How to Make the Best Competition Pulled Pork

Harness the power of melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork deliciousness with this how-to guide. Whether you’re making smokin’ sandwiches, nachos, or just enjoying it in all its glory, you’ll be the pork master with our step-by-step instructions.

How to Make Competition Pulled Pork

The Ingredients:

• 2 10-12 lb. bone-in pork butts
• Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub
• Traeger Texas Spicy Sauce
• Traeger Apricot Sauce
• 2 C brown sugar
• 1 ½ C butter (6 sticks)
• 1 ½ C apple juice
• ½ C hot sauce
• 1 ½ C pineapple juice
• ¾ C Butcher’s BBQ Pork Injection

Trim the Fat

1. Start with cold pork butts.

2. Trim the butt of excess fat from the top of meat, leaving the bottom fat cap intact.

3. Trim off any pieces of bone.

4. Trim along the edges to help square up the shape of the butt.

Inject the Pork Butt

1. Inject each pork butt every ½” with 6-8 ounces of pork injection liquid.

Season the Pork

1. Rub each pork butt with Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub.

2. Let sit for 4-8 hours, refrigerated, to let rub settle in.

How to Cook Competition Pulled Pork

1. Preheat Traeger to 225°F and activate the Super Smoke setting if using a WiFIRE-enabled grill.

2. Place pork directly on grill grate. Spritz with apple juice about every half hour, or whenever the surface of the pork butts is dry. Keep the surface of the butts moist but not dripping. Cook until internal temp hits 165-170°F in the thickest part in the middle of the butt and the color is a deep reddish mahogany.

3. Carefully transfer each pork butt into an aluminum pan. Sprinkle each pork butt with 1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup butter, ¼ cup hot sauce, and ¼ cup Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub. Add ¾ cup apple juice to pan. Cover each pan with foil, sealing it tightly.

4. Increase Traeger to 275°F.

5. Place back in grill and let finish until pork butt internal temp is 204°F, or when the bone can easily be pulled out.

6. Remove pans from grill and strain out pan juices. Add pan juices to Texas Spicy Sauce and Apricot Sauce.

7. Glaze each pork butt with sauce mixture, then cover each with food safe plastic wrap and double layer with foil.

8. Place wrapped pork butts in an insulated cooler, covering with towels. Rest pork butts for 2 hours.

9. After resting, pull the pork butt into large chunks, removing and discarding the bone and any fat.

10. Mix with additional sauce if desired and serve.