Cooking smoked pulled pork butt low and slow on your backyard gas grill is easier than you think. With just a pork butt roast (AKA Boston butt), a dry rub, and wood chips, you can make juicy BBQ pulled pork with fantastic crusty bark and smoky flavor.
🐖Ingredients
Pork butt roast—AKA Boston butt
Dry Rub—brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper OR dry rub of your choice
Wood chips for smoke
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐖Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Cook and Smoke Pork Butt on a Gas Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏲️How long to cook pork butt on a gas grill
- 👨🍳Ingredient variations and options
- 🐖Pulled Pork Recipes
- 🌡️What is the final internal temperature for pulled pork?
- 🔥Grill setup and smoking
- 🛒Grilling tools I recommend
- 🍴How to serve pulled pork
- ♨️How to reheat leftover pulled pork?
- ❄️Refregerating and freezing leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- What is "the stall," and what should I do?
- 🐖What is Pork Butt?
- 📖 Recipe
- Smoked Pulled Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Featured Comment by EllenJ:
"Great recipe! Really. There are tons of recipes out there for gas grilled smoked pulled pork, many good ones. But yours hits ALL the marks, including illustrations and customizing suggestions. Thanks!"
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The best-pulled pork comes from pork butt, which is high in fat and connective tissue. Roast low and slow to melt the connective tissue, then add some smoke for juicy, tender meat that is heaven on earth.
Not everybody has a smoker, but we all deserve great smoked barbecued pulled pork. I smoke Boston butt on my gas grill, and you can too, with these easy step-by-step photo instructions.
Smoked pork butt is one of the "holy grails" of BBQ, along with BBQ Smoked Brisket and Grilled Baby Back Ribs.
👨🍳How to Cook and Smoke Pork Butt on a Gas Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Mix pork butt rub or use the rub of your choice.
2. Apply the rub; if you have time, wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
3. Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking at 250° with a drain pan. Add the meat to the indirect side over a drip pan.
4. Start your smoke. At least 1-2 hours, but more if you wish. I discussed this in the post below.
5. Cook at approximately 250° until 195°-200° minimum, but I prefer 200°-205°.—generally 6-8 hours.
6. Remove from the grill and wrap tightly in double sheets of aluminum foil and then towels for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
6. Hand shred with a couple of forks.
7. Best served freshly pulled.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏲️How long to cook pork butt on a gas grill
1 ½ to 2 hours per pound at 250° is a good estimate, so that a 4-pound pork butt will take about 6-8 hours. Smaller and bone-in pork butts tend to be a bit longer per pound since the cooking time is more related to thickness than weight.
If you maintain your temperature steady, it may take less time. The main tip to maintain consistent temp is to keep the grill hood closed as much as possible, and when opening, only open the minimum amount.
If you have a time-critical cook, do it the day before and reheat. Or do it early. Wrapping before shredding can take as little as 15 minutes or up to 4 hours wrapped well in an insulated cooler, giving you a big time buffer before shredding.
Always remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature, not by time.
👨🍳Ingredient variations and options
Pork Butt Roast
Also known as Boston butt roast and sometimes called pork shoulder roast, which is incorrect and discussed below. I suggest using 4-5 pounds roast but use the size of your choice. Boneless or bone-in does not matter.
Boneless or bone-in pork butt will both work but bone-in will take a bit longer to cook since the bone will absorb some of the heat.
Pork butt dry rub
You can use the dry rub of your choice. I provided a simple version of my 8:3:1:1 BBQ Dry Rub, which uses brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. You may also like my Memphis Dry Rub or Chipotle BBQ Dry Rub.
Wood chips
The type of your choice but hickory and apple are recommended.
🐖Pulled Pork Recipes
Oven Pulled Pork Butt
Oven Pulled Pork from pork butt is cooked in the oven low and slow. Our best-pulled pork recipe is tender and moist with delicious bark. Super easy, with almost no work—you rub, bake at 250° for 8 to 9 hours, shred, and eat.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
This incredibly easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork recipe is made with pork butt (a.k.a. Boston butt). My method uses no liquid or searing—just a pork butt and a simple BBQ dry rub—add some liquid smoke if you want.
