The best pulled pork is baked in the oven for most home cooks. Just a dry rub and bake a pork butt low and slow in your oven. Everybody can have perfectly moist and tender pulled pork with great flavor.
Introduction
Everybody deserves great pulled pork, but most of us don't have smokers. But to get the best, we need to cook like the best. So simple, so good, and the house smells great all day long.
Let's simulate the cooking environment of the smoker and grillers as much as possible and copy techniques closely. So a little liquid smoke, a pork rub, and bake low and slow until we reach the right temperature. No all-day supervising a smoker or grill, but with fantastic bark that you don't get in the crock pot
This is the pork butt recipe we use most frequently because I'm lazy but demand great pulled pork. Please enjoy one of our personal favorites.
👨🍳How to make perfect pulled pork
- Mix my rub if you don't have a pork rub (see the recipe card).
- Using a 3-4 pound pork butt (boneless or bone-in), pat dry, coat with a light coat of liquid smoke, and apply a cup of rub. You can wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for later or just proceed to cooking.
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, a wire rack, and a heavy spray of PAM. If you don't have a rack, make some crumpled rolls of foil to elevate the pork butt.
- Place meat on a rack and place it in a 250° oven (not convection). Don't bother to preheat. Fat cap up or down does not matter.
- Bake until internal temp of 195° plus (200°-205° is better)—about 8-9 hours. This will vary with the meat's thickness, bone-in vs. boneless, and the oven.
- Remove from the oven directly onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap tight with the foil, then wrap with several towels.
- You can shred in as little as 15 minutes but better in 1-2 hours. With good wrapping, you can delay shredding for 3-4 hours so you can serve hot, freshly pulled pork
⏰How long to cook
Two hours per pound at 250° is a good starting point for timing. This time will vary by the weight and thickness of the meat.
I suggest a 4-pound pork butt that will take 8 to 9 hours. Bone-in will take a bit longer.
Much bigger pork butts will take much longer into the 12+ hour range. I often suggest cutting huge pork butts into smaller chunks to speed up cooking and help predict timing better.
A quick warning: Many ovens will shut off at 12 hours for safety if people leave the stove on accidentally. So watch for that problem.
🌡️When is pork butt done?
Pork butt is done at an internal temperature of 195°, but 200° to 205° will produce the most tender results. The collagen connective tissue will start melting in the 175 range but is not complete until about 200°.
The only way to tell if your Boston butt is done is by checking the internal temperature of the thickest part with a meat thermometer. You can not cook by time or color of the meat.
🐖Why use pork butt for pulled pork?
The best choice is pork butt which has a large amount of connective tissue that, when melted, makes for the absolute best pull pork that is moist, tender, and full of flavor.
Like many cuts of meat, there are several names for the same thing. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same cut. It is behind the neck and is part of a larger (primal) cut called the pork shoulder. The pork shoulder is divided into two smaller cuts, the pork butt (Boston butt) and the picnic shoulder.
The picnic shoulder is a thinner area below the pork butt. The picnic is frequently smoked to make the picnic ham. Pork shoulder has a bit less marbling and less fat. Large restaurants and BBQ experts will low and slow-cook the whole pork shoulder primal cut for masses of pulled pork.
Bone-in vs. Boneless Pork Butt
Bone-in pork butt will take a bit longer to cook, but not much. Some will argue a taste difference one way or the other. Nope, no difference to me (or most people) in the taste. So use what you have.
But it feels so good when you shred the pulled pork, and the bone lifts out with no resistance—I always smile. It is "fall off the bone" tender and falls apart while you shred.
✔️Tips
- Oven Temperature: 250° is recommended, but you can use oven temperatures of 225° to 275°. I do not suggest 300° or above since the outside will dry more before the collagen in the center is fully melted. The use of convection is also not suggested for the same reason.
- Elevate the Pork Butt: Use a rack or crumbled-up foil to elevate the pork out of the fatty drainage. You don't have to do this, but the results will be nicer.
- Use a dry rub: There are many dry rubs available and if you have one you like, use it. I have provided the dry rub I use for pork butt recipes. It is simple and uses common pantry ingredients. It is a slightly modified version of 8:3:1:1 Dry Rub. A touch of cayenne pepper can be added if you want a bit of heat.
