Pork
Pulled Pork Shoulder on Electric Smoker
Pulled pork is the most forgiving long-cook protein, a pork shoulder at 225F is happy anywhere between 6 and 10 hours of cook time. That flexibility is what makes it the best entry point to electric smoker-grill cooking. The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL holds 225F precisely for the entire 9-hour cook, which is harder than it sounds on a stick-burner offset smoker. The result is bark that rivals any BBQ joint, interior meat that pulls apart with a fork, and a yield of about 5 pounds of finished pulled pork, enough for 10-12 generous sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 8 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard (binder)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne
- Apple juice for the spritz
- Hickory or applewood pellets
Instructions
- 01
The night before: slather the pork shoulder with mustard. Mix the dry rub (everything but the pork) and apply heavily. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- 02
Take the pork out 30 minutes before cooking.
- 03
Preheat the smoker to 225F with hickory or apple pellets.
- 04
Place the shoulder fat-side up on the grate. Smoke for 6 hours, spritzing with apple juice every hour after hour 3.
- 05
When the internal temp hits 165F (the stall), wrap the shoulder in butcher paper with a splash of apple juice.
- 06
Return to the smoker at 250F. Cook until internal temp hits 203F, another 2-3 hours.
- 07
Rest the wrapped shoulder in a cooler for 60 minutes.
- 08
Pull the bone (it should slide out clean). Shred the meat with two forks, mixing bark, fat, and interior meat.
- 09
Serve on soft buns with BBQ sauce and coleslaw.
Pro Tips
From our kitchen
- ★The stall is real. At 165F, the meat temperature plateaus for 1-2 hours as surface moisture evaporates. Wrapping pushes through it.
- ★203F is not a suggestion. That is the temp at which the connective tissue fully breaks down into gelatin. Pull earlier and the meat is tough; pull later and you lose it.
- ★The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL has Bluetooth monitoring, which matters when you are walking away for 9 hours. Check internal temp from the couch instead of opening the lid (every lid-open adds 10 minutes to the cook).
We recommend for this recipe
Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951's 406 sq in surface and bluetooth app connectivity and 2 built-in thermometers make it our pick for this recipe. the woodfire smoke infusion delivers the deep flavor this recipe needs.
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