How to cook pulled pork on a gas grill? Not all of us have smokers. There are a lot of gas grills out there. Shouldn't we have pulled pork too? I say yes. Pulled pork for all, and with a little planning, it is not that hard. Just plan enough time.
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Introduction and My Rating
I consider three things as the "holy grails" of BBQ. Brisket, baby back ribs and pulled pork from pork butt. And all three can be done on your gas grill with a little care., but pulled pork from pork butt is my absolute favorite.
The best pulled pork comes from pork butt, which is high in fat and connective tissue. It is cooked low and slow to melt the connective tissue into the meat, producing fall-apart tender meat that is heaven on earth.
Let's learn to do it with the gas grill you already have in a logical way that is easy once you understand it.
My Rating:
Yep, I could live on pulled pork.
🐖Pork Butt
Like many cuts of meat, there are multiple names about the same thing. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same. Pork shoulder is the thinner area of this cut but is commonly cooked and used the same as the butt. It has a bit less marbling and less fat and is usually not separated from the butt.
If you are wondering, butt means thick, so that is why the term "butt" is used. Lastly, the picnic ham and picnic shoulder are not the same as this cut.
♨️Method
1) Pork butt. I suggest a 4-6 pound Boston butt. This method should be fine for up to 8 pounds and maybe more. Of course, the cooking time increases. Assume about ½ pound per serving.
2) A gas grill with a lot of gas. I have natural gas, so I'm good to go. If you are on a tank, start with a full one. It is always good to have a backup tank. If you run out with no backup. Pop it in the oven at 250. See the oven recipe linked below.
3) A rub. Whatever rub you love The rub should have some sugar, salt, and various spices. Some cooks will rub it on the day before and refrigerate (I did since I had this planned), but others rub on an hour before the cooking, and I believe this is good also. If you don't have a rub, I have included a suggested one below.
4) Some method of smoking. I have a smoking box built-in my new grill. On my old grill, I used a cast-iron smoking box (link in The Cooking for Two Shop.) You could use an aluminum foil pack of wood chips. I generally use hickory, but cherry, pecan, mesquite, and apple are commonly used. Some people like oak but I really dislike oak for this.
5) A way to watch the temperature of the grill surface. I now use my ThermaQ Blue from Themoworks, which you will find in My Shop. There are many other devices that will work. You can also use a cheap surface thermometer, but you will need to keep checking it, and that is not ideal.
6) Time... lots of time. I took 11 hours on the grill then a 2-hour rest before we ate. Bigger will take longer.
NEED HELP WITH THE GRILL?
A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill
How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking
Do I Have to Use a Grill/Smoker for Pulled Pork from Pork Butt?
No. Check out the oven and crock pot recipes.
Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt
Crock Pot Pulled Pork from Butt the Right Way
⏰🌡️Time and Temperature
How long to cook pork butt?
The general consensus is 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound at 250 degrees, but it always seems to take me a bit longer. Smaller and bone-in pork butts tend to be a bit longer per pound since the cooking time is more related to thickness than weight.
Always remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature, not by time.
If you have a time-critical cook, do it the day before and reheat. Or do it early. The wrapping before shredding can be as little as 30 minutes, and I have left it for 4 hours wrapped well in a cooler with great results. That gives you a big buffer of time.
What final internal temperature for pulled pork?
This is dangerous territory I going into since there are many strong opinions. I go for 195°-200° minimum, but I prefer 200°-205°. And I see 208° or 210° argued as the absolute best. Lower will be a bit moister, but a bit less tender and higher is less moist but a bit more tender. I can't tell the difference. I'll take the middle ground.
✔️TIPS
What rub to use?
Use the rub of your choice. Look around, and you will find thousands of variations, all of which will work. There are many commercial rubs, also.
Here is a simple rub from my 8:3:1:1 rub post, and I included it in the recipe. This makes more than you need, save the excess for another cooking.
- 8 Tablespoons (½ cup) Brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Should I inject the pork butt?
I don't, but you can add flavors and moisture with an injection. But pork butt is very moist, and I want it to taste like pork butt.
Fat pad up or down for pork butt?
Per many experts, it doesn't matter. You are not melting fat into the pork. You are melting the connective tissue and fat in the meat.
Bone-in or boneless?
It really doesn't matter much. To me, bone-in just seems right for the grill. It is an unmodified hunk of pork. But bone-in does take a bit longer to cook.
Should I soak the wood chips?
Tradition says yes, but most experts say not it is not needed. Some will say it prevents the wood from catching on fire and that they smoke longer. I have become convinced it doesn't matter, so I have removed that from the process.
What is "the stall" and what should I do about it?
