marinade_pulled_pork

Delicious Crock Pot Barbecued Pulled Pork

Recipe by Kittencalrecipezazz

people discussing

Top Review by

Top Review by

people discussing

Delicious Crock Pot Barbecued Pulled Pork

SERVES:

Ingredients Nutrition

• 1 (4 lb) pork shoulder or 1 (4 lb) pork butt
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (or mix in 3 teaspoons garlic powder to spice mix in place of fresh garlic or use both!)
• 3 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder (use if omitting the fresh garlic)
• 1 1 ⁄₂-2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1 ⁄₂ teaspoons paprika
• 1 ⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 2 (18 ounce) bottlesfavorite barbecue sauce
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions

1. If you are using fresh garlic then rub onto the roast (you may use both the fresh and garlic powder if you are a lover of garlic).
2. In a small bowl mix together seasoning salt, black pepper and 3 teaspoons garlic powder (if using) cumin, paprika, and cayenne, then using clean hands rub the roast well with the spices using pressure to make certain that the spices penetrate deep into the meat.
3. Place the roast in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours or up to 3 days.
4. Place the onions and bell pepper strips in the bottom of the crock pot, then place the roast over the onions and peppers.
5. In a bowl mix together barbecue sauce and brown sugar, then pour over the roast.
6. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the roast is cooked and tender.
7. Transfer the roast to a cutting board.
8. Pull pork into coarse shreds using 2 forks.
9. Serve the pork on a bun or over cooked rice topped off with the sauce.

get the genius kitchen app.

Watch on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Roku, or Fire TV.

get the genius kitchen app.

Watch on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Roku, or Fire TV.

Join the Conversation

• all
• reviews
• tweaks
• q & a

Attach Photo

Would you like to attach a photo to your submission?

• Browse
• Cancel

Attach Photo

The image has been attached to your submission.

Report this post?

Are you sure you want to report this post for review?

• Yes, report it.
• Oops! Cancel!

You must be logged in to interact with the activity feed.

• Log in now
• Cancel

Missing Input

Please enter a rating or review before submitting.

Missing Input

Please enter a reply before submitting.

Please enter your before submitting.

Your reply has been submitted for moderation.

There was an error processing your submission. Please refresh and try again!

Nutrition Info

Serving Size: 1 (596 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amt. Per Serving % Daily Value Calories 1168.8 Calories from Fat 497 43% Total Fat 55.3 g 85% Saturated Fat 18.9 g 94% Cholesterol 214.7 mg 71% Sodium 1800 mg 75% Total Carbohydrate 111.6 g 37% Dietary Fiber 2.8 g 11% Sugars 86.8 g 347% Protein 53.3 g 106%

Pulled Pork Barbecue

4 videos | Pulled Pork Barbecue (03:23)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pan drippings from the pork
• 12 hamburger buns
• 1 recipe Cole Slaw, recipe follows
• Pickle spears, for serving

Directions

Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.

While the pork is roasting, make the barbecue sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it sit until you're ready for it.

When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While it's resting, deglaze the pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scraping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by about half. Pour that into the saucepan with the sauce and cook 5 minutes.

While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun, and top with some slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.

1 head green cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped

1 fresh red chile, sliced

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Several dashes hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Categories:

Pulled Pork Barbecue (03:23)

How to Roast Meats (02:06)

How to Mince Garlic (02:02)

How to Season Food Properly (02:07)

Have a Backyard BBQ

Recipe of the Day

Get an editor-picked recipe delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

North Carolina Pulled Pork

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, by Steven Raichlen. To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A.

Barbecue means different things to different people in different parts of the country. In North Carolina it means pork, or more precisely smoked pork shoulder, that has been grilled using the indirect method until it's fall-off-the-bone tender, then pulled into meaty shreds with fingers or a fork. Doused with vinegar sauce and eaten with coleslaw on a hamburger bun, it's one of the most delicious things on the planet, and it requires only one special ingredient: patience.

