Cooking Pork Butt for Pulled Pork on a Weber Kettle
Easy recipe for pulled pork done on a Weber Kettle grill
We wanted to show you how easy it is to make pulled pork on your Weber Kettle grill, or any backyard grill or barbecue, whether charcoal (preferred) or gas. Three simple steps and lots of time are all you need to achieve pulled pork bliss!
- Rub and inject
- Build a 2 zone fire for indirect heat
- Cook at 250? for about 70 minutes per pound
That’s it. Simple, right? Read on for all the details and photo goodness.
We started with a 6 1/2 lb pork butt and tied it up with some kitchen twine as this cut was separating in the middle and was kind of sloppy.
Rub your butt
Take some of your favorite BBQ rub and coat generously. For this cook, we used Texas Rib Rangers Barbecue Seasoning.
Injecting your butt
This step is optional – not everyone has an injector. But if you do, this step keeps the interior meat moist and flavorful. We used Big Bob Gibson’s Championship recipe – a simple apple juice blend:
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher saltway too much salt – we cut it down to 2 Tablespoons- 2 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
Build a 2 zone fire
Set up your grill for indirect heat by building a 2 zone fire, one on each side – drip pan goes in the middle under the meat. These set ups make the best cooktops for these foods. You could build one small fire on one side with the meat on the other, but I prefer the even temps all around the meat with the 2 zone.
Cook your butt
We’re shooting for a steady 250? grill. This is where all the work comes in, maintaining a low and slow heat. This sucker will take about 70 minutes per pound to get to our target temp of the meat at 190?. For this 6 1/2 pound butt, it took us about 8 1/2 hours. Yup. This is the hardest part and is why pulled pork sandwiches can be pricey at restaurants. Also if you have access to vacuum sealer then I recommend to vacuum seal the pork before cooking, the marinate will sink in smoothly to the pork. If you are looking for vacuum sealer then I recommend Vacuum sealer research, they have really good reviews and tips on how to use food sealer.
Finished butt
This is what it looks like at the end of the cook. A big, black, meteorite hunk of charred goodness! That bark is dark and sweet and highly desired.
Pull your butt
After letting the meat rest for 20 minutes it’s time to pull it. And it will still be hot, so wear gloves.
Sauce your meat
At this point, it’s time to sauce the meat and eat. Can you imagine the hundreds of ways to take this to the next level? I imagine there are even folks that like the pulled meat just the way it is… but we love rich barbecue sauces here in Maryland, so we’re trying Texas Rib Rangers Barbecue Sauce this time around.
Eat your meat
Hey, that’s all there is to it. We served this up with the classic baked beans and cole slaw sides. The payoff is worth all the work and time.
We hope you enjoyed this post, and we hope it inspired you to try this if you never have. We’re also looking forward to your comments and tips and ways that you make your own pulled pork at home!
Enjoy! ~brian
This is great I have never made pulled pork before.
You can see how easy it is to do. Let me know if you try this for yourself. ~brian
Thanks for this post Brian! I am thinking about trying this maybe this weekend. What is involved with maintaining the temperature? Did you need to keep adding charcoal? Thanks!
If you’re using a Weber Kettle, like I did, keep the top vent open fully throughout the cook, and regulate your temp and heat with the bottom vents only. It comes down to a matter of babysitting the grill or cooker about every 30 – 45 minutes.
Great job, Brian. Look at that bark and smoke ring.
I also enjoy using Chris Lilly’s injection and haven’t had a problem with saltiness but I’m using bigger butts and my rub isn’t very salty.
My favorite part of pulling the pork is that you get to snack on the best parts such as the money muscle and some of the bark pieces.
We had a great time recording this show… and I really meant what I said… I’m not a fan of Jerk sauces… but this one really rocked.
It may change my mind about Jerk foods. Brian loves Jerk seasonings, and so I will go with the flow. 🙂
I am doing this RIGHT now 😀
Okay, So here was my experience with this method. I am new to cooking on a grill. That being said, it was a learning experience. The pork turned out AWESOME. I used a rub that consisted of Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, cracked pepper, and bacon salt :). I used the same injection recipe as Brian. One thing I did learn was that a drip pan similar to his is outright necessary. I tried to get away with tin foil and had a few problems with that. Overall, there is a great feeling of satisfaction in doing a long slow cook like this. I’ll be watching this blog for more in the future. Next on the list: Sriracha Garlic wings 😀
Thanks for the comments, Patrick.
I’m glad your pork turned out great. The next flavor I want to try is a jerk based rub.
The drip pan is a necessity, but I learned something this time too. I only injected in a few spots along the top of the roast, reducing the chance that the liquid would leak out.
When I first was injecting, I would do it on top, the sides, the ends… of course I lost a lot more liquid that way. Don’t do that. 🙂
Those Sriracha Garlic wings freakin’ rock. They are without a doubt our favorite wings to make at home.
~brian
Did you have to add coals during cooking? I am new to the Webber grill.
Hi Dave. You do not have to add coals to the process if you build your fire like we described. You can always use foil to keep the coals on the left and right of the kettle, if you don’t have a hardware version of the separator.
Try it, you can’t go wrong, as long as you cook the meat to temp.
I am starting my first pork butt right now… Just put it on the grill… Wish me luck and thanks for the great instructions!
Good luck, my friend. Come back and let us know how it turned out!
Brian, my pork butt turned out incredible! Juicy tender and pulled apart with ease. Thank you!
That’s awesome Johnny.
I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do on a Weber kettle.
I didn’t inject at all but I put water in the drip pan which helped to keep the temp regulated and kept the meat incredibly moist
I used a no sodium rub named Gator Rub without injection turned out perfect, so good we ate it b 4 I could snap a pic Mrgatorsz.com. Was the rub it worked great
Nice job, Ed! I’m all in favor of low or no sodium these days.
Thank you.