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- 1
Get the smoker dialed in
Pull the pork shoulder out and let it sit at room temperature for an hour — don't skip this, a cold roast in a hot smoker just slows your bark formation. Preheat your smoker to 275°F and load it with applewood chips or pellets. Apple is the right call here: mild and sweet, won't fight the pork. Low and slow is the whole game.
- 2
Bark it up
Trim the fat cap down but leave a layer — that's your insurance against drying out. Pat the shoulder dry, slather it all over with spicy brown mustard (you won't taste it, it's just glue for the rub), then coat heavy with your meat seasoning or favorite rub. Mix the apple cider and cider vinegar in a spray bottle and set it by the smoker.
- 3
Smoke to 165°F
Place the shoulder in the smoker, fat side up, and run a probe into the thickest part. Spritz with the cider mixture once an hour to keep the surface tacky so smoke keeps building bark. You're looking for an internal temp of 165°F and a dark mahogany crust — that'll take about 5 hours. This is where the stall happens around 150-160°F; don't panic and crank the heat, just let it ride.
- 4
Wrap and push through to pull temp
Once it hits 165°F, transfer the shoulder to a cast-iron skillet or 13x9 pan, give it one more good spritz, and wrap it tight in foil — probe still in. Back into the smoker it goes for another 2-3 hours until it reaches 200-205°F internal. That extra 35-40 degrees past 165° is what turns tough shoulder into pork that shreds with a fork instead of fighting you.
- 5
Rest it — really rest it
Pull the pork at 200-205°F and let it rest, still covered in foil, for 45-60 minutes at room temperature. This isn't optional. Cutting into it early means all that juice ends up on your cutting board instead of in the meat. Once rested, pull the bone out, shred with two forks, skim the excess fat from the pan juices, and toss the pork back through what's left.
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Mustard-Bark Smoked Pork Butt with Apple Wood
Created by: SmokeRingSteve
Ingredients
- 9 lb pork shoulder
- applewood wood chips
- 3 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 cup all-purpose meat seasoning
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
Instructions
- Get the smoker dialed inPull the pork shoulder out and let it sit at room temperature for an hour — don't skip this, a cold roast in a hot smoker just slows your bark formation. Preheat your smoker to 275°F and load it with applewood chips or pellets. Apple is the right call here: mild and sweet, won't fight the pork. Low and slow is the whole game.
- Bark it upTrim the fat cap down but leave a layer — that's your insurance against drying out. Pat the shoulder dry, slather it all over with spicy brown mustard (you won't taste it, it's just glue for the rub), then coat heavy with your meat seasoning or favorite rub. Mix the apple cider and cider vinegar in a spray bottle and set it by the smoker.
- Smoke to 165°FPlace the shoulder in the smoker, fat side up, and run a probe into the thickest part. Spritz with the cider mixture once an hour to keep the surface tacky so smoke keeps building bark. You're looking for an internal temp of 165°F and a dark mahogany crust — that'll take about 5 hours. This is where the stall happens around 150-160°F; don't panic and crank the heat, just let it ride.
- Wrap and push through to pull tempOnce it hits 165°F, transfer the shoulder to a cast-iron skillet or 13x9 pan, give it one more good spritz, and wrap it tight in foil — probe still in. Back into the smoker it goes for another 2-3 hours until it reaches 200-205°F internal. That extra 35-40 degrees past 165° is what turns tough shoulder into pork that shreds with a fork instead of fighting you.
- Rest it — really rest itPull the pork at 200-205°F and let it rest, still covered in foil, for 45-60 minutes at room temperature. This isn't optional. Cutting into it early means all that juice ends up on your cutting board instead of in the meat. Once rested, pull the bone out, shred with two forks, skim the excess fat from the pan juices, and toss the pork back through what's left.