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Smoked pork shoulder

Smoked pork shoulder

By Harper Ngo
120’ Prep time
480’ Cook time
600’ Total time
426 Calories
12 Serving

Summary

This smoked pork shoulder recipe is first rubbed with a delicious dry rub and then smoked for 7-8 hours. to elevate the flavor, we use an apple juice spritz that is just out of this world.
Harper Ngo 0 Followers

Step by Step

Step 1
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Step 1

Add the salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, mustard powder, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.
Step 2
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Step 2

Sprinkle half of the dry rub over the pork shoulder and massage the rub into the meat. Flip the pork over and sprinkle the rest of the dry rub on top of the rest of the pork and massage the dry rub into the meat. Be sure the whole pork shoulder is coated.
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Step 3

Wrap the pork shoulder in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results.
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Step 4

Preheat the smoker to 250ºF and add your smoking pellets or smoking chips to the smoker. We used the Signature Traeger Blend pellets. prepare the apple juice spritz. Pour the apple juice, bourbon maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar into a small spray bottle and shake it until combined. Set aside.
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Step 5

When the smoker is preheated, place the pork shoulder on the smoker and cook for 7-8 hours. Spritz the whole pork shoulder with the apple juice spritz every hour or hour and a half to keep it from drying out.
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Step 6

When the pork shoulder has been on the smoker for 6 hours, lower the temperature to 200ºF.
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Step 7

When the internal temperature of the pork reaches 195ºF-205ºF the pork is done.
Step 8
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Step 8

Remove the pork from the smoker and let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing or shredding.
Step 9
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Step 9

Serve on it’s own, on tacos, on buns, or in a burrito bowl.

Tips and Warnings

  • Timing for how long to cook the pork shoulder varies by smoker and by how large your pork shoulder is.
  • Feel free to add your favorite spices to the dry rub for this pork shoulder.
  • You can use whatever type of pellets or wood chips that you’d like for this recipe.
  • You will need around 20-lb. pellets for this recipe.

Ingredient

  • Maple syrup
    Maple syrup
    29.57 ml
  • Chili powder
    Chili powder
    73.93 ml
  • Paprika
    Paprika
    73.93 ml
  • Apple cider vinegar
    Apple cider vinegar
    9.86 ml
  • Apple juice
    Apple juice
    59.15 ml
  • Garlic powder
    Garlic powder
    14.79 ml
  • Bone-in pork shoulder
    Bone-in pork shoulder
    3.4 kg
  • Bourbon
    Bourbon
    59.15 ml
  • Coarse salt
    Coarse salt
    221.8 ml
  • Dark brown sugar
    Dark brown sugar
    221.8 ml
  • Ground black pepper
    Ground black pepper
    4.93 ml
  • Ground mustard powder
    Ground mustard powder
    4.93 ml
  • We used the signature traeger pellets
    We used the signature traeger pellets
    1
  • Ground mustard powder
    Ground mustard powder

Nutrition Facts

View nutrition facts
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