How long does it take to smoke a 8lb pork shoulder?

When smoking a pork butt at 250 degrees, you can plan to cook it for 90 minutes per pound. So an 8-pound pork shoulder is going to take about 12 hours so to smoke until its fall-apart tender reaches an internal temp of about 200 degrees.

Should I smoke a pork shoulder at 225 or 250?

I prefer to smoke my pork butt at 250 degrees. I find that this cooks the pork roast a bit quicker but still gives it a delicious texture. If you smoke at 225 degrees you can plan on 2 hours per pound of pork. If you smoke at 250 you can plan on about 90 minutes per pound. Either temperature is going to give you a very similar result, the lower temp just takes a bit longer.

Smoked Pork Butt

Print Recipe

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You won’t believe how simple it is to make this juicy, tender, fall-apart smoked pork butt! Just three ingredients + your favorite barbecue sauce and a day on the smoker is all it takes!

Author: Kylie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 hours
Total Time: 11 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 12-15 servings 1x
Category: Main Dish
Method: Pellet Grill
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

7 lb. bone-in pork butt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of my easy dry rub

Instructions

Set pellet grill to smoke setting.
Dry meat well with paper towels and coat it on all sides with mustard.
Season on all sides with the dry rub.
Place the pork shoulder on the grill, fat side up, and cook on the smoke setting for 20 minutes.
Turn heat to 250 degrees and smoke for 10-11 hours or until the internal temp reaches 195-205 degrees. The longer it cooks, the more tender and soft it will be. I usually let it get to 203 degrees.
Carefully transfer pork to an aluminum pan and cover tightly with foil. If possible, place inside of a large cooler and cover with clean bath towels. Let rest for 1-2 hours.
Shred with 2 forks, discarding gristle or any chunks of fat, and serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy!

Equipment

Z Grill

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Notes

There’s no need to rub the dry rub into the pork butt. The mustard is going to help it adhere to the meat and then you’ll just need to gently pat it into the pork. This will give you the bark you’re looking for.
You also don’t need to spend time spritzing the shoulder with apple juice or apple cider vinegar throughout the smoking process. Some recipes call for using a spray bottle to mist the meat throughout the smoke. I’ve found that this doesn’t make much of a difference. Just add the mustard and the rub and let the smoker do its job!
When you take the pork shoulder off the pellet grill it will be super tender and you might have some trouble getting it off the grill because it will be falling apart already! The best way to successfully make the transfer is to use a metal spatula and use it to carefully separate the pork butt from the grill grates if it’s a bit stuck. Then cover the roast in a sheet of foil and use oven-safe gloves to transfer it from the grill to a large aluminum pan or metal cake pan. It might take a couple tries and don’t worry if it starts to fall apart. Just transfer it to the pan and then cover it tightly with a couple sheets of foil to rest.
The best place to let the pork rest is sealed inside foil inside a large cooler with clean bath towels on top and the lid of the cooler closed. This will ensure that the pork stays perfectly juicy and will shred beautifully after it’s rested.
Depending on the size of your roast it might take anywhere from 8-12 hours. I typically use about a 7-pound roast and it takes about 10-11 hours to smoke.
I like to wait to insert the probe thermometer until the pork shoulder has been smoking for about 8 hours. Insert it so that it’s close to the center of the roast but not touching the bone. This will ensure you get an accurate reading.
Don’t forget to add more pellets as it smokes! This is a long smoke, so be sure to check the hopper every couple of hours. When you notice it getting low, add more pellets as needed.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/smoked-pork-butt/