❓FAQs
No, but it will add some smoky taste.
There are many "bad" versions of liquid smoke on the market. And the chemical-filled versions will ruin your pork.
I stick to Wright's brand only. If not available to you, the ingredient list on the bottle should only have smoke and water—nothing else.
No. Please keep it open to the dry oven environment to develop the fantastic bark of pulled pork.
The moistness of pulled pork butt comes from the melting of connective tissue, and the bark firming up blocks most moisture loss. Smokers and grillers don't need foil, and we don't.
Absolutely. The rest before the shred could be as short as 15 minutes, but longer is better. Shred just before serving. It will stay warm with my method for about 4 hours, giving you an ample time window to hit to serve freshly shredded pork.
There are special tools made for shredding. You don't need them—just a couple of good forks work well.
Any bone will pull out easily and then attack with the forks. There may be some non-eatable parts that should be discarded.
🍽️Serving Pulled Pork
I prefer a straight-up pulled pork sandwich on a great bun or bread and topped with a Memphis or KC BBQ sauce—I'm happy with simple. But others like to pile on coleslaw or other condiments on their pork sandwich.
You can never go wrong with a nice pile of pulled pork on your plate with sauce and sides.
Other things like pulled pork tacos or chili are great uses for pulled pork.
Suggested side dishes
The usual coleslaw, potato chips, and potato salad are the standards. Cornbread is a great side. Hot sides like potato casseroles, French fries, or baked beans work well.
♨️Storage and Reheating Pulled Pork
Storage
Refrigerate Good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but I prefer 2 days since the texture suffers.
Freezer: Pulled pork will freeze well for 3 to 4 months. Many will freeze pulled pork in reheatable sealed bags; then, they will reheat those in boiling water.
Reheating
Reheat on a sheet pan Sprinkle with a bit of water with your hand (don't overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250°-300° until hot.
The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. Usually, I take about 45 minutes or so in the oven. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea.
You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crockpot on low to keep warm.
Never reheat or store with sauce applied -the acid will destroy the texture of pulled pork.
🥣Side Dishes
Memphis Barbecue Sauce - A Wonderful Thing
Old Fashion Cheesy Potato Casserole
Crispy Parmesan Baked Potatoes
📖Pulled Pork Recipes
Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill – Not That Hard
Crock Pot Pulled Pork from Butt the Right Way
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Use a rub of your choice and some Liquid Smoke. If using my rub, mix ½ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Place a 4-pound (give or take a little) bone-in (or boneless) pork butt on a large piece of plastic wrap if wrapping. Rub with about 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke (optional).
Use about one cup of rub and coat the meat on all sides of the pork butt with a heavy coat. If you have time, wrap the meat with plastic wrap. You may need a second piece. Refrigerate for a few hours, but overnight is fine. If you don't have time, apply the rub and pop it in the oven—which I usually do.
Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and a rack when ready to cook. Give it a heavy spray of PAM.
Place meat on rack and place in a 250°oven (not convection). Don't bother to preheat. Fat cap up or down does not matter. You can shorten the time by increasing the oven's temperature to 275°, but I suggest 250°.
Bake until internal temp of 195° plus (200°-205° is better). About 8-9 hours. This will vary with the meat's thickness, bone-in vs. boneless, and the oven. You have some flex time in the next step to get your timing right.
Remove from the oven directly onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap tight with the foil, then wrap with several towels. Place wrapped meat in a small cooler if available and rest for 1-2 hours until needed. It can stay warm for up to 4 hours if well-wrapped in a cooler. This can help you get your timing right for serving.
Shred with forks. It will fall apart.
📝Full Recipe
Oven Pulled Pork - Low & Slow Pork Butt
Ingredients
- about 4 pounds Pork Butt - aka Boston Butt
- rub of your choice - good quality
- 2 tablespoons Wright's Liquid Smoke - optional but recommended
My Rub
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - 2 tablespoons if using Morton
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Use a rub of your choice and some Liquid Smoke. If using my rub, mix ½ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Place a 4-pound (give or take a little) bone-in (or boneless) pork butt on a large piece of plastic wrap if wrapping. Rub with about 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke (optional).
