Electric Pellet Smokers are kind of all the rage these days, who has one?? If you don’t- DON’T LEAVE! (Sorry to yell…too dramatic??) I’m including instructions on how to make this whole recipe in the slow cooker or oven as well.
I’ve wanted one of these pellet smokers forever and we finally added one to our back porch this past summer and we’ve been using it non-stop. I had no idea how easy they were! If you’re not familiar with them, it’s a wood smoker with an electric temperature gauge, so you basically push a button and it’s all automatic. No babysitting fires, staring at thermometers, or anything. Wood pellets are burned, creating smoke that circulates around your food and infusing it with flavor. I have this Camp Chef Woodwind and I genuinely LOVE it. If you’re interested in smoking meat, but intimidated, I can’t even stress how easy this is.
One of the first things I started experimenting with was pork, because it’s so easy and forgiving (and inexpensive! Never try out a new toy with an expensive cut of meat- I’m looking at you, Instant Pot users.) Plus smoked pork is just so, so good.
My only gripe about a big ol’ pork roast is that it takes a LONG time and there’s just no way around it. You don’t want to speed it through, low and slow is the name of the game with most smoke recipes. So you either have to get up crazy early in the morning to throw it on the smoker, or perhaps cook overnight or cook one day and eat the next. I’ve experimented with a few different methods and you’ll just have to figure out what works for you. I’ve found cooking it completely one day and then reheating it the next day in my steam oven is just as good as eating it fresh out of the smoker so I’ve done that a few times as well.
Ingredient Notes
Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list on this recipe. It’s necessary since it has several steps, but it’s not hard to pull together!
- Pork Butt/Shoulder Roast – For pulled pork, I always go with a Pork Butt (also labeled Pork Shoulder). This is a large bone-in roast. You can also find little boneless roasts about half this size if you want to make a smaller batch in your crock pot (I’ll explain!) With pork, you lose volume from the roast with the fat and the bones, so if I’m estimating size, I usually go for 1lb per person.
- Rub
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt
- Black Pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Dry mustard
- Coriander
- Chili powder
- Spray
- Apple cider
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- For Braising
- Apple cider
- Crisp red apples
- Onions
- Sauce
- Ketchup
- Apple jelly
- Apple cider
- Liquid smoke
- Worcestershire sauce
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Pan juices from the roast
How to Make Apple Cider Braised Smoked Pulled Pork
Prep: Cure
- To start, I score my roast, mix up a dry rub and rub it all over the pork and then let it sit in the fridge over night.
Step 1: Smoke and Spray
- Pork roasts cook in a 2 part process. The first part is smoking directly on the grill like that to absorb the smoke flavor. This roast smokes for about 5 hours like this. I fill a clean spray bottle with apple cider and apple cider vinegar and give it a good spritz about once an hour.
Step 2: Finish Cooking by Method of Choice
The second part is cooking covered, and with liquid to tenderize that meat until it falls apart. In this recipe I’m cooking it in apple cider, with fresh apple and onion slices. So you have 3 options for part 2:
- Back on the smoker. In the smoker, you can increase temperature to 275°F. Cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210°, usually about 6-7 hours.
- In the oven. If you are finishing in the oven, set temperature to 275℉. Cook until internal temperature reaches 200°-210°F.
- In a slow cooker. Cook in slow cooker on high for 6-7 hours (or low for more like 8-10 if you want/need to drag it out, overnight for example). Let pork rest, covered for at least 15 minutes (longer is just fine) before discarding bones, separating fat, etc.
- While the pork is cooking, you can whip up a homemade BBQ sauce! I’m using 3 apple-y things for my sauce. A base of apple cider, apple cider vinegar of course, and then for sweetness, instead of brown sugar (like many BBQ sauces use) I’m using apple jelly. Those ingredients mix with ketchup and spices and come to a quick simmer. The final component of the sauce will come when your roast is done and you’ll add in some of the roasting liquid for the perfect finishing flavor.
Finish
- Pour pan juices into a fat separator. Pour 1 cup of juices into your BBQ sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Pour a little of the remaining juices over shredded pork. Use a slotted spoon to grab the onions and apples and mix them in with the pork. Serve alone or on rolls or over rice.
- The pork should fall right apart. See that pink in there? That’s the infamous smoke ring- where all that smoke flavor is!
- And the apples and onions will be totally cooked and soft and they’ll just kind of mix right in with the pork. It’s okay if they dissolve into mush, that’s how they should be.
Serve
- Pile the meat on buns and drizzle the sauce over, or eat it plain, or whatever! It’s smoky and flavorful and so tender!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover meat in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- Pulled pork freezes well, especially if you have a vacuum sealer.
