Bourbon Brown Sugar Pulled Pork
On February 27, 2020 (Updated October 25, 2023)
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Bourbon Brown Sugar Pulled Pork is one of those recipes for the ages. Classic BBQ low and slow cooking combines with punchy, tongue-tingling flavors to make for a pulled pork experience unlike any other.
Brown Sugar Pulled Pork
This pulled pork is unlike any pulled pork you’ve had before. Not only is it seasoned with my amazing Signature Sweet Rub (you can buy this delivered to your door from Patio Provisions, or you can make it yourself from my Best Sweet Rub Recipe post, but it’s mopped hourly with a sweet bourbon brown sugar mop sauce.
The layers of sweet and spice in this recipe are made for the subtle/savory natural flavors in pork. It’s perfect meat harmony. I love when that happens!
Recipes like this pulled pork are the ones I come back to over and over again. They’re meant for a low and slow BBQ lifestyle, which allows me opportunities to spend time with my family. While we wait for the pork to finish smoking, I can hang out on the back deck and kick up my feet while the kids play in the yard. It’s a wonderful way to spend lazy weekends with your family or friends.
Bourbon Brown Sugar Pulled Pork
I have been so excited to share this recipe with you guys. My husband told me this was the best pulled pork I’ve ever done! It truly is so good. You can eat it as-is, drizzle some extra mop sauce on top, or make it into a tasty BBQ sandwich. If you’re wondering if it’s worth the long smoke time. Trust me. It’s worth it every time.
I kept the process for smoking my pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt) fairly simple with a heavy emphasis on the bourbon and brown sugar flavor profile. The shoulder got a healthy dose of my Best Sweet Rub before hitting the grill for a low and slow smoke bath. I used even more seasoning to enhance the bourbon and apple cider vinegar in the mop sauce (which then turned into the foiling liquid during the second phase.)
From beginning to end, I built up layers of those complementary flavors so that when it was all done and ready to pull there was that mouth-watering sensation of mmm in every single bite!
Tips for Making Brown Sugar Pulled Pork
Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind before diving into this recipe. You can also scroll down to the video in the recipe card to follow the step-by-step visual instructions for making this amazing pork.
- Invest in a good meat thermometer. When choosing an instant read thermometer, I strongly recommend the Thermapen MK4 from Thermoworks. The ideal temperature for transferring the pork to the foil pan is 165 degrees F and for ending up tender pulled pork when it is finished is between 201 and 203 degrees F. Keep an eye on your temperature and you’ll have perfect results every time!
- Save the mop sauce! Don’t dump the remaining mop sauce sitting in your disposable aluminum pan down the drain! Drizzle it over the meat for added moisture and flavor!
- Don’t forget to rest the meat. Even though you’ve been waiting quite a while to enjoy your pulled pork, make sure to allow it to rest for 30 minutes before shredding and digging in.
More Pulled Pork Recipes
Pulled pork is a must-try on the smoker. If you’ve mastered this brown sugar pulled pork, try your hand at my other awesome recipes available here on Hey Grill Hey:
Cider Brined Pulled Pork
Carolina Pulled Pork
Simple Smoked Pulled Pork
Brown Sugar Pulled Pork Recipe
Bourbon Brown Sugar Smoked Pulled Pork
Video
Ingredients
- 1 7-9 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
- ¼ cup Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub (or your favorite BBQ seasoning)
Bourbon & Brown Sugar Mop Sauce
- 1 ½ cups bourbon
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub
Instructions
- Fire up the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F, using hickory, apple, or maple for your wood smoke.
- Prep the pork and get it in the smoke. Liberally season the pork shoulder on all sides with the Sweet Rub. Place the pork on the grill grates and close the lid.
- Make the mop sauce. While the pork begins to cook, make the bourbon brown sugar mop sauce. Pour all of the ingredients for the mop sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring the mop sauce to a boil while whisking and remove from the heat. Set aside.
