Charcoal Smoked Pork Butt

Servings: 8 people

This kettle grill method of smoking a pork butt takes longer than on a pellet grill, but you'll get much more of that great smoky flavor! Either way you decide to do it, you'll need to do it a few times before you figure out your favorite practices. Hopefully this will get you started on that journey! Watch one of my favorite YouTuber’s video on how to cook pork.

Equipment

Kettle charcoal grill
Grill thermometer, meat thermometer if available
charcoal 20 pound bag
sheet pan
spray bottle.
Disposable foil pan.
plastic wrap
tinfoil
insulted cooler (optional)

Ingredients

Pork butt or pork shoulder 5 - 7 pound, or pork shoulder
Yellow Mustard
Your favorite dry rub
Worcestershire sauce
Water
Apple cider vinegar

Instructions

The evening before the cook, if the fat cap is thick, trim off the fat little by little so there is a thin layer left.
On a sheet pan, pat the pork dry with paper towels. with one hand spread some yellow mustard on the pork on all sides (don't worry about the flavor of the mustard, it just helps develop that wonderful bark).
Spread a heavy amount of seasoning on the bottom of the pork (the non fat side). flip the pork over so the fat is facing up. Spread the seasoning on the top. make sure the sides are also seasoned heavily.
Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
Prep your grill by placing the empty foil pan in the center of the grill. then leaning the coals one at a time so they overlap one another around the pan; making a 3 tier system of coals around the outside of the grill.
The day of the cook, start the coals you prepped the day before. Make sure the coals are glowing hot and well lit before placing the top grate on the grill.
Pour cold water into the empty pan. Place the top grate on the grill.
Remove the pork from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrapping. Place the pork on the grill. Close the grill lid.
Open your vents all the way to full until the grill temperature reaches around 300° F. Close the vents halfway and wait 20 minutes until the temperature changes. change the vents as needed to keep the temp at 270° F (see notes).
Cook the pork for 3 hours undisturbed.
In the clean spray bottle, mix the Worcestershire sauce, water, and vinegar.
After 3 hours, check on the pork and spray the sides heavily with the spray, spraying every hour for the next 5 hours.
After a total of about 8 hours of cooking (See notes), remove the pork and wrap in tinfoil making sure that it is well wrapped. Spray heavily with the spray before closing the foil. Spread with some bacon grease if you have it.
Return the wrapped pork to the grill and continue to cook for around 2 hours (see notes).
After 2 hours remove the pork from the grill and wrap in multiple layers of plastic wrap.
Place pork in a cooler (or in an oven that's turned off) and let sit for at least 2 hours.
Remove the pork and shred. Serve and let everyone complement all your hard work! Don’t forget to brag about your cooking abilities!

Notes

You will notice there is no mention of temperature of the pork on this recipe, that is by design. Temperature control should only be for the grill. The grill needs to stay at a constant temperature of 270° F otherwise it will take too long or be over done and dry. Don’t sweat the temp too much though. The first time I did this method I was running out every 5 minutes and forgot the most important step, to enjoy to process! A thermometer that communicates with your phone will be your best friend here!
The method of coal stacking I mention is the reason why cooking with a charcoal grill works! It is called the “Snake method”. Each lit coal slowly lights the coal next to it and keeps the grill temp low without having to constantly refill the grill or battle overheating.
Make sure to keep the water filled below the roast; moisture is important. The reason for spraying is the moisten the meat.
The first 8 hours of cooking is to form the bark. The bark is the most important part of barbequing pork! You can slow cook pork in a crock pot the same way but only with barbeque can you get the bark. You want a solid black bark on the outside before you wrap. This is to compensate for wrapping which softens the bark.
The second 2 hours, you are cooking for tenderness. Inserting a probe into the meat should be almost no resistance.
The final temperature should be around 200° F but the most important part is the tenderness and the bark.
Letting the pork sit is important. The longer you let it sit, the better it will be. Pulling the pork before letting it sit will result it dry meat that is hard to shred because it is over 200°. Keep in mind letting it sit allows a carryover cook time to make the meat even more tender.
Plan the cook time based on your meal time. If you want to eat around 7 pm you will need to get up by 4am!
This pork took me multiple times before I got good at it. A charcoal grill is not meant to be used as a smoker so battling temperature will take some finesse. Make small changes to get the temperature just right and wait 20 minutes to see where you are at. There is no need to run out every 5 minutes to see where your temp is at this will just cause more stress.