Pork Butt like Whole Hog

27 May, 2026

Matt Pittman is taking a cheap pork butt and chasing the flavor of legendary whole hog barbecue the old-school way. No fancy injections, no wrapping, and no shortcuts. Just pork and salt. Matt seasons the butt with nothing but salt and smokes it low and slow until the bark is dark and the meat is fall-apart tender. Once pulled, the pork gets hit with a classic vinegar sauce made from apple cider vinegar, Texas Pete’s hot sauce, and red pepper flakes for that unmistakable Carolina-style tang and heat. Then comes the game changer: crispy pork rinds mixed into the pulled pork to mimic the crunchy bits of whole hog skin. Piled high on a bun, these sandwiches taste shockingly close to authentic whole hog barbecue. This recipe proves you don’t need a whole pig or a giant pit to make real-deal BBQ whole hog at home.

Ingredients:

1 bone in pork butt
Iodized salt
crushed chicharrones
hamburger buns

Sauce Ingredients:

1 C apple cider vinegar
3/4 C Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce
2 t red pepper flake
1 T Meat Church Blanco

Prepare The Smoker
Set your pellet grill to 250°. In this video we used a Traeger Woodridge with Meat Church Pecan and Cherry blend pellets.

Prepare The Butt
Start by scoring the fat side of the pork butt in a 1 inch diamond pattern.

Season all sides liberally with iodized salt and let it adhere for 15 minutes.

Place on the smoker for 12 hours until probe tender or 203° internal. In this method there is no need to spritz or do anything to the butt during the cook.