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Pulled Pork is so delicious, easy, and inexpensive to make. There aren’t very many ingredients in this pulled pork recipe, and you can set it and forget it as it cooks slowly all day.
Pulled Pork
One of the most popular recipes for BBQ, especially if it is going on a bun, is pulled pork. The tender pork is so rich and delicious! This is a fantastic recipe, and when it’s all said and done, you can make lots of things from the leftovers.
What is the best cut of meat to make pulled pork with?
- By far Pork shoulder (pork butt) is the best cut of meat for pulled pork. It has amazing rich flavor.
- There is a lot of fat and connective tissue in a pork shoulder, and it will break down during the long cook time. The result will be super tender meat that you can shred (or pull) with a fork!
- Pork shoulder is a less costly cut of meat, so you get way more bang for your buck!
The size I usually make is a 7 pound pork shoulder (or pork butt), and that feeds us for days! And days… If you have a smaller crowd to feed, try a 4 to 5 pound pork shoulder to make your pulled pork.
The meat is so versatile. You can make a classic pulled pork sandwich, topped with a crunchy creamy cole slaw. You can also use the meat to make soft tacos, omelettes, burritos, or we sometimes put a big spoonful of pulled pork on mashed potatoes. So good!
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The best pan to use to make Pulled Pork
If you have a good dutch oven, definitely use it! They conduct heat evenly and can hold a lot. They also come in cute colors (or go for the classic cast iron).
I have three of them in different sizes, my favorite being the Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. I have the 6 qt and the 7.5 qt. Total workhorses. They are easy to clean, no maintenance, and they last for years!
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I hope you don’t wait to treat yourself, and your family, friends, partygoers, neighbors, etc. by making them this wonderful pork recipe!
Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- (1) 7-8 lb Pork Shoulder (or Pork Butt, same thing)
- Kosher Salt
- 3-5 Tbsp Spice Rub Seasoning (My Ribs Spice Rub is really good on this)
- 2 Onions, cut in large wedges
- 3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (comes in a 7 oz. can. Use 3 of the peppers and all of the sauce in the can)
- 2 12 oz cans Dr. Pepper (or cola, root beer)
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 Cups BBQ Sauce, divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Chop the onions and put in a large 8 qt dutch oven.
- Sprinkle the salt lightly on all sides of the pork.
- Rub the pork with the spice rub and set it in the dutch oven, fat side down.
- Pour in the soda (not over the meat).
- Stir in the brown sugar.
- Spoon the chipotle adobo sauce on top of the pork, and the peppers. You can use a few more if you like it spicy (Three peppers will give it just a hint of spice).
- Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the pork.
- Put the lid on the dutch oven and put in the oven.
- Cook for 6 to 8 hours, flipping the pork over halfway through ( If you use a smaller roast, closer to 5 or 6 pounds, cut the cook time to 6 hours.). You will know when it is done as you can stick a fork in the meat and it will be soft and come apart easily.
- Remove the dutch oven to a heat proof surface (It will obviously be very hot, and be careful as it will also be very heavy!).
- Remove the pork to a baking sheet or large platter and shred the meat using two forks (This is “pulling” the pork).
- Skim the fat off the top of the liquid that is still in the dutch oven. You can also scoop the liquid into a fat separator, which is what I do.
- Return the de-fatted (is that a word?) liquid to the dutch oven and use an immersion blender to blend the onions into the liquid. This also thickness it a small amount. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor. With either method, please be very careful as you are blending HOT liquid, and it can burn you.
- Return the shredded pork to the liquid and mix it in well.
- You can either add the remaining BBQ sauce to the meat, or use the remaining sauce as a condiment on your sandwich. I recommend tasting it the pork first and seeing what you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to make this recipe and more
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This is the best pulled pork I have ever tasted! I made it for a backyard party and everyone loved it and asked me for the recipe. Thank you for this great recipe.
That’s awesome, Tonya! Thank you!