Pulled Pork is a great option to have for Game Days as you can make it ahead and it's so versatile! For this segment we made Pulled Pork Sandwiches, but you can do sliders, quesadillas, nachos, pizza, paninis...the options are endless.

For the pulled pork, you will start off with a Pork Butt or Boston Shoulder. They usually range in weight around 8lbs. Don't let the size of it intimidate you. While it makes a lot, it freezes amazing. 

To get things started, I pull the Pork Butt out of the fridge and start bringing it to room temperature while I get the smoker started. 

For the smoker you will want to load it up with lots of charcoal as this will cook for approximately 12-18 hours. I also add a chunk of hickory wood in with it. This is going to be a low and slow cook at 225 degrees. Don't overshoot the temperature as it's hard to bring it back down. Slowly bring it up. Once you get the fire going, you will want to put the plate setters in the smoker as we want indirect heat. Don't put them on too early or you will put your fire out. Once you get the plate setters in and the grill back on, close up the lid, but keep the vents wide open. At this point, I turn on my Fireboard, to make sure I don't overshoot my target temp of 225 degrees.

The Fireboard has a fan that connects to the bottom vent and blows air to maintain your target temperature. My dad gifted this to me, but only after a year of maintaining temperature manually. He made me work for it! The Fireboard comes in handy for these long cooks or if you need to leave the house for any reason you don't have to worry about what's happening as you can see everything on your phone. I'm not endorsed by Fireboard, and they are a lot of other brands that do the same thing.

Now that the Fireboard is controlling my smoker, let's head back inside and season the Pork Butt. I keep things simple as I want the meat to do the talking. I just use salt and pepper and season every side. I know other recipes use mustard and brown sugar with a bbq rub. Use whatever you desire. At this point I grab my temperature probe and get it positioned in the pork butt. You want the probe in the middle of the pork butt, but be sure it isn't touching the bone. If you got a boneless pork butt, then just insert the probe into the middle. I like to insert the probe now so I limit the time the lid of the smoker is open.

Now that the Pork Butt is seasoned and ready, time to check on the smoker. Couple of key things:

1. Temperature is at 225 degrees
2. Smoke: We don't want to see smoke bellowing out of the top vent, wait until the smoke mellows down. I took some pictures so you can see the difference. If you put it on too early, the pork will take on a very bitter taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put the Pork Butt on the smoker, fat side up. Target internal temperature is 205 degrees. I have had some cooks take as little as 12 hours and some as long as 25 hours. You just never know and there's no rhyme or reason as to the timing. This is where a little thought goes into when you put it on may be good. I like to put mine on in the evenings and it will cook all night long and then ready the next morning/afternoon.

Once the Pork Butt reaches 205 degrees, pull it off the smoker and wrap in foil. Grab an old towel and wrap the foil wrapped Pork Butt and put in a cooler while it rests. Let it rest for several hours. I like to keep the probe in so I can keep an eye on the temperature to make sure it doesn't fall into the danger zone of below 135 degrees. 

Now it's time to shred your meat. You can use your hands, a couple of forks, tongs, or I use these meat shredding tongs that make this task really easy and fast. You can serve right away or I portion into freezer bags for meals later. I completely forgot to take a picture of shredding the pork and individual shots of the sandwiches, but here they are on my game day snack board.

Yes, a pork butt in a crockpot is easier and faster, but the flavor and you get from smoking the meat is superior and intoxicating.