Smoked Cheerwine Pulled Pork

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 hours

Yields: 1 (9-10 pound) pork butt

First, set your smoker to around 200-225 degrees. While the smoker is heating up, season your pork butt with your favorite BBQ rub.

I smoke this low and slow overnight, but you can do it during the day, as well. Spritz the pork butt every hour with apple cider vinegar to keep it moist. 

Once the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Pull it off and place it in an aluminum pan. Wrap with foil and put it back on the smoker with apple juice and Worcestershire sauce. I pull it at an internal temperature of 205 degrees. 

Wrap in a towel and place in a cooler. Let it rest for a minimum of three hours. This allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat. I made a sandwich and topped it with coleslaw and Cackalacky Cheerwine BBQ sauce. 

I smoked this on my new Big Green Egg over lump charcoal. I love the quality of this smoker. It holds heat very well, there are a lot of different accessory options to choose from and it is easy to move around. You can get all their grills from Casual Furniture World in Winston-Salem or Greensboro. They carry the entire line of accessories you need, Big Green Egg rubs and Cackalacky BBQ sauce.  

1 pork butt

2T BBQ rub

1 cup of apple juice

1 cup of Worcestershire sauce

Apple cider vinegar for spritz

Pit Master Tip

There are a lot of different ways you can smoke pulled pork. Low and slow is the easiest method, in my opinion. You can use a charcoal smoker, pellet smoker or other options for open fire cooking. The key is getting it to an internal temperature of 205 degrees, so it will easily shred. Letting it rest for a minimum of three hours helps the pork stay moist.