Making pulled pork on a gas grill is easier than you think—no smoker needed. This guide shows you how to cook pork butt (Boston butt) low and slow using indirect heat, wood chips, and a simple rub. The result? Juicy, smoky, pull-apart meat with flavorful bark—no special gear, just solid results.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🔥 Why This Method Works
- 🐖Ingredients You Need
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
- ⏲️ How Long to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
- 🌡️ What’s the Final Internal Temperature for Pulled Pork?
- 📚 Helpful Resources
- 🔥 Adding Smoke on a Gas Grill
- What is "the stall," and what should I do?
- 🛒Grilling tools I recommend
- 🍽️ How to Serve Pulled Pork
- ♨️How to reheat leftover pulled pork?
- ❄️ Refrigerating and Freezing Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 🐖Pulled Pork Recipes
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pulled Pork from Pork Butt on a Gas Grill (No Smoker)
Featured Comment by EllenJ:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Great recipe! Really. There are tons of recipes out there for gas grilled smoked pulled pork, many good ones. But yours hits ALL the marks, including illustrations and customizing suggestions. Thanks!"
🔥 Why This Method Works
- No smoker? No problem. You’ll still get smoky flavor and juicy meat using a gas grill and a handful of wood chips.
- Pork butt is perfect. Also called Boston butt, it’s packed with fat and connective tissue that melts during low-and-slow cooking—exactly what you want for tender pulled pork.
- Beginner-friendly, not dumbed down. Clear instructions, target temps, and no guesswork—reliable results every time.
- Your grill, your way. Use your favorite rub, wood chips, or sauce—or keep it simple and classic.
- Bark like a pro. That flavorful, crusty exterior comes easily with the right setup and a little patience.
🐖Ingredients You Need
- 4–6 pounds pork butt (Boston butt) – Boneless or bone-in. Bone-in may take a bit longer to cook since the bone absorbs some heat. Look for good marbling—this cut is ideal for pulled pork because it’s rich in fat and connective tissue that melts down during low-and-slow cooking.
- BBQ dry rub of your choice – Use your favorite store-bought rub or mix up a homemade version. My go-to rub is included in the recipe card if you need one.
- Wood chips – Hickory or apple are great choices. About 1 to 2 hours of smoke is usually enough, but you can go longer if you want a deeper flavor.
✅ Pro Tip: A good rule of thumb is about 1 cup of wood chips per hour. Start with 1–2 hours and adjust to your taste.
🧰 Tools You’ll Need
- Foil and drip pan – Use heavy-duty foil to wrap the pork during the resting phase and a drip pan under the meat to catch drippings and keep the grill cleaner.
- Thermometer (instant-read or remote) – You need to know the internal temperature to get this right. An instant-read works, but a remote probe thermometer is highly recommended—it lets you monitor the meat without opening the lid and losing heat.
- A method for smoking – You’ll need a way to add wood smoke to your gas grill. Use a built-in smoker box if your grill has one, a cast-iron smoker box, or a homemade foil pouch with holes poked in the top.
✅ Pro Tip: Start with a full propane tank. Low-and-slow grilling uses more fuel than you might expect. If you’re on a small tank, keep a backup ready.
👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
1. Coat with dry rub
Mix your rub if needed. Apply a generous coating to the pork butt. Wrap in plastic if you're prepping ahead.
2. Setup the grill
Prepare your gas grill for indirect cooking at 250°F with a drip pan under the meat. Once the temperature is steady, place the pork on the indirect side.d
✅Pro Tip: For grill setup help and troubleshooting, see: How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking
3. Grill and Smoke
Start the smoke using wood chips in a smoker box or foil pouch. Smoke for 1–2 hours (or longer for deeper flavor), and cook at 250°F until the internal temp reaches 200°–205°F—usually 6 to 8 hours.
✅Don’t skip the thermometer: Use a thermometer. Pulled pork is done by temperature, not time.
4. Wrap and rest
Remove the pork and wrap tightly in two layers of foil, then in towels. Let it rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours to retain moisture and improve texture.
5. Shred and serve
Use two forks to pull the pork apart while it’s still hot. Serve as is or with your favorite BBQ sauce.
✅ Pro Tip: You must shred the pork while it’s still hot. Once it cools, it won’t pull easily. Always shred before refrigerating or freezing.
📌For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
⏲️ How Long to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Plan on 1½ to 2 hours per pound at 250°F. For example, a 4-pound pork butt typically takes 6 to 8 hours. Bone-in cuts and smaller roasts may take longer per pound since thickness, not just weight, affects cooking time.
