Competition style pork shoulder pulled on butcher paper. Smoked on a pit boss wood pellet grill.

Competition Pork Shoulder

Rated 5.00 by 4 users

Category Pork Smoke July 4th Game Day

Servings 18

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 18 hours

In this episode of Blue Ribbon BBQ, Lee Ann Whippen, celebrity Pitmaster and BBQ Hall of Fame Inductee, shows us how she makes her Competition Style Pork Shoulder, so you can try it in your own backyard. This pulled pork recipe won her 1st place at the American Royal World Series of BBQ, the Largest BBQ Competition in the world, so you know it's going to be good. Seasoned with a dry rub and injected with a homemade marinade, this pork shoulder is guaranteed to win medals.

Try it on pulled pork sandwiches, in tacos, or on a plate alongside some coleslaw.

🏆Welcome to Blue Ribbon BBQ, a Pit Boss original YouTube series. Pitmaster Erica Blaire and BBQ Hall-of-Famer Lee Ann Whippen teach you how to throw down like a pro and share tips and tricks to take your BBQ game to the next level. Watch the full series on the Pit Boss YouTube Channel.

Before you start

Cook time: Note that this pork shoulder will take 16+ hours to fully cook on your smoker (depending on the size of the cut of meat). Then after that, you'll need to let it rest for an additional 1-2 hours. Plan for a full day's work, it'll be worth it!

Selecting the pork shoulder: Choose a well-marbled pork butt/shoulder with large money muscle (muscle on the end with lines of fat running in one direction).

Author:
Lee Ann Whippen

Ingredients

7-9 lb. pork shoulder

3/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup water

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt, finely ground

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup BBQ rub of choice

BBQ sauce of choice

Special Tools

Marinade Injector

Trimming knife

Aluminum Foil

Directions

Trim any excess fat, also known as the 'fat cap', from the top of your pork shoulder, leaving it 1/4" thick.

Prepare your injection by combining apple juice, water, sugar, salt and Worcestershire sauce into a bowl. Then, load into a syringe.

Inject your pork shoulder with about 1 tbsp per pound of meat.

Apply a generous amount of BBQ rub to the entire surface of the pork shoulder, including any crevices. Ensure that the rub adheres well to the meat by patting it in lightly.

Let the seasoned pork shoulder to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and penetrate the meat.

Preheat your wood pellet smoker to 225°F. Lee Ann Whippen recommends firing up with Oak, Hickory, or Cherry wood (or a combo of all three).

Using indirect heat, place the seasoned pork shoulder in the smoker with the fat cap facing up. Smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, approximately 6 hours depending on the size.

Then, remove from the grill, wrap tightly with foil, and place back on the smoker with the fat side up. Smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°-203°F, or until the thermometer probe goes in "like butter". This will take approximately 10-14 hours.

Once the pork shoulder reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the smoker, and let rest in a cooler or other insulated container for at least 1-2 hours.