Pellet Smoker Pulled Pork — Culinary Seasons
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Pellet Smoker Pulled Pork for Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Tacos, Burritos and Even Tostadas!
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Pickled Red Onion Recipe 
Savory Coleslaw Recipe 
Pulled Pork Tostada with Black Beans, Tomatillo Salsa and Chipotle Crema
Smoked Pork Shoulder with The Meatstick Chef X
I teamed up with The Meatstick to try out their Chef X wireless thermometer. Their Quad Sensor Wireless Thermometer is the smallest on the market. Don’t let the size fool you, the 4 sensors allow you to dial in your cook to perfection.
The Meatstick Chef X
Smallest probe on the market yet delivers quad sensors for accurate temperatures of your cook.
Injecting & Dry Rubbing for Amazing Results
In the recipe video below, I demonstrate how to inject the marinade and dry rub the pork shoulder or pork butt. Plus, I show why the Chef X works perfectly in this cut of meat. The small probe fits perfectly in the center of the pork shoulder. The three sensors inside the meat allows me to track the internal temperature to get an accurate read. Plus, the 4th sensor at the end of the stick tracks the ambient temp of the smoker.
The Science Behind the Injection Marinade
The injection marinade ingredients in this recipe play off of some classic flavor enhancers for pork. Apple juice and brown sugar bring in the sweetness allowing the apple juice. Soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and salt add umami and additional flavors. Beyond flavors, there is a method to the madness of injecting meats.
Apple Cider or Juice, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and Salt add sweetness, umami and additional flavors to the meat through the process of preparing and cooking. All of these ingredients act as tenderizers for meats.
The low acidic nature of apple juice slowly breaks down the proteins enabling it to tenderize the meat fibers. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Even Worcestershire Sauce brings vinegar as one of the ingredients to act as an additional tenderizer in the Pellet Smoker Pulled Pork.
Worcestershire – Magic in a Bottle
Lea & Perrins, which invented Worcestershire sauce and continues to bottle the brand-named stuff, lists white vinegar, molasses, sugar, onions, garlic, anchovies, tamarind extract, and chili pepper extract as its primary ingredients. Therefore, the sauce is like several ingredients in one with its various flavorings bringing different benefits. Its sugar and molasses bring sweetness and ingredients such as onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovy pack a wallop of umami flavor. Read more at TastingTable.
So don’t skip the injection for your next smoke! Your taste buds will thank you.
Dry Rub – Do I Need It?
Just like the pork marinade injection, you don’t have to do it but you will be missing out on some amazing flavors and crusty bark that develops during the long smoke. The brown sugar caramelizes infusing the smoke with the additional spices. The result is a nice savory/sweet spice bark on the outside of the pork. Shred and mix the pork together and you will intertwine the tenderized meat with the bark from the dry rub.
New to Pellet Smokers?
Pellet Smokers offer a set it and forget it smoking experience. (Well, sort of) There can be some learning curve with learning the nuances of using a pellet smoker. While there isn’t as steep of a learning curve as smoking with lump charcoal and wood chunks, there are some things to remember.
If you are coming from a gas or kettle style grill, you need to be patient during your smoke. The process of smoking meats doesn’t happen quick. Avoid peeking, leave the lid closed! Peeking at the meet to see what is happening allows the heat and smoke to escape. Losing the heat extends the cook time and watching that smoke dissipate before your eyes is flavor loss.
For the most part, if you have a wireless thermometer, you can monitor your cook from your phone making it an almost set it and forget it cook. Learn the temp points for different cuts of meat, this will help to deliver the best final results. See post on Ideal Internal Temperature of Meats.
Remember to clean your pellet smoker regularly. While skipping this step may seem harmless, there are some risks you are taking. The performance of your smoker to burn pellets to temperature fluctuations can wreak havoc on the cook. Plus the additional dust in the smoker’s firepot and basin can be a contributing factor to a fire in the smoker.
Sometimes Experience is the Best Teacher
Lastly, EMPTY YOUR GREASE TRAP. I will be the first to tell you, I have neglected this on a couple of instances. It slipped my mind when I cooked something like bacon (If you haven’t done bacon on the smoker you are missing out!) and the next cook I cook a chicken at a higher temp. Guess what, this is a recipe for a grease fire.
The combination of chicken fat melting off and combining with residual bacon grease, plus a high temp results in an moment of why is the smoker temp on the app increasing so fast? Then a moment of panic ensues….
Pellets and Flavors
If you haven’t smoked a pork shoulder or butt before, don’t be afraid to experiment with the recipe. Try other ingredients or variations to get different results. Example, if you are not a fan of heat, substitute the chipotle powder with smoked paprika. It is milder and will give a smokey touch to the final bark.
Different types of pellets deliver a touch of flavor as well. In keeping with what flavors naturally pair with pork, applewood, cherry, pecan and hickory all impart good flavor to pork. The cook in the video, I used some bourbon wood pellets. There are many brands on the market with many blends of flavors, check their bags, they usually have a chart of what meats go best with their pellets.
Keep in mind, using a pellet smoker may not deliver an overwhelming smoke flavor to the meat as a lump charcoal and chunks of actual wood. But if you are looking for a flavorful smoked meat that has a nice smoke ring and bark give this recipe a try.
Enjoy the Pellet Smoker Pulled Pork on a toasted bun with some Spicy BBQ Sauce and some Savory Coleslaw!
Check out the Smoked Brisket Recipe cooked on the Traeger Timberline
Shop Traeger Pellet Grills
Print Recipe
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Chef Tony Zentgraf
Smoked Pulled Pork is a savory & delicious treat that is great by itself, as a sandwich, tacos or just slathered in BBQ sauce.
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