✅ Keep the lid closed as much as possible. Every time you lift the hood, you lose heat and extend the cooking time.
If you’re cooking for a scheduled event, make it ahead of time. Pulled pork is easy to reheat, and the resting phase gives you flexibility. After cooking, you can wrap it and hold it in a cooler for up to 4 hours without losing quality.
But here’s the real rule:
You're cooking to a final internal temperature of 200°–205°F, not by the clock. Use a reliable thermometer and trust it.
🌡️ What’s the Final Internal Temperature for Pulled Pork?
There are a lot of strong opinions out there, but here’s what works: aim for 200°–205°F. That’s the sweet spot where the connective tissue has melted and the meat pulls easily.
Some folks swear by 208° or even 210°, while others stop around 195°. In my experience, anything under 200° risks being too firm to shred easily. Anything higher and you start to lose moisture.
✅ Check in multiple spots using a reliable instant-read thermometer. Don’t guess—trust the temp.
📚 Helpful Resources
Looking for more background or recipe variations? These posts can help:
- A Beginner's Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill – Learn how to control heat for consistent results.
- How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking – This guide includes grill setup tips and troubleshooting for wood chips and temp control.
- Rub and Sauce Recipes:
- 8:3:1:1 BBQ Dry Rub – The base rub I recommend in the recipe card, with variations.
- Memphis Dry Rub
- Chipotle BBQ Dry Rub
- Memphis BBQ Sauce
🔥 Adding Smoke on a Gas Grill
To build that classic BBQ flavor, you’ll need a way to add wood smoke to your gas grill. A smoker box works great—cast iron or built-in, either gets the job done. If you don’t have one, just wrap a handful of wood chips in heavy-duty foil, seal the edges, and poke a few holes in the top. Set it over a burner and you’re in business.
No need to soak the chips. That old advice doesn’t add anything but delay—dry chips start smoking faster and work just fine.
I usually go with hickory, but cherry, pecan, mesquite, or apple are all solid choices. Mix and match if you like—there’s no wrong answer here.
📌 Having trouble keeping the smoke going or managing temps? Check the troubleshooting section in How Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
✅ Pro Tip: Most smoke flavor happens early in the cook, so make sure your chips are going while the meat is still cold.
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What is "the stall," and what should I do?
At around 160°F, pork butt hits what’s known as the stall—the internal temperature just stops rising. It can sit there for an hour or more, even with steady heat.
What’s happening? As the pork cooks low and slow, the connective tissue is melting (that’s good), but at the same time, moisture is evaporating from the surface, which cools the meat and causes the stall.
You’ll hear people talk about wrapping in foil or butcher paper (the “Texas Crutch”) to push through it faster by trapping moisture and stopping evaporation. That’s helpful for larger pork butts or whole briskets, where the stall can drag out and significantly extend cook time.
✅ What should you do? For average-sized pork butts on a home gas grill—just let it ride. Keep the lid closed and the temperature steady. The stall will pass on its own.
🛒Grilling tools I recommend
For best results, you need a way to watch the temperature of the grill surface and the meat remotely so you don't keep opening the grill hood and dropping the grill temperature.
There are many fine products for monitoring temperature when cooking. Here are a few I suggest.
Notice: These links are affiliate links, meaning I make a small profit from your purchases. Your price is not affected by this commission. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
Cast Iron Smoker Box
CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
🍽️ How to Serve Pulled Pork
Plan on about ⅓ pound of pork butt per person before cooking, which yields roughly ¼ pound of pulled pork. You’ll want leftovers—most people go back for seconds (or thirds), especially if sandwiches are involved.
Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite barbecue sauce, or just pile it on a plate. I recommend my Memphis Barbecue Sauce—it always disappears first at parties, while the store-bought stuff sits untouched.
As for sides, keep it simple and classic:
- French Fries.
- Potato salad
- Chips
- Macaroni Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Corn on the Cob
- Cornbread
♨️How to reheat leftover pulled pork?
Spread the pulled pork on a rimmed sheet pan, sprinkle lightly with water (don’t soak it), and cover tightly with foil. Reheat in a 250°–300°F oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until hot.
The exact time depends on how much pork you’re reheating and how it was shredded. You can keep it warm in a low oven (covered) or transfer it to a slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting.
✅ Pro Tip: Never reheat pulled pork with sauce already applied. The acid in BBQ sauce can break down the texture during reheating—add it on the side at serving.
