How To Make The Best Pellet Grill Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is a labor of love. A pork butt, or pork shoulder, can take upwards of 20+ hours to cook when smoked low and slow.

Sure, there are ways to expedite the process by smoking hot and fast, but nothing compares to low and slow smoked pork.

If you’re the lucky owner of a pellet grill, you can be a little more “hands-off” while you’re smoking pulled pork and still achieve that classic, smoked BBQ flavor. 

Watch how to make the best pork butt on a pellet grill

Follow along as I take you through how to smoke pulled pork on a pellet grill and give you some tips and tricks for making some of the best pork you’ve had in your life!

Why I love this recipe

• It’s easy and foolproof. A pellet grill takes the guesswork out of smoking, so you can enjoy tender, smoky pulled pork with minimal effort.
• Overnight smoking saves time. Start it before bed, let it go low and slow, and wake up to perfectly smoked pork, ready to wrap.
• Juicy, flavorful results. A simple binder, a well-balanced rub, and a slow cook time guarantee melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork every time.
• Perfect for feeding a crowd. Whether it’s for a barbecue, game day, or meal prep, this recipe makes plenty of pork with endless ways to enjoy it.

If you like pellet grill recipes, check out our pellet grill brisket and pellet grill smoked chicken next.

How to make the best pellet grilled pulled pork

When making pulled pork on a pellet smoker, I like to start the night before since pork butts take a long time to cook. This way, you can throw it on, get a full night’s sleep, and wake up just in time to wrap it.

This approach reduces stress about dinner being ready on time and ensures the pork absorbs plenty of smoke during those first 8–10 hours when you’re not tempted to mess with it.

To get that deep, smoky flavor similar to a traditional wood-burning pit, smoking low and slow is key. The longer it stays on the smoker, the more flavor it develops. Keep the temperature at or below 225°F to maximize smoke production.

Fortunately, this recipe won’t take 48 hours, and you won’t have to worry about running out of pellets overnight.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Bone-In pork butt – Look for a Boston Butt, boneless is OK if you prefer
• Yellow mustard – As a binder, you can use just about any liquid, as it doesn’t impact the final flavor
• BBQ rub -For a homemade rub, I recommend our ultimate rib rub, or you can browse all of our rub recipes for more ideas.
• Apple juice
• Butter – Salted

Equipment you’ll need

• Knife – For trimming. Our Smoke Kitchen Boning Knife is the perfect tool for the job. 
• Pellet grill – I used my Grilla Grills Mammoth, but these steps will work with any Traeger or other type of pellet grill.
• Pellets – Pork is pretty forgiving and lends itself well to a variety of woods and flavors, so you can use just about anything you prefer.
• BBQ Sprayer – Optional.
• Aluminum pan
• Aluminum foil
• Instant read thermometer

How to make smoked pulled pork on a pellet grill

1. Score and season

I like to start by scoring the fat cap with a knife. This allows the seasoning to penetrate down to the meat, while still retaining the fat to act as a moisture barrier and shield for the meat.

I slather it all over with yellow mustard as a binder, but that’s totally optional.

I find that it helps achieve a nice, even coating of seasoning all over and aids in the bark forming better.

Season the butt all over with BBQ rub.

Once your pork is slathered and seasoned, you can just let it rest on the counter at room temperature while you fire up the pit.

2. Fire up the smoker

You want to fire up the smoker to 225°F.

You can use this recipe on just about any pellet grill. The same process, temperatures, and general times should apply to any model.

I used my Grilla Grills Mammoth with Bear Mountain Bold BBQ pellets. It’s a vertical-style pellet smoker that can hold up to 40 lbs of pellets at a time and boasts a runtime of over 48 hours when smoking at 250°F or below. 

As I said before, pork is pretty forgiving and lends itself well to a variety of woods and flavors, so you can use just about anything you prefer.

3. Smoke

Once your smoker is fully preheated, you’re ready to put the pork on. 

You want to throw your pork butt on the grates with the fat cap down, especially if you’re cooking in a vertical smoker or drum where the heat comes from directly below.

Place it on the grates and then just leave it alone for the next 8-10 hours. Seriously, don’t mess with it. As the old adage goes, “If you’re lookin’, you ain’t cookin’.” The pork needs time to absorb all that smoke and begin to break down during the cooking process. 

If you want to give it a spritz with some apple juice every couple of hours, that’s fine, but I really find that because a pellet grill holds such a steady, low temp, I don’t need to mess with it. 

4. Wrap 

Once your pork reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the bark is nice and firm, it’s ready to wrap. You’ll know it’s ready when you can poke the bark with your finger, and it doesn’t rub off. It should be firm and set. 

I like to wrap about halfway through the cook because it does a few things:

• It gives you a chance to add more moisture and flavor.
• It also helps to speed up the rest of the cooking process. 

If you don’t want to wrap, be sure to check out my No-Wrap Pork Butt recipe.

For the wrap, I like to add about a cup of apple juice to the bottom of an aluminum pan, add a few pats of butter on top of the pork, and reseason it with another layer of that Smoke Kitchen Honey Garlic rub, or whichever pork rub you’re using. 

Cover the pan in aluminum foil and return it to the smoker for an additional 6-8 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F and is probe-tender.

I don’t use butcher paper with this method because there’s too much liquid.

5. Rest  

You always want to let your pork butt rest for a bit, for no other reason than they’re 200°F and way too hot to handle. This also gives the meat time to cool down and lets the muscle fibers relax a bit, and the moisture redistributes throughout the meat.

I usually rest my pork butt anywhere between 30-60 minutes, but if you have a cooler or Cambro you can let them rest for hours if you need to. 

6. Shred

You’ll know you did it right if the bone slides out clean! 

I like to put on some hot gloves and shred it by hand, but you can use tongs or bear claws if you want to.

Enjoy your smoked pulled pork piled into pulled pork sandwiches, or you could pair it with a couple of sides. I can guarantee that you’ll love it whichever way you consume it. 

Best side dishes for pulled pork

Smoked pulled pork recipe

Follow my recipe and the tips and techniques in this guide, and you’ll be able to turn any Boston butt into succulent smoked pulled pork. If you have leftovers, be sure to check out our round-up of the Best Pulled Pork Leftovers Recipes and Make sure to give this recipe a star rating so more people can enjoy it.