My friend and barbecue buddy Elizabeth Karmel makes some of the best pork shoulder I've ever tasted. Elizabeth comes from Greensboro, North Carolina, where she grew up on pulled pork. Her secret is to cook the pork to an internal temperature of 195°F—higher than is recommended by most books. But this is the temperature needed for the pork to separate easily into the fine, moist, tender shreds characteristic of true Carolina barbecue. Elizabeth doesn't use a rub, although many of her compatriots do. (I personally like a rub, but I've made it optional in the recipe.)

A true pork shoulder includes both the Boston butt (the upper part of the leg with the shoulder blade) and the picnic ham (the actual foreleg), a cut of meat that weighs fourteen to eighteen pounds in its entirety and is used chiefly at professional barbecue competitions. The recipe here calls for Boston butt alone (five to six pounds), which, thanks to its generous marbling, gives you superb barbecue. The appropriate beverage for all this? Cold beer or Cheerwine (a sweet red soda pop).

Social Sharing

Add to collection

Add to menu

Ingredients

1. Grilling Method
   • Indirect grilling
2. Advance preparation
   • 3 to 8 hours for marinating the meat (optional); also, allow yourself 4 to 6 hours cooking time
3. Special equipment
   • 6 cups hickory chips or chunks, soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover and drained
4. For the rub (optional)
   • 1 tablespoon mild paprika
   • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
   • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
   • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
   • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
   • 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. For the barbecue
   • 1 Boston butt (bone-in pork shoulder roast; 5 to 6 pounds), covered with a thick (1/2 inch) layer of fat
   • Vinegar Sauce
   • 10 to 12 hamburger buns
   • North Carolina–Style Coleslaw

Preparation

1. 1. 1. If using the rub, combine the mild paprika, brown sugar, hot paprika, celery salt, garlic salt, dry mustard, pepper, onion powder, and salt in a bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves if desired, rub the spice mixture onto the pork shoulder on all sides, then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, preferably 8.
   2. If not using the rub, generously season the pork all over with coarse (kosher or sea) salt and freshly ground black pepper; you can start cooking immediately.
   3. 2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and place a drip pan in the center.
   4. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; when smoke appears, reduce the heat to medium.
   5. If using a charcoal grill, preheat the grill to medium-low and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of 300°F.
   6. 3. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss 1 cup of the wood chips on the coals. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke cook the pork shoulder until fall-off-the-bone tender and the internal temperature on an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 195°F, 4 to 6 hours (the cooking time will depend on the size of the pork roast and the heat of the grill). If using charcoal, you'll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side every hour and toss more wood chips on the fresh coals; add about 1/2 cup per side every time you replenish the coals. With gas, all you need to do is be sure that you start with a full tank of gas. If the pork begins to brown too much, drape a piece of aluminum foil loosely over it or lower the heat.
   7. 4. Transfer the pork roast to a cutting board, loosely tent it with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
   8. 5. Wearing heavy-duty rubber gloves if desired, pull off and discard any skin from the meat, then pull the pork into pieces, discarding any bones or fat. Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of pork into shreds 1 to 2 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. This requires time and patience, but a human touch is needed to achieve the perfect texture. If patience isn't one of your virtues, you can finely chop the pork with a cleaver (many respected North Carolina barbecue joints serve chopped 'cue). Transfer the shredded pork to a nonreactive roasting pan. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the vinegar sauce, enough to keep the pork moist, then cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on the grill for up to 30 minutes to keep warm.
   9. 6. To serve, mound the pulled pork on the hamburger buns and top with coleslaw. Let each person add more vinegar sauce to taste.

Related Video

Menus & Tags

This Recipe is Featured In:

Leave a Review

• 

Exactly. I think most things from the barbeque bible are outstanding anyway. including the Memphis style ribs on this site. the ones with the highest review. I've prepared this the proper way and in a desperate cold and dark Maine winter when the snow was piled too high around the green egg. I have even (gasp!) executed it in the oven which worked fine as well--just lacked the smoke etc. but still. I would recommend this and the sauces are well worth making if you have the time--but then I'm a vinegar fan.