❄️ Refrigerating and Freezing Leftovers
Store leftover pulled pork in an airtight container—refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
✅ Important: Always shred the pork before storing. Cold, whole pork butt doesn’t shred well once it firms up.
If freezing, let the shredded pork cool completely first. Then portion it into meal-size amounts and seal flat in zip-top freezer bags—it’ll thaw faster and take up less space.
❓FAQs
I don't, but you can add extra flavor or moisture. Pork butt is already rich and juicy on its own, and I like it to taste like pork butt, not marinade.
Gas grills can use more fuel than you’d expect during long, low-and-slow cooks. Always start with a full tank, and keep a spare ready.
If you run out mid-cook, transfer the pork to a 250°F oven and continue cooking until it reaches the correct internal temperature.
Trimming the fat pad is optional—it mainly reduces the drippings. It doesn’t affect tenderness or moisture.
Fat side up or down? Doesn’t matter. The key to tender pork is melted connective tissue and internal fat, not the surface fat cap.
Despite the name, pork butt (or Boston butt) comes from the upper part of the shoulder, not the rear of the pig. It’s marbled with fat and packed with connective tissue—exactly what you want for tender pulled pork when cooked low and slow.
Pork shoulder (often called picnic shoulder) comes from the lower part of the foreleg. It can work for pulled pork, but it’s tougher and less forgiving.
🐖Pulled Pork Recipes
Oven Pulled Pork Butt
Low and slow in the oven—rub it, bake it at 250°F for 8 to 9 hours, and shred. This is our easiest pulled pork recipe, and it delivers tender meat with great bark and big flavor.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
This foolproof slow cooker method uses pork butt and a dry rub—no liquid, no searing, just set it and forget it. Add a little liquid smoke if you want that BBQ flavor boost.
👉Pulled Pork Recipes without a Smoker: Looking for more options? Check out all my pulled pork recipes—some use pork butt, others use leaner cuts like pork loin
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Pulled Pork from Pork Butt on a Gas Grill (No Smoker)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4–6 pounds Pork butt - boneless or bone-in
- 1 cup rub of your choice or my pork butt rub
- 3–4 cups wood chips - type of your choice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start with about a cup of the rub of your choice or my suggested rub.
- Apply the rub. If you have time, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour or overnight.
- Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking with a drainage pan. Adjust the burners to get a steady 250°F. Add the meat to the indirect side.
- Start your smoke. You can also apply smoke with a separate smoker box or an aluminum foil pouch with slots.
- Smoke for 1-2 hours or more. Cook at approximately 250°F until 195°–200°F minimum, but I prefer 200°–205°F.—generally 6-8 hours.
- Remove from the grill and wrap tightly in double sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap in towels for 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can extend this time by wrapping more and using a small insulated cooler—up to 3–4 hours.
- Hand shred with a couple of forks. The bone should come out clean. Best served freshly pulled.
Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- The full recipe post has many tips. If you are new to this, please read the post. Then, check the grill setup in How to Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
- The estimated cooking time is 1½–2 hours per pound, but smaller pork butts tend to take longer per pound. Bone-in also takes a bit longer.
- You must be able to monitor the grill surface temperature. Please do not try without it. You want a 250°F grill surface temperature. You also must be able to check the internal temperature of the meat.
- If you run out of gas, place it on a rimmed baking tray at 250°F until you reach the final temperature.
- You can keep reapplying the smoke, but 1 hour is good. I prefer hickory or apple chips.
- Do not keep opening the grill hood and interrupting the heat. It will take a lot longer to cook. When you must, only quickly open it a little way.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. And fat pad up or down does not matter.
- Use a rub of your choice. I provided a suggested rub. You may decrease the salt if you want. Many will add yellow mustard as a base on the pork before the rub.
- Done is 200°–205°F internal temperature. Don't settle for under 190°F.
- Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes, but 1–2 hours is better.
- You can delay shedding to 3–4 hours by wrapping the foil-sealed butt in multiple towels and a small insulated cooler.
- Always shred it before it cools.
- Good refrigerated for 3–4 days, but I prefer two days since the texture seems to suffer. It will freeze well for 3–4 months.
- Reheating and serving are discussed in the post.
- Never reheat with sauce applied. The acid will destroy the texture.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Posted July 15, 2012. This recipe has been one of the more popular recipes on the site and was way overdue for a facelift. Photos have been re-edited with a few from other recipes to clarify things. Please enjoy learning how to cook pulled pork on your gas grill.
