Dry Rubbed Smoked Pork Butt Roast

If you have friends or family coming over for a cookout and want to treat them to something a little different, try making them a smoked pork butt. My wife and I made this dry rubbed, smoked pork butt roast recipe for the 4th of July.  It was so good we had to share the recipe.  It’s very simple to do and very delicious!  Your visitors will be pleased!

How to Select And Prepare A Pork Butt Roast

When selecting the meat it is best to avoid purchasing “enhance” meat.  Enhanced meats have water and other ingredients have been added.  If that is all you can find, it’s not that big of a deal.  The downside is you don’t have control of the ingredients the put in it and you’ll be paying extra for the weight of the water.  With all that said, the meat should turn out just fine.  

One item that is a big deal is large cuts of meat must be completely thawed when you are cooking them in a smoker.  Even a partially frozen center can adversely affect the smoking time.

When seasoning your pork butt roast we recommend patting it dry first using a paper towel.  This will help the rub stick better.  There are many different rubs to choose from.  Here is where you can make this recipe your own.

Find a rub you like or make your own.  There are plenty of rub recipes out there and you can add extra heat, brown sugar, or any other ingredient you like. Get creative! Then completely cover the meat and thoroughly rub the seasoning into every nook and crevice.

Smoking Instructions

1. Determine the cooking time – I do most of my smoking between 225 – 250 degrees.  At that temperature, I would recommend about 90 minutes per pound of meat.  That should get you to an internal temperature of about 185 degrees.
2. Time to cook – Now the easy part; put it in your smoker and let it work its magic.  Depending on the type of smoker you have your biggest job will be to monitor the temperature and to occasionally add more wood chips or pellets to the smoker. If you are new to smoking and would like a few pointers, go to my article on smoking.
3. Finished cooking – Once the smoked pork butt reaches your desired internal temperature, remove it from the smoker and cover it with foil to allow it to “rest” for at least 10 – 20 minutes.
4. Time to dig In – This step is pretty much self-explanatory!

If you noticed in step 2 of the smoking instructions, I said: “Once the smoked pork butt reaches your desired internal temperature”.  My wife and I pulled ours off the smoker at 175 degrees.  It was still very tender and juicy, yet it sliced up more as your typical roast would.  If you want it to “fall apart”, for making pulled pork, for instance, I would go to at least the 185 degrees, or even up to 190.  No matter what, the smokey goodness will be there.  We hope you enjoy it!

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