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Caribbean Jerk Smoked Pork

Caribbean jerk smoked pork with a smoky, charred bark and a visible spice crust. This smoker recipe uses an overnight marinade and cooks the pork shoulder to pull-apart tenderness.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
overnight marinating (refrigerator) 12 hours
Total Time 18 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Caribbean
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pork shoulder
  • 7 lb pork shoulder Use a bone-in or boneless pork shoulder; aim for 6–8 lb total.
Jerk marinade base
  • 6 green onions Chopped.
  • 4 scotch bonnet peppers Seeded for control of heat.
  • 6 garlic Cloves.
  • 3 tbsp fresh thyme Chopped.
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp allspice
  • 2 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Equipment

  • 1 smoker
  • 1 pork shoulder smoker
  • 1 meat thermometer

Method
 

Make the jerk marinade
  1. Blend green onions, scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, fresh thyme, brown sugar, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth, then add soy sauce, lime juice, and vegetable oil and blend again to combine.
  2. Blend until the mixture looks fully emulsified with no large pepper pieces visible.
Season and marinate
  1. Score pork shoulder by cutting shallow crosshatch lines across the surface so the marinade can reach inside the cuts.
  2. Rub jerk marinade all over the scored pork shoulder, pressing into the cuts for full coverage of the spice mixture.
  3. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator, uncovered or loosely covered, so the flavors penetrate and the surface dries slightly for better bark.
Smoke the pork
  1. Prepare smoker to 225-250°F using fruit wood for smoky flavor.
  2. Place the pork shoulder in the smoker and smoke for 6-8 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 195-203°F.
  3. Continue smoking as needed within the window until the thickest part hits target temperature for pull-apart tenderness.
Rest, pull, and serve
  1. Let the pork rest for 30 minutes to redistribute juices before handling.
  2. Pull the pork and serve as pulled jerk pork with visible spice crust and smoky bark.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the smoker steady in the 225–250°F range, and use fruit wood consistently to build that smoky jerk profile; start checking temperature around hour 5 to avoid overshooting. Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days, and freeze pulled pork up to 3 months. Dietary swap: use low-sodium soy sauce if you want a reduced-sodium marinade while keeping the same spice balance.