Cooking pork butt low and slow on a gas grill produces tender, smoky pulled pork without a dedicated smoker. Indirect heat holds the grill near 250°F, while wood chips add smoke and help develop a rich bark.
Clear but not dumbed down, this guide covers grill setup, smoke, timing, the stall, final temperature, and resting—everything you need to manage the long cook and pull the pork while it is at its best.
Quick Answer: How Long to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Cook over indirect heat at 250°F.
- Plan on 1½–2 hours per pound.
- Cook to an internal temperature of 200°–205°F.
- A 4-pound pork butt usually takes 6–8 hours.
Always cook to temperature, not time.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🤔 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐖 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
- ♨️ Gas Grill Setup, Tools, and Wood Smoke
- ⏲️ How Long to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
- 🌡️ When Is Pork Butt Done?
- 🤔 What Is the Stall?
- 🍽️ How to Serve Pulled Pork
- 🔥 How to Reheat Pulled Pork and Keep It Warm
- ❄️ How to Store and Freeze Pulled Pork
- ❓ FAQs
- 🐖 Pulled Pork Recipes
- 📖The Recipe Card
- Pulled Pork from Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Featured Comment by EllenJ:
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"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!"
🤔 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Tender, smoky pulled pork from a pork butt cooked low and slow over indirect heat on a gas grill.
Why: The fat renders and connective tissue softens, while the gas grill maintains steady heat without all-day charcoal management.
How: Apply dry rub, cook at 250°F, add smoke early, and continue to 200°–205°F. Rest, then pull while hot.
🐖 Ingredients
- Pork butt: Also called Boston butt, this thick, well-marbled cut comes from the upper pork shoulder. The whole shoulder also includes the lower picnic shoulder and is much larger. Stores sometimes loosely label pork butt as “pork shoulder,” so check that you are buying the butt. Bone-in or boneless will work.
- BBQ dry rub: Use your favorite store-bought rub or a homemade blend. The recipe card includes my basic dry rub.
- Wood chips: Hickory produces a traditional barbecue smoke, while apple, cherry, or pecan are milder options. Choose one or combine them to suit your taste.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
1. Coat the pork butt generously with dry rub.
2. Set up the 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.
3. Add wood chips in a smoker box or foil pouch and smoke for 1–2 hours. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 200°–205°F.
4. Wrap tightly in two layers of foil, then in towels, and rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Pull the pork apart with two forks while it is still hot. Serve as is or with your favorite BBQ sauce.
📌 For complete step-by-step instructions, see the printable recipe card below or keep reading for tips.
♨️ Gas Grill Setup, Tools, and Wood Smoke
Set up the gas grill for indirect cooking at 250°F, with the pork over the unlit side and a drip pan underneath. Let the temperature stabilize before adding the meat. Start with a full propane tank and keep a backup available for the long cook.
Thermometers, drip pan, and foil
A remote thermometer is strongly recommended. Ideally, use one probe near the pork at grate level to monitor the grill temperature and another in the meat.
An instant-read thermometer is useful for confirming the final temperature in several places.
Use a drip pan beneath the pork to catch rendered fat and heavy-duty foil for wrapping during the rest.
✅ Pro Tip: Never place the drip pan directly on the burner tubes. Put it over the unlit side on the lava rocks or flavor bars, or on the cooking grate beneath the pork if necessary.
Adding wood smoke
Place dry wood chips in a built-in or cast-iron smoker box over an active burner. If you do not have one, seal the chips in a heavy-duty foil pouch, poke several holes in the top, and place it over the burner.
Do not soak the chips. One to two hours of smoke is usually enough.
📌 For detailed setup and troubleshooting, see How to 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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⏲️ How Long to Cook Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
At 250°F over indirect heat, plan on approximately 1½–2 hours per pound. Bone-in pork butt may take somewhat longer. Use these times only for scheduling; the pork is done when it reaches 200°–205°F and is tender when probed.
Approximate cooking times:
- 4 pounds: 6–8 hours
- 5 pounds: 7½–10 hours
- 6 pounds: 9–12 hours
- 7 pounds: 10½–14 hours
- 8 pounds: 12–16 hours
Thickness, bone-in versus boneless, grill-temperature fluctuations, weather, and the length of the stall can all affect cooking time.
When serving at a fixed time, finish early. Wrap the pork in foil and towels and hold it in an insulated cooler for up to four hours, keeping the internal temperature above 140°F.
🌡️ When Is Pork Butt Done?
Begin checking for doneness about three-quarters of the way through the estimated cooking time. Most pork butt is ready to pull at 200°–205°F. Check several areas while avoiding the bone and large pockets of fat.
Some folks swear by 208° or even 210°F, while others stop around 195°F. In my experience, anything under 200°F risks being too firm to shred easily, while cooking much beyond 205°F can cost moisture.
🤔 What Is the Stall?
At around 160°F, the pork’s internal temperature may stop rising for an hour or more. This is the stall. Moisture evaporating from the surface cools the meat nearly as fast as the grill heats it. The stall is usually more noticeable and prolonged with larger pork butts or whole briskets.
Wrapping tightly in foil or butcher paper—the “Texas Crutch”—can shorten the stall but may soften the bark. For an average pork butt, leave it unwrapped, keep the grill near 250°F, and be patient. The temperature will begin rising again.
