Traeger Pulled Pork
Traeger Pulled Pork is a labor of love but it's worth every minute! You'll come away with a pan of deliciousness! There really isn't much to it - it's just a time consuming endeavor. All good things come to those who wait and this is one of them! It's tender, juicy and so delicious! So grab the buns, the coleslaw and the baked beans - your best pulled pork is here!!!
Ingredients
- 7.5 lb pork butt
- 1/3 cup Historic BBQ Red seasoning
- 8 oz apple juice
Instructions
- Open the package, rinse the pork butt and pat dry7.5 lb pork butt
- Let the pork come to room temperature (about 20 min)
- Lay the pork butt in a disposable aluminum pan
- 7:15am – Turn Traeger to SMOKE – this setting takes about 5 minutes to get through. Open the grill door and the auger will start going. About five minutes in, the Traeger will billow a bunch of smoke! Once the smoke dissipates, shut the lid and turn the temperature to 225º.
- HOPPER CHECK! Check the hopper to be sure your pellets are full!
- Coat the pork butt heavily on all sides with Historic BBQ – I used probably 1/3 cup of seasoning!1/3 cup Historic BBQ Red seasoning
- If you have room in on your smoker place the pork butt in a disposable foil pan, that makes wrapping and moving the pork butt easier.
- Once the Traeger is up to temperature, place your pork on the grill. I chose to put mine – fat side down – in a grill pan with holes in it. You can put in a disposable aluminum pan or directly on the grill grates.THERMOMETER CHECK! I just got the Meater Plus (see above for more) and put the probe into the side of the pork butt. You want to put it all the way into the butt into the thickest part of the meat – touching no bones. There’s a line on it to use as a guide.
- Shut the lid and Frozen that thing up – LET IT GO! LET IT GO! You’re going to leave this go until the internal temperature reaches 160º. If you don’t have a probe that you can monitor from your phone, then you’ll need to check back with an instant read meat thermometer. Resist the urge to check, check, check. This stage is going to take 3-5 hours. So check it at the 3 hr. mark – 4 hr – and then go from there!
- When you hit 160º internal temperature: Wrap the pork with a double layer of aluminum foil and add the liquid. Here are some notes/tips:If you put it in a tray, you’ll just add foil on topIf your pork was directly on the grill, you’ll need to remove it and place it on 2-3 sheets of foil or in a pan – then cover it.Add the liquid, I lined my tray with foil, added a small individual size bottle of juice and then wrapped the pan with foil.If using a thermometer like the Meater Plus, you’ll need to pull it out of the pork and then reinsert through the foil so the handle is outside of the foil.8 oz apple juice
- HOPPER CHECK! Check the hopper to be sure your pellets are full!
- Shut the lid and – again – let it go! Once the pork is covered, liquid added and sealed – you’ll shut the lid and keep it going at 225º for 3-5 more hours. Mine finished in 4.5 hours. You’re looking for an internal temperature on the meat of 203º – 205º. Again – check it at 3 hr, 4 hr, etc.
- HOPPER CHECK! Check the hopper to be sure your pellets are full!
- After your temp reaches between 203º-205º – VICTORY IS OURS!!!! Remove the pork, in the pan, to a cutting board. Bring it in the house and let it rest for an hour. (You can also wrap in butcher paper for the resting time.) Stab a hole in the foil for the steam to release.
- Turn your Traeger to SHUT DOWN MODE
- Dinner Time!!!! If there are pockets of fat on the pork – this is a good time to pull or scrape those off and discard them. Shred your pork with those big ol’ meat forks and enjoy!
- Turn your Traeger off
Notes
- You can place pork butt directly on the grill for the first 3-5 hours if you’d like. When temp reaches 160º, remove pork from grill. Place pork - fat side u - on 2-3 sheets heavy duty aluminum foil and make a basket with foil around the pork. Add apple juice to basket. Lay 2-3 sheets on top of pork and seal tightly. Place pork back on grill and continue cook as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 14.9gProtein: 70.7gFat: 15.3gSaturated Fat: 5.1gCholesterol: 209mgSodium: 134mgPotassium: 988mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 12.8gCalcium: 51mgIron: 3mg
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