- Use about one cup of rub and coat the meat on all sides of the pork butt with a heavy coat. If you have time, wrap the meat with plastic wrap. You may need a second piece. Refrigerate for a few hours, but overnight is fine. If you don't have time, just apply the rub and pop it in the oven—which I usually do. v v
- Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and a rack when ready to cook. Give it a heavy spray of PAM.
- Place meat on a rack and place in a 250° oven (not convection). Don't bother to preheat. Fat cap up or down does not matter. You can shorten the time by increasing the oven's temperature to 275°, but I suggest 250°.
- Bake until internal temp of 195° plus (200°-205° is better). About 8-9 hours. This will vary some with the thickness of the meat, bone-in vs. boneless, and the oven. You have some flex time in the next step to get your timing right.
- Remove from the oven directly onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap tight with the foil, then wrap with several towels. Place wrapped meat in a small cooler if available and rest for 1-2 hours until needed. It can stay warm for up to 4 hours is well wrapped in a cooler. This can help you get your timing right for serving.
- Shred with forks. It will fall apart.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cooking time can vary, but you can use the wrap time at the end to adjust the shredding time by a few hours.
- If you don't have a rack, you can elevate the meat on balls of rolled-up foil. Please do not leave it to cook in the muck. (see the crock pot recipe)
- The liquid smoke is nice, but some object, so skip if you wish. If you use it, quality matters a lot. I use only Wright's.
- My rub is provided for you, but use the rub of your choice.
- If you use my rub, the salt is calculated on Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- I find my rub still is good with half the salt if that is a concern for you.
- 195° is the minimum, but I much prefer 200° to 205° and 210° max.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but I prefer 2 days since the texture suffers. It will freeze well for 3-4 months.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. But bone-in may take a bit longer.
- Fat pad up or down does not matter.
- I frequently just wet with the liquid smoke and apply the rub. And then directly into the oven. It is still great.
- DO NOT cover with anything like foil or a lid in the oven.
- Nutrition is hard to calculate. The fat drains, the rub forms bark, and also drains some. So many things are included in the nutrition numbers that may not be there.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
Reheating
I like to reheat it on a sheet pan. I sprinkle with a bit of water on my hand (don't overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250°-300° until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. Usually, I take about 45 minutes or so in the oven. I know that is not very exact but you get the idea. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer to a crockpot on low to keep warm. Never reheat or store with sauce applied -the acid will destroy the texture.To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's note: Originally Published November 2, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Anthony andrews
I ABSOLUTELY LOOOOVVEEE THIS RECIPE!! I use this recipe and a North Carolina-inspired sauce that is absolutely phenomenal. My question is, can I do a brisket (a whole packer) in the same manner? I know this blog is old, but I am curious if it will work and still hold its shape, not shred like the pork does
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Anthony,
Welcome to the blog.
You "should" be able to cook brisket similarly but I have not done that. If I oven cooked brisket and didn't use our normal brisket recipe (link below), my wife would beat me. Check my grill recipe and the timing should be similar if you want to experiment. But no guarantee here since I haven't done it. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cook-brisket-gas-grill/
May I suggest https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-kansas-city-bbq-beef-brisket/ which is an oven brisket we have made for 45 years many many times.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Chip
Just FYI, it is a "butt" because that was the name of the barrel size that was used to ship salted meat on sailing ships. It has nothing to do with the cut of meat itself
Melinda McLaughlin
The best pulled pork I've ever had! Directions were perfect. Everyone loved it! Some people even ate it without a roll or barbecue sauce- it was that good! I cooked 3 pork buts at once in the oven and put them right on to the oven rack to cook, with a sheet cake pan lined with foil on the next rack down.
Yvonne
Hello I have a 7 lb bone in going to bake 250 for 12 hrs Using your rub. After that can be shred then put a n slow cooker
Happy in Texas
I will have to agree that the lower temperatures are a better way to go. I have a friend that uses a grill to smoke and cook the meat and he likes to keep it around 270 for the target temp.
