The night before your cook, prepare the pork shoulder by trimming the fat cap down to about one-quarter inch thickness. You want some fat left on there to render and baste the meat during the long cook, but you do not want a thick slab that will prevent the rub from penetrating. Pat the entire surface of the pork dry with paper towels. Moisture on the surface will steam instead of building bark, and we are here for bark.

Mix your dry rub by combining the brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and dried mustard powder in a bowl. Give it a good stir until everything is evenly distributed. Coat the entire pork shoulder with a thin layer of yellow mustard, making sure to get into every crevice and around the bone area. The mustard acts as a binder and will cook off completely, so do not let the smell alarm you.

Apply the dry rub generously to every surface of the mustard-coated pork shoulder. Press the rub firmly into the meat with your hands rather than just sprinkling it on. You want it to adhere and start working overnight. Wrap the seasoned pork tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours, or overnight up to 24 hours. This dry brine process pulls moisture to the surface and then reabsorbs it with the seasoning for deeper flavor penetration.

On cook day, pull the pork shoulder out of the refrigerator about one hour before you plan to put it on the smoker. This takes the chill off slightly and helps the meat accept smoke more efficiently. Meanwhile, fire up the grill or smoker and bring it to a stable 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This is non-negotiable. Too hot and you rush the collagen breakdown; too cool and you will be cooking for 20 hours. Use a reliable lid thermometer or a separate probe to verify your grate-level temperature, not just the dome temperature.

Add your wood chunks to the fire. For pulled pork, hickory delivers bold smoke while apple wood gives a sweeter, milder profile. A combination of both is a winning move. You want thin blue smoke rolling out of your smoker, not thick white billowing smoke. Thick white smoke is acrid and bitter and will ruin your bark. If you see thick white smoke, open your vents, add less wood, and wait for it to thin out and turn blue before you put the meat on.

Place the pork shoulder fat cap up on the smoker grate, away from direct heat. Insert your leave-in probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, making sure it is not touching the bone. Bone contact will give you a false high reading. Close the lid and commit. Do not open the smoker for the first 3 hours. Every time you lift the lid you lose heat, extend your cook time, and interrupt smoke absorption.

After the first 3 hours, begin your spritz routine. Mix the apple juice and apple cider vinegar 50-50 in a spray bottle. Open the smoker quickly and give the entire surface of the pork shoulder a light spritz. Do not soak it, just mist it. Close the lid and spritz every 45 minutes to an hour from this point forward. The spritz helps build color on the bark, keeps the surface from drying out completely, and adds a subtle sweet and tangy layer of flavor as it caramelizes.

Monitor your internal temp throughout the cook. Around 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit internal temp, you will hit the stall. The temperature will appear to stop rising or may even drop slightly. This is completely normal and happens because the meat is sweating moisture which evaporates and cools the surface. The stall can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. Hold your smoker temperature steady and do not open the lid constantly to check. Trust your probe thermometer.

When the bark is dark mahogany and well set, usually around the 6 to 8 hour mark and around 165 degrees internal temp, it is time to wrap. Pull the pork shoulder off the smoker and wrap it tightly in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or a double layer of pink butcher paper. Butcher paper allows more breathability and keeps the bark slightly crispier, while foil creates a tighter steam environment that speeds up the cook. Both are legitimate. Return the wrapped pork to the smoker.

Continue cooking the wrapped pork until the internal temp reaches 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point, probe the meat in multiple spots. What you are looking for is probe tenderness, meaning the thermometer probe slides in with almost zero resistance, like inserting it into warm butter. If you feel any resistance at all, close it back up and give it another 30 to 45 minutes. The difference between 198 and 203 degrees can be the difference between decent pulled pork and life-changing pulled pork.

Once the pork hits probe-tender perfection, remove it from the smoker. Do not skip this next step: rest the meat. Leave the pork wrapped and place it in a dry empty cooler with no ice. Close the lid. Let it rest for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 4 hours. This resting period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and the collagen that dissolved into gelatin to set up slightly, giving you moist, rich, pullable pork rather than dry stringy meat. This is the most underrated step in the entire cook.

After the rest, unwrap the pork shoulder over a large cutting board, saving all the juices that have collected in the foil. Remove the bone, which should slide out cleanly with almost no effort. Begin pulling the meat apart using two forks, bear claws, or just your hands if it has cooled enough to handle. Discard large pockets of fat as you go. Pour the reserved juices back over the pulled pork and toss gently to combine. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt or a splash of vinegar if needed. Serve immediately on toasted brioche buns with BBQ sauce on the side.