Check out the Pulled Pork Recipes without a Smoker roundup.
🌡️What is the final internal temperature for pulled pork?
I am going into this dangerous territory since there are many strong opinions. I go for 195°-200° minimum, but I much prefer 200°-205°. And I see 208° or 210° argued as the absolute best. Lower will be a bit moistier but a bit less tender, and higher is less moist but a bit more tender. I can't tell much difference. I'll take the middle ground.
Always check the internal temperature in multiple locations with an instant-read thermometer.
🔥Grill setup and smoking
- A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill
- How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking including troubleshooting smoking issues.
Like most cooking, controlling the temperature is critical to success. You can use almost any grill, but it needs to be big enough for indirect cooking and able to control and maintain the temperature.
I find a gas grill easier to control at low temperatures than a pellet or charcoal grill, but use what you know and can control. With the charcoal grill, it will be harder to maintain an even cooking temperature.
A gas grill can use a lot of gas. If you are on a tank, start with a full one. It is always good to have a backup propane tank. If you run out of gas with no backup. Pop it in the oven at 250° until you reach your final temperature.
🔥Adding smoke
You need some method of adding wood smoke flavor. For years, I used a cast iron smoking box (link below). My grill now has a built-in smoking box, as do many.
You can make foil packages for smoking by adding a handful of wood chips to a one-foot square of foil seal the edges and poke 4-8 small holes in the top with a knife or fork.
I generally use hickory, but cherry, pecan, mesquite, and apple are commonly used.
🛒Grilling tools I recommend
For best results, you need a way to watch the temperature of the grill surface and the meat remotely so you don't keep opening the grill hood and dropping the grill temperature.
There are many fine products for monitoring temperature when cooking. Here are a few I suggest.
Notice: These links are affiliate links, meaning I make a small profit from your purchases. Your price is not affected by this commission. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
Cast Iron Smoker Box
CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
🍴How to serve pulled pork
Assume about ⅓ pound per serving before cooking, making about ¼ pound of pulled pork. You want leftovers, and many people wish to have several sandwiches.
I tend not to do a lot of side dishes with pulled pork; it leaves more room for pork. Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite barbecue sauce, or just piles on a plate.
Typical side dishes are potato salad, chips, Macaroni Salad, Broccoli Salad, Microwave Corn on the Cob, Cornbread, or Convection Oven French Fries with frozen or fresh fries.
🥣Sauce suggestions
I suggest my homemade Memphis Barbecue Sauce. This sauce always disappears, and others are left untouched at parties. But use any sauce you love.
One quick reminder, do not reheat with BBQ sauce. The acid in it will destroy the texture of the meat.
♨️How to reheat leftover pulled pork?
Reheat on a sheet pan sprinkled with a sprinkle of water (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250°-300° until hot—usually 30-45 minutes. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea.
The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crock pot on "keep warm" setting.
Never reheat with sauce applied—the acid will destroy the texture of pulled pork butt.
❄️Refregerating and freezing leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 4 months. If freezing allow the pork to cook completely then divide into approximately the amount you want per meal and seal tight in a Zip-lock bag flat.
❓FAQs
I don't, but you can add flavors and moisture with an injection. But pork butt is very moist, and I want it to taste like pork butt.
Trimming the fat pad does not matter other than decreasing the drainage. The tenderness and moisture of the final results come from melted connective tissue and internal fat, not the fat pad.
Likewise, fat pad up or down does not matter.
Tradition says yes, but most experts say not it is not needed. Some will say it prevents the wood from catching fire and that they smoke longer.
I have become convinced it doesn't matter, so I have removed that from the process.
What is "the stall," and what should I do?
Pork butts and beef brisket will hit a temperature "stall" when it starts to break down the connective tissue, and water comes out of cells and then evaporates from the surface, usually in the 160° range. It may last only minutes or hours. But the temperature will not move.
Think of it as the cooking energy melting the connective tissue (a good thing) and evaporating the water (not so good). You can prevent most of the evaporation by wrapping tightly. See the grill brisket recipe for more details about the stall and a "how-to" if interested.
