Easy Smoky BBQ Pulled Pork

Preheat your smoker. You want your smoker running at 275 F for this recipe. You can use your favorite hardwood for flavor, but it is recommended to use apple, cherry or maple.

Trim your pork shoulder. Use a sharp knife to remove some of the fat cap on top of the pork shoulder. You want about 1/8-inch of fat left on top of the shoulder. It is recommended to generally not remove the fat cap, but with this higher-heat cooking process and the foil wrap (read on for that step), but here it is wanted to remove excess fat now.

Season your pork shoulder. Use your favorite barbecue seasoning and shake on all sides of the pork shoulder. Here is the Signature Sweet Rub (you can find the recipe HERE or purchase your own bottle HERE).

Smoke the pork. Place your seasoned pork shoulder on the grates of your smoker, close the lid, and smoke at 275 F until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. This process typically takes about 4 1/2 to 5 hours for an 8-pound shoulder.

Wrap your pork shoulder. Using Reynolds Wrap^® Heavy Duty Foil, wrap your pork shoulder tightly with a healthy drizzle of 3/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce. The thick layer of Heavy Duty Foil will keep all of the moisture and the heat in the pork shoulder during the last phase of the cooking process.

Finish cooking the pork. Place the tightly wrapped pork shoulder back on the smoker at 275 F and cook until an internal thermometer reads at least 200 F in the thickest part of the shoulder. You want the thermometer to slide into the meat easily with very little resistance. Every pork shoulder is different, and yours might not be super tender until 203 F or even 205 F. This wrapped cooking phase typically takes 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Rest the finished pork. When your pork shoulder is nice and tender, turn off the smoker and transfer the foil-wrapped pork shoulder to a baking pan or dish. Allow the roast to rest at room temperature in the foil for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour.

Shred your barbecue pulled pork. Unwrap the pork shoulder and allow all of the extra moisture in the foil to drip into the baking dish. Use forks or meat shredder claws to shred apart the pork and discard any gristle or chunks of remaining fat. Toss the pulled pork with the juices in the pan.