Easy BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder (Traeger Demo)

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It’s seriously the best BBQ Traeger smoked pulled pork shoulder recipe you’ll try. Cooked to fork-tender on the pellet grill, this is the easiest way I’ve found to make game day smoker pulled pork sandwiches for a crowd. Let’s smoke pork…

Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder Traeger Demo — Smoked BBQ pulled pork is comfort food at its finest, and will soothe all your cravings! Plus, pork shoulder is a great cut of meat for feeding a crowd.

Table of Contents

Why this is the best smoked pulled pork recipe

It’s so tender it melts in your mouth.
Easy, fast prep.
Easy football party food recipe you can make ahead.
Learn exactly what temp to smoke pulled pork so it’s super tender.
See how it takes to smoke pulled pork, and how to keep it moist and juicy.
Beginners at smoking food, see the video with steps at the bottom of the post.

Traeger BBQ rub Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder resting on a plate before shredding into pulled pork — This pulled pork smoker recipe turns out like a big piece of meat candy!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make pulled pork in the smoker grill.

3 LB pork shoulder (substitute pork butt / boston butt)
BBQ seasoning (any dry rub for pork or bbq rub blend)
Brown sugar (optional)
Apple cider vinegar
Water (for adding moisture as it cooks)

Smoking Pulled Pork Shoulder in the Traeger pellet grill with water — Look at that… yum! Pellet smoker pulled pork can be customized with your favorite BBQ seasoning or any pork dry rub.

Another recipe to try here is this smoked bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. It’s so tasty!

How to smoke pulled pork on the Traeger

Now I’ll walk you through it…

Infographic chart with recipe steps for smoking Pulled Pork with captions

Season. Ideally 2-24 hours before smoking pulled pork, season pork shoulder with any smoked pulled pork rub you have on hand and brown sugar if desired. In this demo, Traeger Pork and Poultry Seasoning was used. Refrigerate until it’s time to preheat the pellet grill to smoke pork shoulder.
Preheat pellet smoker grill to 225 degrees F.
Prepare a metal loaf pan with 1.5 cups of water. This pan will be smoked with the pork. It adds moisture to the air and keeps the smoked pulled pork juicy while it cooks.
Prepare a spray bottle (optional, but suggested) with a mixture of the apple cider vinegar and the remaining ½ cup of water. You’ll want this on hand to spray pork shoulder while it cooks. If you don’t have a spray bottle you can try brushing on the mixture.
Add pork to Traeger. Once preheated, place pork shoulder directly on the pellet grill grates, fat side up. Add the loaf pan with water to the smoker, leaving space between the pan and the pork butt or shoulder.
Smoke pulled pork shoulder until pork reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F, as measured with a meat thermometer. The collagen breaks down at this temperature, resulting in very tender meat. Spritz the pulled pork (about once an hour or two) with the apple cider vinegar and water mixture while it cooks. The Traeger smoker pulled pork in this Sip Bite Go demonstration had a cook time of about 6 hours.
Rest smoked pulled pork if desired in aluminum foil to keep it warm. Shred it with two forks or shredding tools and serve as is or on sandwich rolls with classic BBQ sauce or Carolina BBQ (made with yellow mustard).

Shredded Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder for sandwiches on a serving platter — Use your smoked pulled pork shoulder leftovers for tacos, quesadillas, pulled pork pastry puffs, or pulled pork sandwiches next day.

Check out this recipe for smoked ham.

Try Traeger pulled pork sandwiches THIS way

This combination of flavors is so good… regular pickles on tender Traeger pork butt sandwiches taste pretty good.

But when you add some spicy pickled red onions, that’s when things get really flavorful…

Make them top your smoked sandwiches, or find them in the pickle section of the grocery store. Sometimes you’ll find a jar with jalapenos in them, too.

FAQs

What flavor pellets should I use for smoked pulled pork?

The final flavor of your smoked BBQ pulled pork will depend on the flavor pellets you use, so experiment and find your favorite! Hickory will give your meat a full-bodied flavor, and apple wood gives a fruity, mildly sweet flavor. Using a blend gives you the best of both worlds—a mixture of fruit woods and hearty hard woods is ideal.

What seasonings do you use for smoked pulled pork?

Featured in this recipe is Traeger Pork and Poultry Seasonings. I also recommend Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub and Rub with Love Pork Rub.

Do you need apple cider vinegar for smoking pork?

You don’t need apple cider vinegar to smoke a pork shoulder, but it does add a great amount of flavor. You can substitute apple juice or apple cider if needed.

Do you have to trim the fat from the pork shoulder?

I usually don’t bother, but you can trim off any excess fat from the pork shoulder or pork butt if desired before smoking it.

Do you need to wrap pork in butcher paper to smoke it?

Using butcher paper for wrapping the pork while it smokes isn’t necessary, in my opinion. Because there is plenty of moisture from the water and vinegar being infused as the pork cooks.

Why do you smoke pulled pork fat side up?

This is so it insulates the pork as it cooks and adds flavor.

How long should pork rest before shredding?

Ideally, you want to let your pellet smoker pulled pork rest 15-20 minutes before shredding; this allows it to ‘relax’ and the juices to be distributed within the meat fibers.

How long do you cook a pork shoulder at 225℉?

At 225 F, I originally planned on cooking my first smoker pulled pork shoulder for 60-90 minutes per pound—so I thought that a three pound shoulder would cook for around 3 hours, maybe 4 hours. Well, after numerous trials, I now expect about 6 hours of cooking time. You want to cook till the inner temperature of the smoked pulled pork shoulder reaches 205℉.

How long does it take to smoke a 12 LB pork shoulder?

You’ll be able to do the math to figure out how long to smoke pork butt or pork shoulder of various weights. Assume 90 minutes to 2 hours per pound for your 8, 10, 12 lb pork shoulder smoke time estimates.

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Sides

Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.

More delicious pulled pork recipes

See other modern ways to cook pork. And how to reheat smoked pulled pork with creative homemade pizza and pasta dishes:

Leftover pulled pork pizza
Pulled pork pasta
Pulled pork quesadillas
Sous vide pulled pork
Sous vide BBQ pork tacos
Smoked pulled pork butt with mustard binder
Add leftover smoked pulled pork to smoked nachos

This jalapeno ranch goes well with pork.

Have leftovers? See how easy it is to make homemade BBQ pork egg rolls…

Are you a foodie, too?

Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making this Traeger pulled pork recipe. Other recipes we love for game day include this tri tip in the oven, baked wings, and homemade hamburger patties.

If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.