender." I think technically the pork is done at 190° but you really want to push it up to the 205° mark to really get that soft tender pork you are looking for. This means a thermometer probe (or even a skewer) should slide into the thickest part of the meat with almost no resistance, like pushing it into warm butter. That's how you know the collagen has completely broken down.

Once it hits that magical 205°F and is probe tender, it's time to pull it off the heat. Resist the urge to shred it immediately! This is crucial. Place the wrapped pork shoulder into a foil pan, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least an hour, or even better, two to three hours. This resting period allows the muscle fibers to relax and reabsorb all those delicious juices, resulting in an incredibly moist and flavorful pulled pork. If you are starving and you just can't wait, or you're running out of time, go ahead, but the rest really will benefit you.

Finally, the moment you've been waiting for: the shredding! With two forks, or better yet, a pair of heat-resistant gloves, tear apart that glorious pork shoulder. I know there are also meat shredding claws, but I have not used any of those personally so I can't tell you if they are any good. Regardless, it should practically fall apart with minimal effort. Mix in any accumulated juices from the pan – that's pure liquid gold!

The Ultimate Reward

Serve your Smoked Texas Pulled Pork on a toasted bun with a bit of your favorite BBQ sauce (though honestly, it's so good on its own!). I recommend taking a small amount and really mixing it with the sauce together. I prefer it with some sliced yellow onion and a few pickled jalapeno slices on top as well. It's perfect for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, or simply enjoyed straight from the platter as a "meat snack." The rich, smoky flavor, the tender, juicy meat, and that incredible bark all come together in a symphony of BBQ perfection.

Pulled pork is more than just a meal for me; it's a labor of love, a testament to patience, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. If you're new to smoking or looking for your next BBQ adventure, I wholeheartedly encourage you to give this Smoked Texas Pulled Pork a try. You won't be disappointed. Happy smoking, y'all!