Oh my. This is one of the best things i've ever eaten. I'm 6 months pregnant and had a real craving for pulled pork sandwiches, however , I know I don't enjoy typically served pulled pork because it's overwhelmingly sweet with a rich creamy coleslaw, so this recipe sounded like what I was looking for. I used a pork shoulder I got on sale, marinated it for 8 hours, and cooked it for 22 hours on low in my slow cooker. I don't have a smoker available and a propane bbq, but it's October in Canada so i'd rather not be outside. The meat fell apart beautifully. I served it with the vinegar sauce coleslaw on buttered and toasted buns, then proceeded to die and go to heaven. This is exactly what I was looking for, and I am now a pulled pork convert. One of the best things i've ever eaten. One change I made was to add a half cup of maple syrup (normal store bought brand) to the vinegar sauce and used a 1/3 cup of brown sugar instead of a 1/2 cup.

Made this as per advice and let the rub marinade for 48 hours then smoked in Weber Mountain over hickory for 12 hours. The meat was so delicious and moist but when combined with the vinegar sauce coleslaw it put this pulled pork sandwich into another league. I have never been a fan of pulled pork with BBQ sauce but if this is proper pulled pork then I am a convert 😀😀😀

Wow. this was awesome! I wasn't grilling. being February in upstate New York, but following the previous reviewers suggestions I did the rub (leaving it on for almost 48 hrs) and then braising followed by baking it in the oven at 350 for 3 hours. The meat was falling off the bone tender. and the vinegar sauce makes the whole recipe. I used only 1 2/2 cups of vinegar but kept the rest of the ingredients as called for. Would definitely make again!

I've been cooking indoors and out, very adventurously, for 30 years, but I've always been daunted by pulled pork on the grill. Until now. To me, great pulled pork starts and stays on a wood fire, and this bad boy was perfect. Took me 10 minutes to pull it apart it was so tender, served it with corn on the cob, homemade slaw and ice cold beer. Look out.

I just purchased an electric smoker, and this was one of the first recipes I tried in it. it took me just five hours to make authentic-tasting Greensboro-style chopped pork for a bbq sandwich for my NC wife. instead of an 11-hour-round-trip drive to buy her one. Happy wife, happy me. Win win!

This is a different experience from the sweet barbecue sauce we Northerners expect, but it was quite delicious. I did add a little extra catsup and brown sugar to cut the vinegar a bit. Also boiled down the meat juices and added to the sauce. I let the shredded meat marinate in the sauce for about an hour before reheating it for dinner--that really made it meld. I can see why folks recommend letting it sit for days. My husband just asked me to add this to my recipe box.

I have made several pulled pork recipes- this one is king! The spicy sauce and coleslaw are necessary elements to a great pulled pork sando!! Have a friend from Memphis, and he loves it when I make this recipe!

The vinegar sauce ruined the pork. way too tangy. The spice rub is delicious.

This is a wonderful recipe, great for a crowd. I also didn't have a grill. I bought two 3 pound pork shoulders, doubled the rub, marinated with the rub overnight and then cooked the meat in a dutch oven for three hours at 350 degrees. The meat was perfect. I was very skeptical about the sauce, it doesn't taste good on its own - very vinegary. But on the meat it is perfect! I made a different cole slaw (creamy cilantro coleslaw, found on epicurious), sweet potato fries and it was a great meal!

This is the definitive n.c. pulled pork recipe. I owned a restaurant at an airport that serviced charlotte n.c. and all of the caroline visitors LOVED my pulled pork and the vinegar sauce based on this recipe. It really is the best!

The pork tasted great with or without the barbeque sauce. Because I baked mine in the oven, I poured some liquid smoke (hickory flavored) on it just prior to baking. Delicious.