What do I do about it? NOTHING, in my opinion, for the home grillers and smaller pork butts wrapping is not needed. It is a bigger problem with larger pork butts and whole briskets.
🐖What is Pork Butt?
Like many cuts of meat, there are several names for the same thing. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same cut. It is behind the neck and is part of a larger (primal) cut called the pork shoulder. The pork shoulder primal is divided into two smaller cuts, the pork butt (Boston butt) and the picnic shoulder. The term pork shoulder is incorrectly frequently used interchangeably with pork butt.
The pork butt is above the picnic shoulder in the pork shoulder primal cut. While the whole primal cut is well-marbled and tougher meat, the butt area has more connective tissue to melt and is the cut of choice for pulled pork and carnitas.
📖 Recipe
Smoked Pulled Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds Pork butt - boneless or bone-in
- 1 cup rub of your choice or my pork butt rub
- 3-4 cups wood chips - type of your choice
Pork butt rub - this makes just under one cup which is fine.
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start with about a cup of the rub of your choice or my suggested rub.
- Apply the rub. If you have time, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour or overnight.
- Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking with a drainage pan. Adjust the burners to get a steady 250°. Add the meat to the indirect side.
- Start your smoke. You can also apply smoke with a separate smoker box or an aluminum foil pouch with slots.
- Smoke for 1-2 hours or more. Cook at approximately 250° until 195°-200° minimum, but I prefer 200°-205°.—generally 6-8 hours.
- Remove from the grill and wrap tightly in double sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap in towels for 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can extend this time by wrapping more and using a small insulated cooler—up to 3-4 hours.
- Hand shred with a couple of forks. The bone should come out clean. Best served freshly pulled.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- There are lots of tips in the full recipe post. If you are new to this, please read the post. And check the grill setup in How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
- The estimated cooking time is 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound. But smaller pork butts tend to be longer than that. Bone-in also takes a bit longer.
- You must be able to monitor the grill surface temperature. Please do not try without it. You want 250° grill surface temperature. You also must be able to check the internal temperature of the meat.
- If you run out of gas, place it on a rimmed baking tray at 250° until you reach the final temperature.
- You can keep reapplying smoke, but 1 hour is good. I prefer hickory or apple chips.
- Do not keep opening the grill hood and interrupting the heat. It will take a lot longer to cook. When you must, only quickly open it a little way.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. And fat pad up or down does not matter.
- Use a rub of your choice. I provided a suggested rub. You may decrease the salt if you want. Many will add yellow mustard as a base on the pork before the rub.
- Done is 200°-205° internal temperature. Don't settle for under 190°.
- Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes, but 1-2 hours is better.
- You can delay shedding to 3-4 hours by wrapping the foil-sealed butt in multiple towels and a small insulated cooler.
- Always shred it before it cools.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but I prefer two days since the texture seems to suffer. It will freeze well for 3-4 months.
- Reheating and serving are discussed in the post.
- Never reheat with sauce applied. The acid will destroy the texture.
- The most common errors are poor grill setup and smoking problems. Please see How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Posted July 15, 2012. This recipe has been one of the more popular recipes on the site and was way overdue for a facelift. Photos have been re-edited with a few from other recipes to clarify things. Please enjoy learning how to cook pulled pork on your gas grill.
Tom R says
Love your grilling recipes for all kinds of food. I have a 2.5 pound, 2” thick Boston butt roast, (looks like a beef chuck roast). How would I slow cook this butt on my gas grill. Thanks!
EllenJ says
Great recipe! Really. There are tons of recipes out there for gas grill smoked pulled pork, many good ones. But yours hits ALL the marks, including illustrations and customizing suggestions. Thanks!
Here's a little take on the soak/don't soak chips conflict: Wood begins to char at around 450°F and really needs to go a lot higher before it bursts into flame. So if you're grilling streaks you want to soak those chips (burnt hickory soot doesn't taste good) but you can smoke them all day at 250° and they'll be just fine. Again, thanks for the super recipe/method; I've been cooking for half a century and it's always fun to learn new tricks.