- Smoke the pork. Place the pork on the grill grates and close the lid. Mop the pork shoulder with the mop sauce every hour until the internal temperature of the pork reads 165 degrees F. This should take around 6-7 hours.
- Braise. Transfer the pork shoulder to a disposable aluminum pan and pour the remaining mop sauce over the top. Cover tightly with foil and return to the smoker.
- Finish cooking. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the pork reads between 201-203 degrees F or until the thermometer probe slides into the pork like it's softened butter. This step can take anywhere from 4-6 hours, that's the fun part about BBQ, it's done when it's done.
- Rest, shred, and serve. Remove from the smoker and allow the pork to rest for at least 30 minutes before shredding, removing the bone, and separating the fat and gristly from the meat. Drizzle some additional braising liquid on the pork as desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published May 2017. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Only recipe I will make!! Always a huge hit. My kids rave about this
This past weekend I served this pulled pork, I made your honey BBQ sauce, Maple Bourbon glaze cooked down a little thicker, your smoked baked beans and your candied jalapenos. I made rubs from your site to use in the recipes. I cannot say enough about how great your recipes are as well as simple. I got rave reviews on everything. I am obsessed with your site. Can’t wait to try more!!
I am cooking this right now for a party next weekend. My question is with a week separating would you keep it air tight in the refrigerator or freeze it? Also, what it the best way to rewarm if frozen? I ultimately want to keep it in the crockpot to say warm while serving. Can’t wait. I have made your bourbon burnt ends/ pork belly and loved it!!
You could freeze it and then reheat in the crockpot! That would work.
I used this recipe yesterday and it was a massive hit!!!! The pork was so flavorful and juicy, rave reviews from the people at the party this was made for. Also it was really easy to make, seriously just follow the recipe and you cannot screw this up. My pork shoulder was about 5.5 pounds so I didn’t need 11 hours to get the meat to the right internal temperature. My embedded thermometer made that so easy to monitor. I will always use this recipe moving forward. I served it with the Hey Grill Hey whiskey peach BBQ sauce and everyone loved it.
Holy crap, this was the best pork butt recipe ever! I had a 2.67lb no bone pork butt, took about 10 hours altogether. It was so tender and flavorful. No forks needed to shred, it just fell apart. I’m getting another one tomorrow and doing it again!
Nothing is written in stone. I had 2 4.69 to 4.79 bone in pork butt. Set to 225 at the 6,hr Mark temp was at 155 I turned on my fan on the patio at temp dropped to 151. I placed both in aluminum pans with 1 cup of my basting liquid covered back on the smoker. Turned up to 300. When temp of pork got to 165-170 I turned down smoker to 250 and continued until temp was 203-205 pulled rested for 1 hour.
I dry brined for 24 hours but this is the best pulled pork I’ve ever made or have ever had. Basted with the juice left in the pan. Sweet heat and incredibly juicy. Hey Grill Hey knocked it out of the park.
I have a situation where i need to smoke my pork butts the day before the actual meal at 1pm. I was planning on smoking my butts, wrapping, then putting them in the fridge to be warmed back up slowly in the oven the next day at 225 or so. Do you think this would turn out okay if i took it from the smoker to the fridge in its pan and covered, then warmed it up with the other pork butts the next day? Thanks.
That sounds like it should work fine!
WOOOOOOOWWWWWW! I’d been using another recipe from a different website that has you brine then smoke. It’s very good, delicious even, but it was never outstanding. This is OUTSTANDING. Dynamite. Out of this world delicious. Flavors and crust were exactly what I’d always hoped I could make! Mop sauce was so well-balanced and wonderfully rich. 10/10–you’ve made me a devotee of your blog!
I am smoking a pork butt tomorrow for Mother’s Day. I am trying to decide between the Simple pulled pork recipe or this Bourbon brown sugar one. Which would you do on this occasion? Also doing the Cole slaw recipe. You have been my favorite site for smoking recipes.