Tom R says
Love your grilling recipes for all kinds of food. I have a 2.5 pound, 2” thick Boston butt roast, (looks like a beef chuck roast). How would I slow cook this butt on my gas grill. Thanks!
EllenJ says
Great recipe! Really. There are tons of recipes out there for gas grill smoked pulled pork, many good ones. But yours hits ALL the marks, including illustrations and customizing suggestions. Thanks!
Here's a little take on the soak/don't soak chips conflict: Wood begins to char at around 450°F and really needs to go a lot higher before it bursts into flame. So if you're grilling streaks you want to soak those chips (burnt hickory soot doesn't taste good) but you can smoke them all day at 250° and they'll be just fine. Again, thanks for the super recipe/method; I've been cooking for half a century and it's always fun to learn new tricks.
Dan says
BLUF: absolutely brilliant recipe and instructions
First time smoker. Looked at a bunch of different sites for clear, easy to follow instructions and chose this recipe.
The instructions were clear, laid out expectations and how to accomplish them. The rub was excellent and the Memphis BBQ sauce recipe (heavier end on cayenne) was perfect with mesquite wood.
One issue I had as a newbie was figuring out how much smoke and "density" was ideal. Found a video that depicted the "thin blue smoke" that is preferred. If mention of that was made, it would help out the first timers.
Also, wrapping the butt mid-cook? I did with about 3 hours left. Turned out excellent.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Dan,
Welcome to the blog and great name.
About the smoke. You are correct, I would prefer a thinner longer smoke (a slight blue ting usually) than a brief heavy smoke (less blue) but how to get one vs the other varies by your grill and method of smoking. Generally heating the chips over a lower heat area of the grill (250ish) and avoid the hottest part of the grill.
Wrapping is for "The Stall" which is discussed in the post. To me, you are trading a minimal change in moisture and slightly quicker cooking for a really good crust. Especially in smaller and thinner butts. I do cover it in detail on the grill brisket post.https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cook-brisket-gas-grill/#the-stall
Glad you enjoyed the post and the pulled pork. Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Cathy says
I searched high and low but no butts; came home with a boneless, 4.5 shoulder. What should I do differently?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the blog.
Boneless is fine. Shoulder is generally part of the butt so you are fine. (discussed in the post) It will cook slightly faster but you cook to a final internal temperature anyway.
Dan
Jessica says
Hi Dan—can you skip the water all together?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jessica,
Welcome to the blog.
Most people do the water. It is a very dry environment so "it doesn't hurt. If you have more moisture, the "stall" should be less... maybe. If your setup has the drop pan over the heat then it will decrease the burning of the drippings. But really, I suspect most people will notice nothing different.
Hope that helps some.
Dan
Matt says
These directions and recipe is great thank you so much. I made and 8 lb one this past July and followed that up with two 4 lbs ones. Well here it is December and I just made a 7lb one that took 14 hours. Sure the cold and rain didn’t help. My question, what’s the best way to reheat as I am serving for New Years? I was thinking crockpot, but there is no liquid...does it need?
Thanks and happy new year!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it works so well for you.
To reheat:
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 don't reheat in the crock pot since you have this thick mass of meat, so to get it all warm, you would tend to cook it more.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Jim says
How many times do you refill your wood chips? I can't imagine they will smoke for 11 hours. I've read you only want smoke for about half the cooking time so about 5-6 hours. Is the ideal time to get the smoke into the meat at the beginning of the cooking time? I grill and smoke Salmon in a similar way but my chips rarely smoke for more than 45 minutes and the salmon is done well before the chips are smoked out. What do you think?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the blog.
I generally do about 1-2 hours of smoke near the beginning. That seems to be enough for me and only requires opening the grill hood once.
If you want more, I would suggest making up a few foil packs of chips and then hourly slightly open the grill and toss it on the direct heat side. You want to be careful about opening the grill hood often since it is hard to balance the heat again.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Roger Crowder says
I'm thinking the cooler should have some ice in it?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Roger,
Welcome to the blog.
The cooler, in this use, is to insulate and slow the cooling. That allows the melted connective tissue and other fluids to absorb back into the meat fibers. It will also keep the meat safely hot for serving for a longer period of time so you can adjust serving time some.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Holly says
I am cooking on a gas grill with no smoke box. Where do I place the foil packet of chips?? Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Holly,
Welcome to the blog.
Every grill is different. But most have a flow path of air front to back. You will see the smoke usually exit that way. So the placement of the chips is always over the direct heat and generally near the front and towards the meat if possible. But generally almost anywhere will do.
Dan