This is a keeper! Got rave reviews from all guests, and had very little leftover even though we started with a lot of meat. Don't skip the coleslaw or the vinegar sauce - even though the meat is great on its own, the accompaniments really make it sing.

So. I simplify this. I put it in the crockpot after I put the rub on it. I pour the mop right on top of it and slow cook it over night. Put foil down underneath it or something because it may spill out some if your crock pot is jammed. Then you just take out the pork in the morning and pull it apart. I try to cut the fat off it a little before I pull it. I put the BBQ sauce on the side and I make the coleslaw. It's awesome. :)

This recipe was fantastic! I made a double recipe of the pork (10 lbs) since we were feeding about 20 people and it was the perfect amount-- there was none leftover. The single amount of the vinegar sauce and coleslaw was needed-- it makes a lot. The vinegar sauce was the perfect spiciness, and the coleslaw (I used red cabbage since that's all I could find) added the perfect crunch to the sandwiches. I will definitely make these again-- minimal effort, just a little patience, and it's so delicious!

We followed the recipe to a tee, and it was perfect. Truly exceptional pork. The cider vinegar is so good. We served it without buns but with corn bread pudding, black eyed peas and collard greens. Best meal ever. We now know why they call it "soul food."

So yummy. I smoked the meat for 2-3 hours on a gas grill, then threw it in the slow cooker for another 3-4 hours, before pulling off the meat and mixing it with the vinegar sauce. DELICIOUS.

I didn't have the smoking capability, so I made this in the oven, but I used the rub and the vinegar sauce (to which I added a little mustard and whiskey), and it was delicious! I cut the meat in four pieces, browned them, then stuck them in a covered braising dish in a 350 degree oven. I was afraid four hours wouldn't be enough time, but when I checked on it after three hours, it was falling apart and delicious. Put it in a crockpot with the vinegar sauce to serve. There was a lot of fat leftover in the bottom of the baking dish, which I'll probably save and use for potatoes or something (I tossed a bit of it back into the shredded pork for more flavor).

Marinated the meat as per the recipe with the substitution of grated onion in place of the onion powder. Then, since I live in an apt and haven't regular access to a grill, placed the meat in a crockpot and cooked on low for several hours Delicious seasonings!.

I made this for the Rose Bowl tailgate and now will do the same for the Super Bowl. I, too, did this in the oven and transferred to the slow cooker to "hold" and serve. I put about a 1/2 t. liquid smoke in the bottom of the covered roaster with about 1/2 cup of water and had the meat sitting up out of the juice (used a turkey rack). It was very good and went fast! Also, used chibatta rolls as they hold up better than hamburger buns. Maybe not traditional, and, this is CA.

We make this for our annual street BBQ, 4 pulled porks, start BBQ'ing at 7 am on 2 charcoal BBQ's. Serve it with wheat tortillas and a fruit/avocado salsa. It is my favourite taste of all time.

AMAZING!! I made this in the oven and made sure to baste the meat every 15 minutes to keep it moist. The vinegar sauce is a MUST! I added a ton more sugar and would probably not use so much cider vinegar..it seemed a bit tangy. I put the rub on the meat the night before. The next day I put it in a pot with a lid and let it cook in the oven on 350 for about 3-4 hours. I then took it out pulled the pork and put the meat and vinegar sauce together in a bowl. I then wrapped up the meat in foil and put on the grill to cook the vinegar sauce in it. (I didn't originally cook it on the grill because I didn't have time to watch the coals to make sure it stayed hot.) I put the hot meat on a bun and it was AMAZING! My husband who is a HUGE fan of pulled pork sandwiches gave it a 10+ I highly recommend this. Next time I'm going to get WAY more meat. There was more fat then expected.

this was a bit time consuming but excellent and certainly worth the time. Slaw and vinegar sauce were excellent additions.