- If you don’t have a smoker, you can cook the entire recipe in the oven. Simply discard the smoking step and instead rub the roast with the spices, sear in a pan, and then place directly in a roasting pan or slow cooker with cider, apples and onions and cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210°F. (I would plan on 8-10 hours) To add the smoky flavor, add 1 tablespoon liquid smoke with the cooking liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Pulled pork usually reheats beautifully. Feel free to cook it a couple of days ahead of time and reheat when ready to serve.
I recommend apple, hickory, or pecan pellets or chips for this recipe.
Helpful Products
- When I do leave my meat on the smoker, One of my favorite tools is this Smoke thermometer by Thermoworks, and also the Smoke Gateway. These two together makes it so you can read the cooking temperature of your meat, on your phone! This is awesome if you’re out and about. I often leave meat smoking while I’m close by at church on Sundays and it’s awesome to be able to just look at my phone and see how it’s doing. If you know someone who loves using a smoker, this would make an awesome Christmas gift.
- I’ve said it a million times, but if you don’t have a Fat Separator, you need one! This Oxo one is my favorite. It will drain out the apples and onions and separate your fat from the pan juices, all in one easy step. You should have plenty of juices to use for both the BBQ sauce, and also to pour a some over the meat to moisten.
Apple Cider Smoked Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 7-9 lb bone-in pork butt/shoulder roast
Rub
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
Spray
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Braising
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3-4 sweet crisp red apples peeled and sliced
- 2 onions sliced
Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup apple jelly
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup pan juices from roast fat separated
Instructions
Cure
- Pat roast dry. Combine all rub ingredients and pat on all sides of roast, rubbing in well. Cover roast and let sit overnight in the fridge.
Smoke
- Don't have a smoker? See the notes section for other ideas. You can also start this recipe in the smoker, and finish it with another method.
- When ready to cook, preheat smoker to 225 degrees and smoke roast directly on grill for 5 hours. While cooking, combine spray ingredients in a clean spray bottle and spritz roast all over once every hour.
- While roast is smoking, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together in a pan. Set aside until pan juices are ready.
- After smoking, transfer your roast to either your slow cooker (if it will fit, remember you have more stuff going in there!) or a roasting pan, or disposable roasting pan (if you'll continue cooking on the smoker).
Finish Cooking by Method of Choice
- Place apples, onions, and 2 cups apple cider around the roast in the roasting pan or slow cooker. Cover with lid, or tightly with foil, then follow corresponding instructions below.
Smoker:
- In the smoker, you can increase temperature to 275°F. Cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210°, usually about 6-7 hours.
Oven:
- If you are finishing in the oven, set temperature to 275℉. Cook until internal temperature reaches 200°-210°F.
Slow Cooker:
- Cook in slow cooker on high for 6-7 hours (or low for more like 8-10 if you want/need to drag it out, overnight for example.)
- Let pork rest, covered for at least 15 minutes (longer is just fine) before discarding bones, separating fat, etc.
Finish
- Pour pan juices into a fat separator. Pour 1 cup of juices into your BBQ sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Pour a little of the remaining juices over shredded pork. Use a slotted spoon to grab the onions and apples and mix them in with the pork. Serve alone or on rolls or over rice.
Notes
- If you don’t have a smoker, you can cook the entire recipe in the oven. Simply discard the smoking step and instead rub the roast with the spices, sear in a pan, and then place directly in a roasting pan or slow cooker with cider, apples and onions and cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210. (I would plan on 8-10 hours) To add the smoky flavor, add 1 tablespoon liquid smoke with the cooking liquid.
- You could also easily use a smaller, boneless pork shoulder roast, which cooks much faster, simply use as much of the rub as you need, you’ll have extra.’
- Portion sizes: with pork, you lose volume from the roast with the fat and the bones, so if I’m estimating size, I usually go for 1lb per person.
- This recipe freezes very well.
- Use any leftovers on nachos, pizzas, and more.
Questions & Reviews
I don’t have a smoker so I am using the crockpot, do I put the cider and vinegar spray into crockpot as well or would I omit it altogether?
No, the spraying is to keep the meat most with the dry smoker environment, so you won’t have that problem with the crockpot!
Can I use a pork loin roast instead of the shoulder roast?
pork loin will be quite a bit dryer because of the lower fat content, but you could certainly try that!
I don’t have a smoker so I just put everything in the crock pot this morning. My house smells so amazing! I can’t wait for dinner tonight!!
This sounds delicious! Do you think apple butter would make a good substitute for the apple jelly in the sauce? I love its concentrated flavor and have some on hand.
Ya I think so!