Dan says
BLUF: absolutely brilliant recipe and instructions
First time smoker. Looked at a bunch of different sites for clear, easy to follow instructions and chose this recipe.
The instructions were clear, laid out expectations and how to accomplish them. The rub was excellent and the Memphis BBQ sauce recipe (heavier end on cayenne) was perfect with mesquite wood.
One issue I had as a newbie was figuring out how much smoke and "density" was ideal. Found a video that depicted the "thin blue smoke" that is preferred. If mention of that was made, it would help out the first timers.
Also, wrapping the butt mid-cook? I did with about 3 hours left. Turned out excellent.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Dan,
Welcome to the blog and great name.
About the smoke. You are correct, I would prefer a thinner longer smoke (a slight blue ting usually) than a brief heavy smoke (less blue) but how to get one vs the other varies by your grill and method of smoking. Generally heating the chips over a lower heat area of the grill (250ish) and avoid the hottest part of the grill.
Wrapping is for "The Stall" which is discussed in the post. To me, you are trading a minimal change in moisture and slightly quicker cooking for a really good crust. Especially in smaller and thinner butts. I do cover it in detail on the grill brisket post.https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cook-brisket-gas-grill/#the-stall
Glad you enjoyed the post and the pulled pork. Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Cathy says
I searched high and low but no butts; came home with a boneless, 4.5 shoulder. What should I do differently?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the blog.
Boneless is fine. Shoulder is generally part of the butt so you are fine. (discussed in the post) It will cook slightly faster but you cook to a final internal temperature anyway.
Dan
Jessica says
Hi Dan—can you skip the water all together?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jessica,
Welcome to the blog.
Most people do the water. It is a very dry environment so "it doesn't hurt. If you have more moisture, the "stall" should be less... maybe. If your setup has the drop pan over the heat then it will decrease the burning of the drippings. But really, I suspect most people will notice nothing different.
Hope that helps some.
Dan
Matt says
These directions and recipe is great thank you so much. I made and 8 lb one this past July and followed that up with two 4 lbs ones. Well here it is December and I just made a 7lb one that took 14 hours. Sure the cold and rain didn’t help. My question, what’s the best way to reheat as I am serving for New Years? I was thinking crockpot, but there is no liquid...does it need?
Thanks and happy new year!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it works so well for you.
To reheat:
I like to reheat on a sheet pan, I sprinkle with a little water on my hand (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250-300 until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer to a crock pot on low to keep warm. (usually 45 minutes or so in the oven for me). I know that is not very exact but you get the idea.
Never reheat with sauce applied, the acid will destroy the texture.
I don't reheat in the crock pot since you have this thick mass of meat, so to get it all warm, you would tend to cook it more.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Jim says
How many times do you refill your wood chips? I can't imagine they will smoke for 11 hours. I've read you only want smoke for about half the cooking time so about 5-6 hours. Is the ideal time to get the smoke into the meat at the beginning of the cooking time? I grill and smoke Salmon in a similar way but my chips rarely smoke for more than 45 minutes and the salmon is done well before the chips are smoked out. What do you think?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the blog.
I generally do about 1-2 hours of smoke near the beginning. That seems to be enough for me and only requires opening the grill hood once.
If you want more, I would suggest making up a few foil packs of chips and then hourly slightly open the grill and toss it on the direct heat side. You want to be careful about opening the grill hood often since it is hard to balance the heat again.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Roger Crowder says
I'm thinking the cooler should have some ice in it?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Roger,
Welcome to the blog.
The cooler, in this use, is to insulate and slow the cooling. That allows the melted connective tissue and other fluids to absorb back into the meat fibers. It will also keep the meat safely hot for serving for a longer period of time so you can adjust serving time some.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Holly says
I am cooking on a gas grill with no smoke box. Where do I place the foil packet of chips?? Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Holly,
Welcome to the blog.
Every grill is different. But most have a flow path of air front to back. You will see the smoke usually exit that way. So the placement of the chips is always over the direct heat and generally near the front and towards the meat if possible. But generally almost anywhere will do.
Dan