I cooked mine in the oven as I did not have the required smoke box. I marinaded it over night and cooked it in my cast iron pot for 6 hrs which was plenty and the meat fell apart beautifully. Loved the flavour of the meat but honestly did not love it on a sandwich which kinda dissapointed me. We used the left overs for tacos the next day with a hor home made salsa, light sour cream. lots of shredded lettuce and some grated cheese, heavenly! Will try a more barbques flavoured recipe for the sandwichs next time but all in all wa s a wonderful recipe.

AMAZING. My husband and I quadrupled the recipe and made 18 pounds of this for the 4th of July party. Yep, that's a lot of pork. Followed the recipe exactly. It was gone by the end of the day. Most everyone had three sandwiches, because they couldn't stop eating it. One person even ate five in one sitting (We call him Kobayashi now.) Absolutely worth the time involved.

Epicurious Links

Connect with Epicurious

Helpful Links

Food Innovation Group

Condé Nast

Condé Nast Websites

Condé Nast Services

Legal Notice

© 2017 Condé Nast. All rights reserved

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 1/2/2014) and Privacy Policy (effective 1/2/2014)

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.

How to make perfect pulled pork

Tender, juicy pulled pork has well and truly made its trotter mark on UK dinner tables – but what’s the secret to creating an authentic American version? Read our guide to seasoning, slow-cooking, serving and everything in between.

Slow-cooked meat is no new thing, but there’s something about US-style pulled pork that has piqued our appetites in a big way. But as familiar as we now are with this Stateside great, it’s still worth remembering that some details are easily lost in the long journey across the Atlantic. Truly authentic pulled pork is actually a barbecue dish, cooked for hours over a charcoal pit until it falls apart, ready to be easily shredded or ‘pulled’ apart to serve.

As so many of us are woefully bereft of a huge outdoor fire pit, you’ll be pleased to know even Americans admit it can be made in a standard domestic oven – although, like any national dish, there’s plenty more debate to be had about seasonings, temperatures and serving methods. Our kitchen team sat down with their best Stetsons on to come up with our ultimate cooking tips. Would we dare serve our version to a South Carolinan? You bet.

Watch and learn.

Watch our video guide to making perfect pulled pork:

Choice cuts

Pork shoulder is ideal for pulling purposes. It has an optimum fat content that yields to create tender, melty meat, but it’s essential you cook it slowly to allow the protein to break down properly. Take it out of the oven too early and you may as well dine on a pair of wellies. Americans prize the Boston butt cut of pork, which comes from the upper part of the shoulder, but whichever hunk of meat you use, it's up to you whether it has the bone in. Some people say bone-in helps the meat stay moist, but lots of off-the-shelf supermarket shoulder comes boneless, which is fine. As ever, buy the best quality meat you can afford.

Under the skin

Pork shoulder that’s due to be pulled should always be skinless to allow the flavours to permeate. You can ask your butcher to do this for you, but if you’re removing it yourself, don’t let the skin go to waste – roast it until crunchy and serve it on the side or as a snack. This pork crackling straw recipe gives timings and ideas for seasoning.

You might be of the belief that marinade equals juiciness, but in the case of pulled pork the tenderness is created using a dry rub. Senior food editor Barney gave us a hot tip, direct from the States – according to an old saying, “there isn’t an animal on earth that isn’t made better with one third brown sugar, one third salt and one third smoked paprika.” Kudos to that.

Overnight delight

If you have the time, try mixing sea salt and sugar in a bag and rub it over the pork before leaving it in the fridge overnight. Make sure you rinse it off thoroughly before putting it in the oven with the spices of your choice or you’ll have super-saline meat, and not in a good way. If you’re cooking pulled pork in one go, American food writer Jennifer Joyce recommends searing the shoulder in a non-stick pan before adding rub.