Pork butts and beef brisket will hit a temperature "stall" when it starts to break down the connective tissue, usually in the 160° plus or minus a little. It may last only minutes or several hours. But the temperature will not move.
Think of it as the energy of the cooking melting the connective tissue, a very good thing. But there is also some fluid evaporation you can prevent by wrapping. See the grill brisket recipe for instructions if you want.
What to do about it? NOTHING, in my opinion, for the home grillers.
Sauce suggestions
I suggest my homemade Memphis Barbecue Sauce; A Wonderful Thing. This sauce always disappears, and others are left untouched at parties. But use any sauce you love.
One quick reminder, do not reheat with BBQ sauce. The acid in it will destroy the texture of the meat.
What to serve with pulled pork?
Coleslaw, baked beans, cornbread, and potato salad are generally severed. I tend to not do a lot of side dishes; it leaves more room for pork.
A few suggestions:
Homemade Macaroni Salad
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Old Fashioned Cornbread
Microwave Corn on the Cob
Crispy Baked French Fries
♨️How 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.
📖Classic Grill Recipes
My "How to Grill" series, master all these techniques, and you will officially be a grill master.
How to Cook a Brisket on a Gas Grill
How to Grill Baby Back Ribs on a Gas Grill
How to Grill a Hamburger - A Beginner Tutorial
How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill
How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
🖼️Photo Instructions
Start with about a cup of the rub of your choice. I used a variation from an 8:3:1:1 rub.
Jump in with your hands and apply the rib. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight if you can. But rub and grill is acceptable.
Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking. This means the meat is not over direct heat. You will see a pan under the pork to catch any drippings. This is on the indirect heat side. The other side has a pan of water over the direct heat. Adjust the burners to get a steady 250°.
Add the meat to the indirect side. I went with the fat side up.
Start your smoke. Here I added chips to my smoke box. You can also apply smoke with a separate smoker box or an aluminum foil pouch with slots.
Cook at approximately 250° until 190° minimum in all locations. 195° to 200° is good. I prefer 200° to 205°. It took me 11 hours for my 4 ½ pound bone-in butt.
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 cooler - up to 3-4 hours.
Hand shred with a couple of forks. The bone should come out clean.
Best served freshly pulled.
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📖 Recipe
Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill – Not That Hard
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds Pork butt
- 1 cup rub of your choice or 8:3:1:1
- 3-4 cups wood chips - type of your choice
8:3:1:1 Rub - this makes just under one cup which is fine.
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start with about a cup of the rub of your choice. I used a variation from an 8:3:1:1 rub.
- Jump in with your hands and apply the rib. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight if you can. But rub and grill is acceptable.
- Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking. This means the meat is not over direct heat. You will see a pan under the pork to catch any drippings. This is on the indirect heat side. The other side has a pan of water over the direct heat. Adjust the burners to get a steady 250°.
- Add the meat to the indirect side. I went with the fat side up.
- Start your smoke. Here I added chips to my smoke box. You can also apply smoke with a separate smoker box or an aluminum foil pouch with slots.
- Cook at approximately 250° until 190° minimum in all locations. 195° to 200° is good. I prefer 200° to 205°. It took me 11 hours for my 4 ½ pound bone-in butt.
- Hand shred with a couple of forks. The bone should come out clean. Best served freshly pulled.
Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- There are lots of tips in the full recipe post. If you are new to this, please read the post.
- Estimated cooking time is 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound. But smaller pork butts tend to be longer than that. Bone-in also takes a bit longer.
- You must be able to monitor grill surface temperature to do this. Please do not try without it. You want 250° grill surface temperature. You also must be able to check the internal temperature of the meat.
- You can keep reapplying smoke, but I find 1 hours is good for me. Your choice. I prefer hickory chips.
- 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.
- Done is really 200°-205° internal temperature. Don't settle for under 190°.
- Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes but one hour is better.
- You can delay shedding time by 2-3 hours with wrapping the foil sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler if you have one.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days but I prefer 2 days since the texture seems to suffer. Will freeze well for 3-4 months.
- 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.
- The most common error is poor grill setup. Please see How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
Nutrition
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. I have re-edited the text and added more useful information. Photos have been re-edited and a few taken from other recipes to clarify things. Please enjoy learning how to do pulled pork on your gas grill.
Jessica
Hi Dan—can you skip the water all together?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
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
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
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
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
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
Stupid here! I'm thinking the cooler should have some ice in it?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
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
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
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
Bobby
Started cooking at 5:30 pm with an 8.5 lb butt. Had my teenage daughter help to apply the rub about midnight last night (family time) and let it marinate 17 hours. Hope this is done between 8:00 and 9:00 am. Looking for about 10 family members to arrive about 1:00 pm tomorrow. Can't wait, but gives us time to prepare all the other stuff.
