Want great tasting and easy pulled pork? This is my lazy way of making great pulled pork with nice smoky flavor without having to spend the whole day on the grill. You’ll need the following:

Pork shoulder (also called Boston butt or pork butt)
Rub or seasoning of choice
Grill
Crock Pot
Hand mixer (optional)
Turkey Baster (optional)

Set Up the Grill

First, you’ll want to set your grill up for smoking. I set mine up using indirect heat and then add a pan of water under where I’ll place my meat.

Trim and Season

I trim the extra fat off my pork shoulder and then cover it in a rub. You can use just salt and pepper or any rub you want to.

On the Grill it Goes!

Now that you’ve got everything trimmed and seasoned, put it on the grill opposite the coals, set the top vent about 1/4 turn open, and throw in some wood chips. I used apple chips for today.

Now let it go for about 3 hours or until your coals are dying out.

Crock Pot Time!

Switch everything over to the crock pot and set it to high. How long you leave it depends on how big the pork shoulder is. Usually this takes another 3 hours for an 8-10 pound pork shoulder. Always leave extra time. You can let it hang out in the crock pot for a little while if needed. Trust me, people like to sneak a taste early – not wait for it to finish or eat tough meat.

Once your pork shoulder is nice and tender, set the heat to low/warm. You can shred it the way it is (skip to shredding), but I like to reduce the greasiness of my pulled pork. Yes, this can change the taste, but it reduces meat burps and my waistline!

Optional: Reducing Fat

Drain all the liquid out of the bottom into a sturdy plastic or glass bowl or measuring cup (think Pyrex). Then put that in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to let the fat separate and rise to the top. While that’s cooling, you can go ahead to the next step – shredding!

Shredding

If you like bigger chunks, grab a couple forks and start tearing it apart. Pick out any super hard pieces or pieces of cartilage and stuff that’s not fun to eat.

Alternately, you can use a regular kitchen mixer with the egg beaters and shred with that. This makes a finer shred and is really nice for making sandwiches with. Also, you could change up your seasoning and make pork carnitas out of this too!

Sauce for Pulled Pork?

I don’t cook my pulled pork with sauce of any kind. However, you can mix it in at the end if you’d like. I personally just add a little drizzle when I make my plate and that’s it. It’s great without any sauce at all too!

Optional: Fat Reduction Part 2

If you chose the fat reduction option, now you can get your turkey baster out and add back some of the liquid you removed. By now the fat has separated and risen to the top. Dip your turkey baster below the fat and get that flavorful juice. Add back to taste and desired texture. If you want more fine pieces, add more juice. Course pieces, add less.

Time to Eat Some Pulled Pork!

You know what to do! The greatest part about this method is that you can have this going while to tend to other things. Also, it makes your whole house or apartment smell amazing! If you’re feeding guests, this is a great way to serve. This also freezes really well for leftovers!

Now get to grilling!