Fire up your grill! 🔥 It’s time to make the most delicious Grilled Pork Butt Recipe you will ever eat! Deeply flavorful and shred-with-a-fork tender, this pork butt recipe is incredible. It smells so good, your neighbors will be jealous! You are going to love this easy grilling recipe.
Pork butt on the grill is perfect for making grilled pulled pork. Use it for dishes like pork fried rice and pulled pork tacos! The best part about this recipe is that it’s low effort on top of being delicious.
Best Pork Butt Recipe
This is it – the pork butt recipe of your dreams!
I promise you, one bite of this fork-tender pork, and you’ll wonder where this recipe has been all your life! This is one of the best grilling recipes ever.
Tender, juicy, and full of flavor, there is nothing like grilled pork butt. The crispy skin on the outside but super tender meat makes this easy pork recipe perfect for making pulled pork on the grill.
What is pork butt?
Pork butt is a cut of pork from the upper part of the front leg of the pig. It’s closely related to pork shoulder. Both are fatty cuts of pork perfect for braising, roasting, or grilling low and slow.
Boston butt is another name for pork butt. It’s an inexpensive cut of meat, and it’s perfect for making pulled pork recipes!
Cook pork butt slowly over low heat, and you will enjoy one of the most tender, succulent cuts of pork ever. It will shred easily with a fork and has an amazing natural flavor.
Plus, cooking pork butt on the grill gives it an irresistible smokiness!
Is Boston butt the same as a pork shoulder?
Pork butt, also known as Boston butt, is not the same as a pork shoulder.
Although they both come from the front leg of the pig, the pork butt is actually higher up than the pork shoulder.
Pork butt has more marbling than pork shoulder, and so it is more tender when you cook it than the pork shoulder.
Ingredients for Grilling Pork
- 4.5 pound pork butt
- 2 cups beef broth
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar bourbon seasoning, or seasoning of your choice
I use brown sugar bourbon seasoning for my pulled pork seasoning. It’s deeply flavorful and I love the sweet-and-smoky results of cooking with it!
If you want to try other flavors, just about any grilling seasoning will taste fantastic with this naturally flavorful cut of meat. Try bold and spicy chipotle, classic BBQ pork seasoning, or even garlic sriracha.
Trust me, sriracha is amazing with pork! Just take a look at my favorite air fryer ham recipe.
You could even use the sriracha honey ham glaze for that recipe to pour over this grilled pulled pork and I guarantee you, it will taste amazing!
How to Grill Pork Butt
- Rub a 4.5 pound pork butt all over with 4 tablespoons brown sugar bourbon seasoning.
Coat every side completely with the seasoning. - Important: Chill in the fridge at least 2 hours or overnight (I recommend overnight).
- Place an aluminum tray under the rack of your grill. Center it in the middle of your grill.
This will catch the juices from the pork as it cooks. - Pour 2 cups beef broth into the aluminum tray.
- Place the pork butt in the center of the grill. Grill for 2.5 hours on low heat.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The two side burners of your grill should be set to low and your middle burner should be turned off. This will benefit the pork from the indirect heat and prevent it from burning. - After 2.5 hours, remove the pork butt from the grill to wrap in aluminum foil. This will prevent the pork from burning.
Cook for an additional 1.5 hours on low heat.
And there you have it! It is just that easy to cook pork on the grill. Once it’s cooking, you don’t even have to touch it until it’s time to wrap it in foil! Just cook, serve, and enjoy.
Do I grill a Boston butt fat side up or down?
I prefer to grill the butt fat side down.
By grilling fat side down, the pan you placed under the grill rack will catch all of the fat drippings. You can use the drippings to make a delicious au jus!
Why wrap the pork butt in foil?
Wrapping the pork in foil keeps it nice and juicy and tenderizes the meat. This is what makes the meat fall-apart juicy!
How long do I grill pork butt?
Pork butt cooking time depends on the size of your cut of meat. A smaller cut will take less time, while a larger cut may take a couple of hours more.
Cook time for the 4.5 pound pork butt in this recipe is 4 hours altogether.
I find a 4.5 pound pork butt to be perfect for myself and my family to enjoy and still have leftovers!
How to Shred Pork after Grilling
- Place grilled pork on a cutting board.
- Shred using two forks. Separate the fatty bits from the meat.
What to Serve with Grilled Pork Butt
I love using grilled pork recipes for dishes like pulled pork tacos, nachos, and even flatbread pizza. It’s great for mixing with perfect rice for a rice bowl, too.
Or, just enjoy it on its own with some air fryer fries or baked potato wedges.
You can even roast potatoes on the grill with the pork by following my favorite foil packet potatoes recipe!
More Grilled Recipes to Try
Love grilling as much as I do? Here are some more grilled recipes you will love! Start with our Grilled Beef Short Ribs – they are incredible! Another one of my favorites is my Grilled Crab Legs recipe with garlic butter sauce.
- Espetadas Madeira (Portuguese Beef Skewers) with Grilled Potatoes
- Porterhouse Steak
- Grilled Chuck Steak
- Perfect Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak
- Picanha Recipe (Sirloin Cap Steak)
Plus, our Grilled Lamb Chops – you will love these! And of course, no dinner on the grill is complete without the Best BBQ Side Dishes.
Uses for Leftover Pulled Pork
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches
- Macaroni and Cheese Pulled Pork
This pork makes delicious pulled pork sandwiches by adding your favorite BBQ sauce!
Adding shredded pork to your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe is another delicious way to use up any leftovers.
You can also use it to make pork stuffed shells and pork fried rice! You can even replace the chicken in my 5-ingredient Chicken Stir Fry with leftover pulled pork.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below and let me know what you think!
And leave me your ideas for what I should grill next! I love grilling out. It’s so much fun!
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Tender Grilled Pork Butt Recipe
🍳 Equipment
- Grill
🥘 Ingredients
- 4.5 pound pork butt
- 2 cups beef broth
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar bourbon seasoning or seasoning of your choice
🔪 Instructions
- Rub a 4.5 pound pork butt all over with 4 tablespoons brown sugar bourbon seasoning. Coat every side completely with the seasoning.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight (recommeded).
- Place an aluminum tray under the rack of your grill. Center it in the middle of your grill. This will catch the juices from the pork as it cooks.
- Pour 2 cups beef broth into the aluminum tray. Place the pork butt in the center of the grill. Grill for 2.5 hours on low heat. See notes for important cooking details!
- After 2.5 hours, remove the pork butt from the grill to wrap in aluminum foil. This will prevent the pork from burning and tenderize the meat.
- Cook for an additional 1.5 hours on low heat.
Video
Notes
- IMPORTANT NOTE: The two side burners of your grill should be set to low and your middle burner should be turned off. This will benefit the pork from the indirect heat and prevent it from burning.
- Cook time varies by size of meat. A 4.5 pork butt will cook for approximately 4 hours using this recipe.
- You can use the fat drippings to make a delicious au jus!
- To shred the pork after cooking, use two forks. Separate the fatty bits from the meat. Serve, and enjoy!
pamelagreer says
This really is the best pork butt recipe!! I never used to place a pan under. my pork and I would get flare ups. This comes out perfect every time!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
This looks amazing!! Once I finally find meat in stores I am DEFINITELY going to be making this! Bookmarked until then 🙂
Anita says
This will be perfect when grilling season starts. And I’m a newbie when it comes to grilling, so I really appreciate all the good tips you are sharing here. 🙂
Ashley says
This is delicious! Definitely will make again and again!!