Smoked Pork Butt

This smoked pork butt is cooked low and slow until it reaches that 200-plus-degree tenderness zone, then rested until it pulls apart easily. Pile it onto sandwiches, tacos, nachos, or eat it straight off the tray.

Ingredients

• 1 pork butt or pork shoulder, 6 to 8 pounds
• Yellow mustard, as a binder
• 1/4 cup BBQ rub
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, if your rub is salt-free
• Apple juice or cider vinegar, for spritzing, optional
• BBQ sauce, optional

Instructions

1. Pat pork dry and trim any very thick hard fat.
2. Coat lightly with mustard and season generously with BBQ rub.
3. Heat smoker to 225 degrees F.
4. Smoke pork until the bark is dark and the internal temperature reaches about 165 degrees F.
5. Wrap in foil or butcher paper and continue smoking until it reaches 200 to 205 degrees F and probes tender.
6. Rest wrapped for at least 1 hour.
7. Shred, discard large fatty pieces, and mix with juices or sauce if desired.

Mood Messy Tips

• Cook by tenderness, not just time.
• The rest matters; it keeps the pork juicy.
• Save leftovers for tacos, sandwiches, rice bowls, and nachos.

Video: Watch the original Mood Messy Kitchen TikTok inspiration here.