Smoking Pulled Pork at 225F (The Complete Guide)

If you’re smoking a pork shoulder or boston butt for the first time or want a quick refresher then this guide is for you!

I’ve included helpful tips and tricks for smoking pulled pork at 225 degrees Fahrenheit including cooking times, internal temperatures, and how to prevent the pork from drying out.

Thankfully, pulled pork is a fairly easy meat to smoke that almost always comes out tasting good.

In fact, pulled pork is one of the easiest meats to smoke. Make sure to check out this list of other easy meats to smoke.

However, this guide will make sure your pulled pork comes out tasting great so let’s cover all our bases when smoking pulled pork at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Best Meat to Use for Pulled Pork

The best meat to use for pulled pork is either pork shoulder or boston butt.

Ideally, you want to select a cut that is relatively even in thickness across the entire cut and that has a good amount of fat.

The fat will help keep the pulled pork moist and will also add flavor to your pulled pork when you shred the pork shoulder or boston butt.

You always want to select a piece of meat that is relatively even so that all sides of the meat are cooking around the same rate.

If you had a piece of meat that is thick on one side and thin on the other then the thin side will cook faster than the thick side. So you will be left with either undercooked or overcooked meat which you do not want.

How To Smoke Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is one of the easiest meats to smoke since there is very little prep needed to get a pork shoulder ready for smoking.

Here are the main steps for smoking a pulled pork successfully at 225 degrees Fahrenheit:

1. Remove the pork shoulder from the packaging
2. Use paper towels to pat the pork shoulder dry
3. Apply a binder, such as mustard, all over the pork shoulder
4. Heavily season all sides of the pork shoulder
5. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit
6. Place the pork shoulder in the smoker
7. Wait until the internal temperature of the pork shoulder reaches 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit
8. Remove pork shoulder from the smoker, wrap the pork shoulder, and rest for 1 hour
9. Twist and pull the bone out and shred the meat with forks or bear claws

Generally, pork shoulder will take about 90 minutes to smoke per pound at 225 degrees Fahrenheit so an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 12 hours to cook.

Now let’s cover prepping the pork shoulder for smoking.

Rub Mustard on Pork Shoulder as Binder

Mustard is the most common and recommended binder to use for pork shoulder and pork butt.

Certain cuts of meat like pork shoulder will need help in order to have all the seasoning stick to the meat. This is where a binder is used in order to help bind or hold the seasoning to the raw meat before placing the meat in the smoker.

If a binder like mustard is not used then a lot of the seasoning will not stick to the pork shoulder. So you must use a binder to make sure the seasoning sticks.

If you do not want to use mustard as a binder then you can use water, oil, and even sauces in order to help the seasoning stick to the pork shoulder.

Generally, BBQ folks use mustard as a binder since it’s readily available and leaves a vinegar-based flavor that tends to blend well with most seasonings.

Now that your pork shoulder is thoroughly seasoned, let’s cover how long it takes to smoke pork shoulder at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Long to Smoke Pork Shoulder at 225°F

Pork shoulder takes about 90 minutes per pound to smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. So an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 12 hours to smoke from start to finish. Keep in mind the that pork shoulder’s internal temperature should reach 195°F to 205°F before being pulled off the smoker.

If you plan on having the pork shoulder reach a lower internal temperature such as 145°F then the pork shoulder will take far less time to reach that temperature.

However, it is highly recommended that you allow the pork shoulder or pork butt to reach an internal temperature of 195°F to 205°F and wrap the pork and allow it to rest for 1 hour.

Ideally, you want to allow the wrapped pork shoulder to rest in a cooler so that the pork can slowly cool down which will help the meat stay juicy. See this list for the best coolers for resting meat.

Allowing the pork shoulder to reach a higher internal temperature of 195°F to 205°F will allow the tough connective tissues and fat to soften creating delicious pulled pork.

Pork shoulder that only reaches a lower internal temperature such as 145°F will be very tough and will not pull apart.

How Long To Smoke Pulled Pork per Pound at 225F

A good rule of thumb is that pork shoulder and boston butt will take about 90 minutes to smoke per pound at 225°F. This means a 10-pound pork shoulder will take about 15 hours to cook.

Keep in mind that there are ways to speed up the cooking process such as wrapping the pork shoulder or increasing the cooking temperature.

However, if you plan on just placing an unwrapped pork shoulder on a smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit then the pork shoulder will take about 90 minutes to cook per pound.

How Long Does the Stall Last When Smoking Pork Shoulder?

If you are using a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the pork shoulder then you may notice the internal temperature stalling.

Although this can seem strange that the internal temperature of the pork is not increasing even as the pork shoulder cooks on the smoker, this is a completely normal phenomenon with pork shoulder and even brisket.

Generally, a pork shoulder stall can last up to 6 hours. However, the stall may only last as little as 2 hours. On average, the stall will last around 4 hours when smoking a pork shoulder.

So do not be alarmed if you do not see the internal temperature of the pork shoulder increasing for a few hours.

Just allow the pork shoulder to continue smoking and, over time, the internal temperature of the pork shoulder will eventually increase again.

At What Temperature Does Pork Shoulder Stall?