Heidi Barnard
Hi Dan, I mixed up more if your rub than I needed for my 6.3 lb butt that I will cook tomorrow. Can you save the unused rub? So excited to try this in the gas grill tomorrow.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Heidi,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm sure you will enjoy your pork. Slow cooked pork butt is always great.
The extra rub is good for 3-4 months if sealed tightly with not much air. So I use a ziplock bag and force the air out. So I use it on things like pork tenderloin or country style ribs.
Dan
Pat
How many propane tanks will I
Have to use ? It is a full tank and I have a 4 lb pork butt.
DrDan
Hi Pat,
Welcome to the blog.
I have used a direct natural gas line for 20 years but before that had many propane grills. One tank should do it on most grills. Grills can consume gas at variable rates but your burners on low. But I always had a spare tank just in case.
This time of year, I usually do my oven version of this recipe.
Good luck with it.
Dan
Larry
Tried this method last night. Result was over cooked and dried out. I think 250 is too hot. I had a 6.1 lb butt cooked to 194 after 11 hrs using the probes to monitor temps. The exterior meat was inedible and inside very dry. Will try again but keep temp between 200 and 225 and pull off at 190. Rub however was good.
Adrian Stasiuk
Dr.
I was able to get the shoulder from Costco with no bone. Great fat and marbling though. Anything I should be aware of minus the bone.
DrDan
Hi Adrian and welcome to the site.
The boneless and the bone-in cook approximately the same. I love the smoking on the grill but I also have an excellent oven recipe (super easy) and a very good crockpot recipe (the shame of cooking it in a crock pot).
Good luck with it.
Dan
Kristin M
I didn't see your reply until after I started the process haha but I basically followed your recipe but with a few tweaks. Made the rub minus chili powder but added a bit more onion, garlic, s&p, cumin, and paprika and let it marinade overnight along with soaking hickory chips. Put it on the grill at 250°F for about 5.5 hours and let it rest for 15 mins. Shredded it dry and it's so good! I highly recommend trying a large loin this way.
Kristin M
Forgot to say that we served it with a Kansas city style BBQ sauce and garlic aioli on the side. Served with roasted sweet potato cubes and skillet corn off the cob. Trust me on this one!
Kristin M
I have a 5.5lb boneless loin roast, would the cooking time need adjusted bc its doesnt have a bone? Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Kristin,
Don't do it. They are so totally different in cooking methods.
You can do shredded pork by brasing it or cut it into some very nice pork chops. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/category/pork-loin/ for some ideas.
Let me know if you have questions.
Dan
George Johnson
Cooking mine now.. :) Just curious about something - The boiling point of water is 212 deg F.. So i'm assuming a continual steam bath.. Question is, did you have to keep adding water to the water tray due to evaporation? if so, did you boil before adding as to maintain the 250 deg F?
Thanks in advance!
- G
DrDan
Hi George,
The water seems to last most or all the cooking time and helps with cleanup. No steam bath and I never replace it if it evaporates. The last cooking I was testing multiple thermometers so I know the surface temp was correct and it lasted the whole time, heat rises I guess. Also skipping it should have no effect.
Jay
Well, here it is 1:30am Maryland time. Just finished giving my 4.5lb Pork Shoulder a good rub down, using Doc's recipe. Up at 7 and let the smoking begin. Hickory chips are bathing and the grill is marked for 250 . Have my electronic thermo. As long as the natural gas don't get shut off, I'm good to go! Premade some Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce to go with it. Will post follow up.
Frank
Thanks for sharing. This was really great! My girlfriend and I ended up mixing the brown sugar sauce, same quantity : )
Rob
I spent the day working around the yard, but not before following your process/recipe. I put a small 3.5 pounder on the grill at 11am, and it just hit 190 degrees at 6pm. I'm hungry! But it's going to get wrapped in foil and into the cooler til 8pm. I guess its steak tonight, and pulled pork tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
DrDan
Cut the waiting time to 30 minutes and eat tonight...2 hours is traditional but I have been known to cheat...
Dan
Jason
The pulled pork just looks so tasty! I can't wait to try that one myself, though the preparation is really loong! I kinda just want to skip on it and just go directly to eating. lol!
Chris
That's how I started out smoking on my natural gas grill around 2002, but I never did a pork butt that way, just ribs.
Mary
This looks amazing! That photo with the sauce is truly mouthwatering.
LocalDailySpecials.com
Great tip on wrapping in the foil and putting in the cooler. Had pulled pork on the 4th of July made in a crock pot. Love that you used the grill
Melissa
The preparation time is agonizing. I can't wait to eat it LOL.