Overnight Brined Pulled Pork: Tender, Juicy, and Packed with Smoky Flavor
This overnight brined pulled pork recipe delivers tender, juicy meat with deep smoky flavor. A 10-lb pork butt is brined for maximum moisture, seasoned, and smoked low and slow on a Z Grills pellet grill with cherry pellets—perfect for sandwiches, tacos, or BBQ plates.
Equipment
- Z Grills cherry pellets
- Z GRILLS 10002B2E
Ingredients
- 10 lb pork butt (bone-in or boneless)
- Your favorite BBQ rub
- Water (for spritzing)
- Apple cider vinegar (for spritzing) Optional
Brine – You can use your preferred brine mixture. Here’s a simple base if needed:
- 1/2 gallon cold water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Apple Cidar
- garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves Optional
Instructions
- Brine the Pork (Overnight)Submerge the 10-lb pork butt in the brine and refrigerate for 10 hours overnight.
- Prep the PorkThe next morning, remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.Score the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern to allow seasoning and smoke to penetrate.Apply a generous coating of your favorite BBQ rub all over the pork butt.
- Set the Z GRILLSPreheat your ZGRILLS to a steady 275°F. I used Cheery Pellets
- Smoke the Pork ButtOnce the pit is at temp, place the pork butt directly on the grates, fat cap up.Do not open the lid for the first 4 hours—let the smoke do its magic.
- Spritz and MonitorAt the 4-hour mark, begin spritzing the pork with water (or a 50/50 mix of water and apple cider vinegar).Continue spritzing every 2 hours until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 200°F—this took about 10 hours total on the pit.
- Test for DonenessWhen the internal temp hits 200°F, probe the meat in several spots with a toothpick or thermometer. It should slide in like butter (toothpick tender).
- RestRemove the pork butt from the smoker and wrap it tightly in three layers of foil.Let it rest in an insulated cooler or warm area (like your “shack”) for 2 hours.
- ServeAfter the rest, unwrap and shred the pork. Discard excess fat, and mix the bark with the juicy pulled meat.Serve on buns, in tacos, or on a plate with your favorite BBQ sides!
Video
Notes