I didn't want to stay chained to my grill for 12+ hours so I decided to go with a target temp of 225-240F @ 1.5 hours per pound in the oven.
My first pork butt/boston butt was 9.21 lbs. It was already bag/plastic wrapped so I removed it from the fridge and brought it up to room temp by soaking it in a large bowl of warm-hot water while leaving it in the plastic bag. This took about 15-20 min. I made a dry rub while I was waiting. I used the rub recipe in Jeff Phillip's Smoking Meat book called the Big Bald BBQ Rub which can also be found in the smokingmeatforumsDOTcom.
I coated the entire pork butt in mustard as directed by several popular forums. Adding the dry rub made a nice paste. I made sure the mustard got into every nook and cranny of the pork but. I figured that my pork butt might taste like a large mutant hotdog at the end ... but the mustard flavor pretty much disappears completely.
After the mustard, I added the rub. Basically, the rub includes sugar, paprika, black pepper, lemon pepper, kosher salt, powdered garlic, powdered onion, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and lemon pepper.
Based on several finishing sauce recipes for pulled pork that I found in the forums, I also included about a tablespoon of allspice. I also included Lime Pepper seasoning (I cut the amount of lemon pepper by 1/2 and added the lime)
While these ingrediants would make you think that the drippings would have a heck of a kick, they didn't really have the level that I was expecting. I am not a big fan of hot sauces, so this was well within my comfort zone. Nice flavor, but nothing that would cause a novice to start sweating, or think about sweating.
I started out at 225, and after the fat cap split (I put the fat side up) around the 4 hour mark, I spritzed with apple cider vinager every hour for about 3 hours. Then I wrapped it in butcher paper (waxless) and then in foil and put back into the oven. I pulled the drippings pan and poured off the drippings and put the pan back under the butt in case my wrappings leaked (they did not). I bumped the heat up to 240 since the internal temp was only around 165.
At the 12 hour mark the oven safety feature turned off the oven. I was asleep and didn't notice immediately. When I came down at the 13 hour mark the meat was at 190F. I turned the oven back on and set the temp to 300 for 90 minutes. This brought the temp into the 203-205F range which was my target temp.
Since I wanted to get back to bed, I opened the oven door for about 20 minutes to dissapate the heat, then I closed the door and let the roast coast/rest for about 5 hours until I got up again. The internal temp was a bit over 160 so no food safety issues. I wouldn't have been worried if it was 60F lower since it had been wrapped the entire time.
I took the roast out of the oven and pulled the pork. It was pretty hot but it was so tender, moist, and juicy, that it pretty much fell apart.
I saved the additional drippings while setting aside the fat.
I cooled the drippings so that the fat congealed so that it could be removed, but found that it was pretty easy to pour the drippings into another bowl while the fat remained in the original bowl. A slotted spoon helped with this process.
after I pulled the pork, I put the very moist pork on some racks and cold-smoked them. There is a YouTube video of a $1 cold smoker setup using a cardboard box and some sawdust from a pecan tree or whatever smoking wood that you like to use. I used Pecan since we had one cut down recently and I saved a garbage bag full of the sawdust. But I also have mesquite chips as well. I put the sawdust in an aluminum baking pan and used bow torch to start it (youtube has videos of how people do this).
With the racks under some sort of enclosure (any type of box, teepee type thing, traditional BBQ with smoker, whatever) I cold smoked the racks of pulled pork for 1 hour. I also experimented with 30 minutes of smoking but 1 hour was the sweet spot. Even 30 minutes had good flavor but I wouldn't go longer than 60. It would be a waste of time.
The racks of pulled pork were still very very moist. The overall temp inside the smoking enclosure only went up 3-5 degrees. I immediately bagged and chilled the pork after 1 hour.
I lightly simmered the drippings for a few minutes to make sure there weren't any food safety issues, and then poured all of the drippings (minus the fat that was skimmed off) back into the bags of pulled pork.
When making the sandwiches later on, we toasted hawaiian slider and regular sized buns with butter in our oven broiler.
Some of the family likes pickles and onions added, some like their favorite bbq sauce, and some like a finishing sauce added to their pork. There are a lot of interesting recipes. It just depends on the individual.