Generally, pork shoulders will stall when the internal temperature reaches about 150°F to 170°F. During the stall, the internal temperature will not rise for 2 to 6 hours.

However, once the stall ends, the internal temperature of the pork shoulder will continue to rise.

There is nothing you need to do in order to break the stall. Simply allow the pork shoulder to continue to cook and eventually the internal temperature will continue to rise.

Best Temperature to Cook Pulled Pork To

The best internal temperature to aim for when cooking pulled pork is 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. At this internal temperature, the pork will literally pull apart and you will be able to twist and remove the bone from the meat.

Although pork is safe to consume when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the pork shoulder will still be very tough at low temperatures.

Pork shoulder and boston butt are tough cuts of meat so the meat needs to reach a higher internal temperature in order to break down all the tough connective tissues.

Is 190F OK for Pulled Pork?

If you are pressed for time, you can remove your pork shoulder or boston butt when the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit or even lower.

However, the pork may not be as tender so you want to allow the pork to reach at least 195 degrees Fahrenheit if possible.

Some strategies to help the pork reach a higher internal temperature are to:

1. Wrap the pork with aluminum foil
2. Increase the cooking temperature

However, the best strategy is to simply plan ahead.

If you are smoking a pork shoulder at 225 degrees Fahrenheit then plan for about 90 minutes of cooking time per pound.

Should I Wrap My Pork Butt?

Wrapping a pork butt will decrease the time it takes the pulled pork to be done. So if you want the pulled pork to be ready sooner then wrapping the pork butt when the internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees Fahrenheit will speed up the cooking process.

If you do not have a thermometer then wait until the pork shoulder has been cooked about two-thirds of the way through the projected cooking time.

For example, if you are smoking an 8-pound pork butt then the total projected cooking time is about 12 hours. So wrap the pork butt around the 8-hour mark and place the wrapped pork butt back on the smoker.

The pork butt will finish before the 12-hour mark.

Use a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature and remove the pork butt when the internal temperature reaches 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do You Wrap Pork Shoulder in Foil When Smoking?

You do not need to wrap a pork shoulder when smoking.

Pork shoulder can be smoked unwrapped at 225 degrees and the cooking time will take about 90 minutes per pound.

However, if you want to speed up the cooking process then wrapping the pork shoulder in foil will help the pork shoulder cook faster.

Ideally, you want to use foil instead of butcher paper when wrapping pork shoulder since the foil will help contain all the pork juices which will steam the pork shoulder.

Butcher paper allows the juices to seep out which is great for brisket but not as ideal for pork shoulder.

Cooking Pulled Pork Fat Side Up or Down

There is a lot of debate as to whether the fat side should be placed facing up or down when smoking a pork shoulder.

So here are the main pros and cons of placing the fat side up vs down:

• Fat Side Up – As fat melts, the fat will baste the meat but this can also wash away some of the seasonings
• Fat Side Down – The fat will protect the meat from the direct heat. Most smokers have heat coming from the bottom so the fat will help keep the meat from drying out.

So there are advantages and disadvantages to placing the pork fat side up and fat side down.

However, there is another option where you flip the pork shoulder midway through the cook.

• Flipping Midway – You can place the pork shoulder fat side down in the beginning and then the fat side up mid-way through the cook. That way the meat will be protected from the heat at first and then be basted by the fat melting during the second half of the cook.

The best advice is to try placing the fat side up, fat side down, and flipping midway to see which method works best for your pulled pork.

Do You Flip a Pork Shoulder When Smoking?

Pork shoulder does not need to be flipped when smoking at a low and slow temperature such as 225°F. Meat only needs to be flipped when being seared over high heat to prevent the outside from burning.

However, as mentioned above, you can also flip the pork shoulder mid-way through the cook if you want to alternate having the fat side up vs the fat side down. That being said you do not HAVE to flip the pork shoulder when smoking.

Any meat being smoked at a low temperature does not need to be flipped since the smoke and heat are cooking the meat from all sides in the smoker.

Similar to a convection oven, a pork shoulder being smoked at 225°F is cooking on all sides at the same time.

Since you do not need to flip meat when cooking it in an oven, you also do not need to flip meat when smoking on a pellet grill or smoker.

Keeping Pulled Pork Moist

The best way to keep pulled pork moist is by cooking the pulled pork in a large turkey or cooking tray. Those large aluminum trays will help capture all of the pork juices as the pork shoulder is being cooked which will help keep all the pulled pork moist when the pork shoulder is pulled apart.

Not to mention the extra pork juices and fats will make your pulled pork taste even better! So using a large aluminum pan or tray when cooking pulled pork is highly recommended.

It’s also important to not overcook the pulled pork since that will lead to dry pulled pork.

Can You Add Water to Pulled Pork?

If your pulled pork is dry then you can add water and slowly warm up the pulled pork to rehydrate the pork. You can also use broth, apple juice, or beer if you want to add some additional flavor while rehydrating the pulled pork.

Make sure to use low heat and slowly warm up the pulled pork with the water or juices so that the meat is not being cooked further and is only reheated.

Cooking pulled pork that is already dry will only make the pulled pork even drier.