Low and Slow
intro
Fall-apart tender pork shoulder smoked over hardwood at low temperature, packed with deep smoky, savory flavor, made for casual summer backyard gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season pork
Pat the 1.8 kg bone-in pork shoulder completely dry with paper towels. Mix 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp kosher salt, 1.5 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper in a small bowl to make the dry rub. Rub the entire surface of the pork (including sides and under the fat cap) evenly with the spice mix, then let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your smoker.
Preheat smoker for cooking
Preheat your offset or pellet smoker to 110°C (225°F) set for indirect heat. Add 225 g (half the total amount) of hickory or apple hardwood chunks to the fire box once the smoker reaches target temperature, waiting until thin, wispy blue smoke flows from the chimney before adding food.
Start initial slow smoke
Place the seasoned pork shoulder on the smoker’s main cooking grate fat side up, positioned fully away from direct flame. Close the smoker lid, and maintain a consistent internal cooking temperature of 107–121°C (225–250°F) for the first 4 hours, avoiding unnecessary lid openings to prevent heat and smoke loss.
Spritz to lock in moisture
After the first 4 hours of cooking, spritz the pork shoulder every 45 minutes with a combined mixture of 120 ml unsweetened apple juice and 60 ml apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Add the remaining 225 g of hardwood chunks as needed to maintain consistent thin blue smoke, monitoring temperature to avoid spikes over 135°C (275°F).
Wrap through temperature stall
Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F), typically 5–6 hours into cooking, carefully remove it from the grate and wrap it tightly in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Return the wrapped pork to the smoker, maintaining the 110°C (225°F) cooking temperature.
Cook to tender doneness
Continue cooking the wrapped pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 93–95°C (200–203°F), which takes an additional 2–2.5 hours. Test for doneness by sliding a meat probe into the thickest part: it should slide in with zero resistance, like pushing a knife into soft room-temperature butter.
Rest and pull the pork
Remove the wrapped pork from the smoker, and let it rest, still sealed in foil, for 45 minutes inside an empty, insulated cooler (no ice) to lock in juices. Unwrap the pork, discard the bone and any hard, unrendered fat chunks, then pull the meat into loose shreds using two forks or meat claws.
Tips
2.The temperature 'stall' (a 1–2 hour plateau around 71°C/160°F as meat moisture evaporates) is normal; wrapping the pork in foil cuts through this stall without ruining the smoky outer crust.
3.Reserve all savory collected juices from the foil wrapper after cooking, and stir them back into shredded pork to add extra moisture and rich, meaty flavor before serving.
OMG, made this for my son’s high school graduation party this past weekend and it was an absolute hit! 12 pounds of pork shoulder, followed the low and slow temp exactly, and it pulled apart like butter. Everyone was asking for the recipe, even my picky brother-in-law who swears his brisket is the only good BBQ in the family. 10/10, will be making this for every potluck from now on!
This pulled pork turned out SO good, I portioned it out for the whole week’s lunches! My only note is that my 8lb shoulder took almost 9.5 hours instead of the listed 8.5, so make sure you build in extra buffer time if you’re on a schedule. The bark was unreal, even my roommate who hates smoked food snuck a taco worth before I could pack it all up.
Game changer!!! I’ve tried so many smoked pork recipes that came out dry and tough, but this method with the spritz every hour? *Chef’s kiss* Made sliders with coleslaw for Sunday dinner with my roommates and we ate almost the whole 6lb shoulder in one sitting. Worth every minute of the long cook time, I’m never using another pulled pork recipe again.
Taste was great when it finally worked, but I definitely messed up the fire management halfway through and had a temp spike that made the outside a little charred. I’m a total newbie to smoking so that’s on me, but I wish the recipe had a quick note for beginners about how to recover if your smoker gets too hot. Still edible, my kids loved it tossed in BBQ sauce on buns!
Made this for our annual family camping trip last week, cooked it on our portable pellet smoker right at the campsite. The smell had people from the neighboring campsites stopping by to ask what we were making! My three kids went back for seconds (and thirds) even though they usually turn their noses up at anything that isn’t chicken nuggets. Worth hauling the smoker out for, no question.
SO good. Did a dry brine overnight like I do for all my BBQ, used the rub recipe from the post, and smoked it over hickory like suggested. The bark was crispy, the meat was juicy all the way through, and it paired perfectly with the vinegar-based sauce I whipped up. Made enough to freeze half for quick meals later, which is already a win in my book.
Hosted a game night with my hiking group last weekend and made this pork for nachos — total game changer. Piled it high on tortilla chips with queso, pickled red onions, jalapeños, and cilantro, and people were standing around the platter eating instead of playing board games for like 45 minutes. The long cook time sounds intimidating but it’s mostly hands off, so I was able to clean the house and get snacks ready while it smoked.
Flavor was on point! I used apple wood instead of hickory because it’s what I had on hand, and it gave the pork a really nice, mild sweet smoke that my whole family loved. Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I found the rub a little saltier than I prefer, so next time I’ll cut the kosher salt by a teaspoon and add a little more brown sugar. Will definitely make again though!
Just pulled this off the smoker 20 minutes ago and had to hop on to leave a review. Did a 7lb shoulder, kept the smoker steady at 225 the whole time, and it is fall apart tender. The rub has the perfect amount of paprika and garlic, not too overpowering so the pork and smoke shine. Making sandwiches for my kid’s soccer team potluck tomorrow and I already know it’s gonna get devoured.