🍽️ How to Serve Pulled Pork
Plan on about ⅓–½ pound of uncooked pork butt per serving. Use the higher amount for large appetites or when serving fewer side dishes.
Serve the pulled pork on hamburger buns with Memphis BBQ Sauce or your favorite barbecue sauce, or serve it without sauce on a plate. Classic sides include:
- Cornbread
- Potato salad
- Cold Macaroni Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Corn on the Cob
🔥 How to Reheat Pulled Pork and Keep It Warm
Oven method
- Spread the pulled pork in a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking dish. A deeper casserole or cake pan will take longer.
- Sprinkle lightly with water or apple juice—just enough to moisten.
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Reheat in a 250°–300°F oven until the pork reaches 165°F, usually 30–45 minutes. Larger amounts and deeper pans will take longer.
- Serve immediately or keep covered at 140°F or higher.
Using a crock pot for serving
Do not reheat cold pulled pork in a crock pot. Reheat it to 165°F in the oven, microwave, or on the stovetop first.
Transfer the hot pork to a preheated crock pot no more than 75% full. Add a small amount of water or apple juice if needed, then use low or keep warm to maintain 140°F or higher. Stir occasionally for even heating.
✅ Pro Tip: For the best texture, store and reheat pulled pork without barbecue sauce mixed in. Add the sauce when serving.
❄️ How to Store and Freeze Pulled Pork
Shred the pork while it is still hot, then refrigerate it within two hours in shallow, airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
For freezing, divide the pork into meal-size portions and seal it flat in freezer bags. Flat packages freeze and thaw faster and take up less space. Do not leave the pork at room temperature to cool completely.
❓ FAQs
Injection is optional. Pork butt already contains plenty of fat and connective tissue to remain moist during low-and-slow cooking. I prefer using a dry rub and letting the pork and wood smoke provide the flavor.
Transfer the pork to a 250°F oven and continue cooking until it reaches 200°–205°F. It has already absorbed most of its smoke flavor early in the cook, so finishing in the oven will not hurt it.
Trimming is optional, although removing an unusually thick fat cap reduces drippings and allows more surface contact with the dry rub. Fat side up or down makes little difference; tenderness comes from the internal fat and connective tissue, not the surface fat.
🐖 Pulled Pork Recipes
- Oven Pulled Pork Butt
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Pulled Pork Recipes Without a Smoker — Includes pork loin and pork tenderloin pulled pork recipes.
📖The Recipe Card
Pulled Pork from Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4–6 pounds pork butt (Boston butt), boneless or bone-in - boneless or bone-in
- ¾ cup BBQ dry rub, or the homemade rub below
- wood chips, as needed for 1–2 hours of smoke - type of your choice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the dry rub, if needed, and coat the pork butt generously. If time allows, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Set up the gas grill for indirect cooking at 250°F with a drip pan beneath the pork. Let the grill temperature stabilize
- Place the pork butt on the indirect side. Add dry wood chips to a smoker box or foil pouch over an active burner and start the smoke.
- Smoke for 1–2 hours. Continue cooking over indirect heat at approximately 250°F, keeping the lid closed as much as possible. Cook for about 1½–2 hours per pound until the internal temperature reaches 200°–205°F. Check several areas, avoiding the bone and large pockets of fat.
- Remove the pork from the grill and wrap tightly in two layers of heavy-duty foil, then in towels. Rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours. To hold longer, place the wrapped pork in an insulated cooler for up to 4 hours, keeping it above 140°F.
- Pull the pork apart with two forks while it is still hot. Serve as is or with barbecue sauce.
Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- Monitor both the grill temperature at grate level and the internal temperature of the pork. A remote two-probe thermometer is ideal.
- Cooking time is approximately 1½–2 hours per pound. Bone-in pork butt may take somewhat longer.
- Start with a full propane tank and keep a backup available. If you run out, transfer the pork to a 250°F oven and finish cooking.
- Do not soak the wood chips. Most smoke flavor is added early, and 1–2 hours of smoke is usually enough.
- Keep the grill lid closed. Every unnecessary peek drops the temperature and extends the cooking time.
- Bone-in or boneless will work. Fat side up or down makes little difference.
- Yellow mustard may be used as a binder before applying the rub, but it is optional.
- Pull the pork before it cools. Refrigerate leftovers for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
- Reheating and serving instructions are included in the full post.
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. Photos have been re-edited, information added, and editing has been done to help navigation.
Bobby says
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 says
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 says
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 says
How many propane tanks will I
Have to use ? It is a full tank and I have a 4 lb pork butt.
DrDan says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
I have a 5.5lb boneless loin roast, would the cooking time need adjusted bc its doesnt have a bone? Thanks!
DrDan says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Thanks for sharing. This was really great! My girlfriend and I ended up mixing the brown sugar sauce, same quantity : )
Rob says
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 says
Cut the waiting time to 30 minutes and eat tonight...2 hours is traditional but I have been known to cheat...
Dan
Jason says
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 says
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 says
This looks amazing! That photo with the sauce is truly mouthwatering.
LocalDailySpecials.com says
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 says
The preparation time is agonizing. I can't wait to eat it LOL.