I liked doing the cold-smoke after the oven cooking. It was simple to do. It did not take much in materials (a couple hands of sawdust and a few mesquite wood chips) ... and it had a great smoked flavor. Trying to light the sawdust with a match or lighter did not work well. A propane or butane torch worked really really well and only took a couple seconds.
The initial 9.21lb roast was bone in. I am currently cooking one right now that is 5lb with no bone. We will see how that goes.
If you have any need for smoked spices. I would recommend spreading your seasonings out on some aluminum foil and smoking them while you do the pork. It is easy, takes no extra time, and you can pour them back in the original bottle afterwards. I do this with paprika, pepper, garlic and onion powders. The give a nice flavor when doing hamburgers or other things on the stove when you don't have easy access to the grill.
Monica
I booked marked this page because I cannot tell you just how much conflicting information I got on how to cook a butt. The information on this post is clear, super helpful...and I'm on my way! Wish me luck ! Lol
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Monica,
Welcome to the blog.
I try to be informative. I always told my students it is much more important to know "why" than "what" usually so you can fix things when something doesn't quite work.
I have a 4 pounder in the refrigerator now for tomorrow.
Dan
Stephanie Licon
I’ve used this recipe twice, perfect every time.
Kim
We had this for dinner last night and it was delish!! I put it on the smoker for about an hour to add the smoked flavor. We’ll definitely use this recipe again! Thanks for sharing! I also appreciate all of the helpful hints and ways to tweak the ingredients & cooking times.
Bob Gilda
I look at the nutrition facts and often see "Per Serving." Yet no where is the amount of a serving stated. For example, Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt. What is amount of a serving that has 680kcal?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Bob,
Welcome to the blog.
There are 8 servings in 4-pound pork butt. So with cooking, it will be 6-7 oz. Remember the nutrition is calculated by a machine, there is drainage and it is a natural product, so variable, unlike factory produced foods.
Dan
Karen
So glad I found your site. I’ve got a big boy 7lbs. I’m calculating 14hours at 250, boneless pork shoulder butt(off the label lol). I’ll let you know how it turns out. Your recipe is the most straightforward I’ve found and went through quite a few.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Karen,
Welcome to the blog.
Your time estimate may be a bit high. Everybody talks about weight but the cooking time is somewhat more related to the thickness which is not totally proportional to weight. Check it at 10 and 12 hours to be sure.
Enjoy your pork.
Dan
Karen
Thanks for the quick reply Dr Dan!! Yes and good because I’m wanting to cook it overnight so if I start cook time around 11pm I’ll check my temp at 9am.
Jim Holstein
I cooked a 5# loin at 325 until 175-deg per the thermometer dial. It was excellent for the 2 of us. We each had 2 slices, lots left.
How can I make some pulled pork from the remainder?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the blog.
Making pulled pork out of already cooked pork loin will probably not go very well. With pork butt, you have all the fat and melted connective tissue, but with loin, the fibers just tighten up. If you want to try, I would do some thinner slices and braise in some broth over at a low simmer. But again, I think you are fighting a losing battle.
Dan
Jeanne
Thank you sooooooo much for this recipe and instructions. I did not have liquid smoke, so I used a chipotle chili powder. I followed all other instructions. This was unbelievably good. Will recommend and share to everyone. I didn't know it could be so easy.
Beth
Hey Dr Dan, I'm going to oven bake a 9 pound bone in Boston Butt. Planning to bake (per your instructions) 14-16 or even more hours at 250 to get to around 205 degrees. I want it to pull very nicely! I then have to travel with it & reheat to serve in a couple days.
So, my question is: after I finish baking it, do I wrap the whole unpulled butt, ice it down quickly & refrigerate, then reheat & pull on the day I serve it? OR Do I pull it right after taking it out of the oven and just reheat the pulled pork on the day I serve it? I sure don't want to dry it out. How long should I plan to reheat after pulling out of the fridge on the day I serve it? I have really enjoyed reading your recipe (so wonderfully detailed) and especially all the comments - I have read them all. Saw one that regarded reheating I think after it was pulled. Just want your thoughts on this.