Sugar, spice, all things nice

The heavenly triumvirate of salt, sugar and paprika gives you a subtle flavour that allows the pork to sing with its own pure flavour, and for you to get more creative with your serving sauces. However, if you want to ramp up the flavour during cooking, food editor Cassie recommends adding garlic powder, mustard powder, cayenne pepper or cumin to your dry rub. We also have a jerk pulled pork recipe, should you fancy the tropical taste of the Caribbean.

Water, baby…

Jennifer Joyce positions her prepared pork shoulder onto a wire rack, which is then placed in the baking tin. Before putting it in the oven, she pours water in the bottom of the tin, then wraps the whole thing tightly in foil to allow a steamy micro-atmosphere to form, safeguarding against dreaded dry meat syndrome.

Low and slow

The cookery team recommend cooking your meat for two hours per kilogram on a super-low heat, around 140C, or gas mark 2-3. Barney says it’s ready to be taken out when it can be easily pulled apart using a fork.

Super shredder

If you’ve followed our recipes and tips to a tee, the pulling stage should be a doddle, but take a tip from the team and separate your cooked meat using two forks, pushing the meat from the centre outwards. Discard any fatty bits and be careful not to over-shred it, so leave some nice big chunks of meat intact to cater for personal preference.

Feeling saucy

If you’ve followed Jennifer’s water bath technique, you should be left with some lovely cooking liquor from the water evaporating and meldling with the porky cooking juices. Drain this from the pan and leave it to cool, then skim off the excess fat and mix it with a piquant, US-style sweet barbecue sauce. We love this chipotle molasses sauce.

Bread ahead

Assistant food editor Miriam says pulled pork is best served with sweet bread. Our homemade brioche buns can take up to three hours to fully prepare, fully rise and bake, but as an enriched, slightly sweet, super moist bun, they can’t be beaten. US-style cornbread would work as an alternative to a burger-style serving, and its dense, porous texture is great for soaking up meat juices.

The crunch bunch

All that pillowy pork and bread needs to be levelled out with something with bite – enter coleslaw, everyone’s favourite shredded salad. We have more slaw'spiration than you can shake a box grater at, but here are some of our favourite versions…

A touch of authenticity

We mentioned earlier that fire pit cooking is off the agenda for most of us Brits – we’re lucky to get the barbecue up and running at all some summers. But if you lucky enough to utilise the garden grill, you can use the flames to finish off pulled pork. Follow this clever James Martin recipe and prepare the dish in advance by slow cooking a rinded piece of pork shoulder for several hours in the oven. Once your barbecue is ready for cooking, place the slow-cooked hunk onto the grill for fifteen minutes on each side, giving it a deliciously smoky, charred finish. Be careful not to let any of the meat slip between the grills and plummet fatefully into the white-hot coals.

Pull the other one.

Chicken, lamb and beef can all be ‘pulled’ too. Cassie’s pulled pomegranate lamb definitely isn’t authentically American, but it’s treated in much the same way in terms of the cooking process, although she switches the sweet, smoky flavours of pulled pork for North African aromatics and a juicy fruit glaze. The best cut of beef for pulling is brisket – this deep, dark firecracker beef brisket is ideal for bonfire season as it’s treacley sauce tastes delicious over perfect baked potatoes. Pulled chicken is quicker to cook, but there’s a higher risk of it drying out, so always use the brown thigh meat as it has the highest fat content.

Try it yourself.

Are you a fan of pulled pork? We’d love to hear your experiences of cooking and eating it…

Comments, questions and tips

Advertisement features

A guide to cheese: How to make the perfect cheeseboard

How to make perfect gravy every time

How your ingredients make your bake

Reader offer: Ocado

Get £25 off your first online shop.

Reader offer: AO.com

Get up to £150 of supermarket vouchers when you buy selected Neff ovens from AO.com.

BBC Good Food for every occasion

Pick up a recipe book today.

Ads by Google

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

Tell us what you think…

Love the new look or think we’ve missed the mark? We want to hear your thoughts – good and bad – to make sure we make the new website as useful as possible.

Subscribe to BBC Good Food magazine and get triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Discover a BBC Good Food Show near you.

