Pork butt (also known as pork shoulder), is a delicious and inexpensive cut of meat that works particularly well for smoking. Delicious results can be obtained by using a rub on the shoulder before placing it in a smoker for several hours. Once the meat has been smoked, it can be stored for future use, pulled, or used in any recipe calling for smoked pork

Ingredients

Pork butt
Sharp chef's (or other large kitchen) knife
Cutting board
Pork rub
Smoker
Wood chips or charcoal (depending on your smoker)
Meat thermometer
Roasting pan

Instructions

1 Load your smoker with wood chips or charcoal (use whichever the manufacturer suggests) and preheat your smoker to 215 degrees.

2 Trim the pork butt of all visible extraneous fat and connective tissue (also known as "silverskin") with your chef's knife. Some fat and connective tissue will remain inside the pork butt naturally, and that's fine. It will cook out in the smoker and/or be easily removed later, after you've smoked the pork.

3 Coat the pork butt with your pork rub. You can make your own pork rub blend ahead of time and use that, or you can use a commercially available rub of your choosing. In either case, make sure you coat the shoulder as thickly as possible with your rub. As the name implies, you'll want to use your hands.

4 Place the pork butt in a roasting pan and put in smoker. Smoke until meat reaches an internal temperature of between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. To calculate the time necessary for your pork butt, figure 1.5 hours per pound of meat. Use a meat thermometer on the thickest part of the butt to determine accurate internal temperature.

5 Remove pork butt from smoker and allow to cool before handling further.

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