Does Temperature Matter? Low & Slow vs. Smokin’ Hot Pulled Pork

Smoked pork shoulder is an experiment with an infinite number of variables that must be controlled, reviewed and tweaked with each cook. The most prominent is temperature. ‘Low and Slow’, or a consistent temperature between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit, is the mantra of smoked pork barbecue. However, with cook times ranging from 1.5 to 2 hours per pound, a 10 pound pork shoulder requires either an overnight smoke or late night eating. There is some information out there that states you can smoke a pork shoulder for 8 hours at 225F. While cook times vary, that is never going to be the case. I’m sure there’s an overabundance of discouraged first time pit masters who were 8 hours in at 6pm with hungry guests and nowhere close to pulled pork temperatures.*

Just to let you know, I earn a modest commission off of purchases made through Amazon affiliate links on this page. Don’t worry, it is of no extra cost to you. I love the products I recommend and hope you do too! For more information, please read my full disclosure policy.

My Kind of Day

A great day of smoking to me is starting up the smoker around sunrise and eating at a reasonable dinner hour. I occasionally like to go for the ‘low and slow’ by starting a cook before bed or waking up at an ungodly hour of the morning, but if you want to regularly enjoy smoked meat you need to hone in on cooks that are 10 hours of less. For ribs or chicken, that is not a problem but pork will take some modifications. I’ve developed a method that allows you to cook for a reasonable amount of time without sacrificing quality.

The first step in reducing cook time is to increase temperature. You can smoke at 275 to 300 F without majorly affecting quality. There is a lot of debate on whether to have the fat cap up or down when smoking. My instinct originally was to have it facing up so it melts into the meat. However, at a low temperature, this doesn’t work well and you are left with intact fat bark. For ‘low and slow’ it is best to have the fat cap down to protect the meat from the long barrage of smoke and enhance juiciness. At a high temperature having the fat cap up is an advantage because it will melt into the meat adding juice that would otherwise be missed with a shorter cook.

It’s important not to wrap the meat on a hot cook as you need every bit of bark formation. You can add a mop of liquid to increase juiciness but this will also act to increase your time. Finally, do not rush the rest. I like to leave the finished pulled pork partially covered for 30 minutes before pulling. You will usually gain a degree or two of temperature in this time. Ultimately, every smoking experience leaves me thinking about what I will adjust when planning the next cook. I encourage you to do the same.

A Handy Comparison Table

*PS If you ever find yourself in this situation wrap the pork after adding a liquid (apple juice, apple cider vinegar cut with water, BBQ rub, or any combination will work fine) and put in a 350F oven. It will come up to the 195F to 205F pork pulling temperature in a short amount of time. I prefer never to wrap my pork as it hurts the bark but this works fine in a pinch.

Low and Slow Bark

Pulled Pork