Thanks!
Beth
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Beth,
Welcome to the blog.
First, your time estimate for 9 pounds is about right I think but have not done one that big this way. At about 10 hours into it, I would check the temp and make sure it is reasonable. I like 200-205 in the thickest part.
About the cook now, eat in a few days thing. This comes up a lot for us also. I try to have always shred and serve if possible. I frequently will put it in at midnight for mid-day the next day. Remember, you have a few hours (up to 3-4 if correctly wrapped) of rest time and you can also cook at 225 or 275 degrees instead of 250. So a lot of built-in "fudge" time. So if visiting family, I would take it raw and a bag of rub. I would "borrow" the oven for overnight and then wrap the devil out of it in the morning when done. That would be the best result.
But if that is not possible then I have the following suggestions. So, cook fully and let it rest for per the instructions. Then shred the day of cooking. You can not get good results by waiting to shred. I just won't shred right. And you can't reheat it well.
It is technically good for 3-4 days after cooking but really best the first two days. So, if I aiming for 3-4 days out, I cook, rest, shred and then freeze it. To thaw, I move it from the freezer to refrigerator for a day or so.
I like to reheat on a sheet pan, I sprinkle with a little water on my hand (don't overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250-300 until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer to a crock pot on low to keep warm. (usually 45 minutes or so in the oven for me). I know that is not very exact but you get the idea.
Never reheat with sauce applied, the acid will destroy the texture.
I hope that helps.
Dan
Rick&Sherry
This recipe is Butt Roast perfection! We now make a big bowl of rub (enough for 6 roasts) to put in freezer. Iv never cooked roast without foil until now. Thank you for all the time you spend searching the internet & comparing the recipes & ingredients to come out with the perfect End Recipe. Love coming here, I just wish I could Post a pic of my Roasts/Turkey etc. Happy Holidays,
Charlene a kirkland
Cooking a few weeks before needed. Should I wait to shread or do it same day cooked?
nancy
how long for an oven cooked 13lb bone in pork? can I use 3 packets of slow cooker seasoning mix, as a rub, it calls for ketchup, brown sugar an vinegar to be added with the powder to a slow cooker, but meat doesn't fit....please help, I am cooking this for 25 people
Nancy
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hu Nancy,
Welcome to the blog.
I have never done that size. I will tell you that the smokers usually run 225 to 250 degrees and they calculate 1.5 to 2 hours per pound. I don't see why it would be very different. So by that math, you are looking at 20 to 26 hours. I always seem to take a bit longer than 2 hours per pound.
But again, I have never done this size. If you bump it up to 275 degrees, it will be a bit faster. If you cut it in half and cook as two 6.5 pound butts it will be more in the 10 to 13-hour range. BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU ARE COOKING TO A FINAL INTERNAL TEMP NEVER BY TIME. You get some flex time with the wrapping at the end.
I have a hard time getting excited about your slow cooker package rub but use it if you want. I would make up a batch of mine, cheap and good.
Lastly 13 pounds bone-in will probably feed the 25 people but not much leftovers.
Good luck with it.
Dan
A
John
OMG, This is the best meat of any kind I ever ate. 4lb partially frozen, cooked exactly as written. Started at 11:30 pm until 11:00 am, 200% temp, was perfect. Glad I found your recipe. Thank You Dan.
Billy
Hi. I cooked a 6.5 pound butt for about 12 hours. I am so happy the way it turned out. Simple, easy , delicious!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will be doing it again real soon.
jeff
up until today, I have never left a comment about a recipe I found on line, this one absolutely deserves one! I did not stray from the instructions at all except in two areas, I adjusted the rub to fit the portion of Boston butt I had, and cooked it fat side up, besides that followed the directions to a T, when I first tempted it , it was 3 degrees shy of your recommendation of 200, usually I would have said oh thats good enough, but not this time, back in the oven it went. This recipe is a winner, thanks so much, it is going to become part of my repertoire
Colette
Excellent and easy. I am cooking my third one today.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Colette,
Welcome to the blog.
This is one of my personal favorites. Almost no work, great taste and lots of leftovers. What could be better.
Thanks for the note.
Dan