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk

Join the BBC Good Food community by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google Plus.

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.

© BBC Worldwide Ltd. The GoodFood word mark and logo are trademarks of BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Slow-cooked Southern pulled pork shoulder

By Matt Tebbutt

Ingredients

• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ground onion powder
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 x 2 kg pork shoulder, bone in
• 4 tbsp cider vinegar
• squeeze of clear honey

1. Crush the garlic cloves to a paste using a pestle and mortar, or blend in a food processor. Add the cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder and sugar and pound/blend until well combined.

Rate This Recipe

BBC Good Food

BBC Good Food magazine

Visit the BBC Good Food website for tried and tested recipes from Good Food magazine.

Championship Pork Butt

Injecting a Boston butt with marinade, coating it with rub, and slow-cooking on the grill will give you the juiciest pulled pork butt you've ever tasted.

Ingredients

• 1 (6- to 8-lb.) bone-in pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)
• Pork Butt Injection Marinade
• Pork Butt Dry Rub

How to Make It

Rinse pork roast, and pat dry. Inject top of roast at 1-inch intervals with Pork Butt Injection Marinade.

Coat roast with Pork Butt Dry Rub, pressing gently to adhere rub to pork.

Light one side of grill, heating to 250° (low) heat; leave other side unlit. Place roast over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 7 to 9 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 190°, maintaining temperature inside grill between 225° and 250°. Let stand 15 minutes. Slice, shred, or chop roast.

Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q

You May Like

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Ratings & Reviews

Delicious and healthy recipes customized for you!

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

This slow-cooker pulled pork recipe makes budget-friendly homemade barbecue a breeze! 7 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time are all you need to get this dish cooking for dinnertime. For delicious barbecue sandwiches, add honey, barbecue sauce, mustard, and soy sauce to the slow cooker when the meat is done and cook for an additional hour on low. Serve on hamburger buns with a side of baked beans, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and cornbread for the ultimate Southern plate.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 lb.) boneless pork shoulder, skin and excess fat removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 2 cups bottled or homemade barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper

Nutritional Information

• Calories 584
• Fat 24g
• Satfat 8g
• Protein 50g
• Carbohydrate 38g
• Fiber 1g
• Cholesterol 178mg
• Sodium 192mg

How to Make It

Trim pork of any excess fat. Scatter onion over bottom of slow cooker and place pork on top. Add broth, cover and cook on low until very tender, about 8 hours. Remove meat and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, pull meat into thin shreds, removing all fat and gristle. Skim excess fat from liquid in slow cooker.

Return pulled pork to slow cooker and stir in barbecue sauce, mustard, honey and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 hour longer on low. If desired, serve with hamburger buns and sides of pinto beans, corn, tomatoes and coleslaw.

You May Like

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Ratings & Reviews

Delicious and healthy recipes customized for you!

Pork Marinade and Slow Cooker Pork Roast Recipe

• 7 hrs 15 mins
• Prep: 15 mins,
• Cook: 7 hrs
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Use this mixture to marinate a pork loin, shoulder, or another pork cut.​ Feel free to cook the marinated pork roast in the oven or on the grill or rotisserie.

Spicy Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is a favorite in many dinners across America and consists of a slow cooked pork shoulder or butt roast with the tender cooked meat pulled apart in shreds. Both pork shoulder or butt roasts are usually very cheap cuts of meat and are a great way to enjoy delicious meat when on a budget.

The pork cut used to prepare pulled pork is often marinated and cooked with a flavorful combination of spices and flavorings. Of course, many pulled pork recipes will call for unhealthy combinations of flavors like sodas, brown sugar or sugary sauces, but homemade pulled pork can easily be prepared with delicious and healthy spices.

It can be prepared in the oven, on the barbecue, in a crock-pot or in a smoker. In the following recipe, the pork roast in cooked in the oven for about 6 hours, until the meat is so tender that it almost melts in your mouth.

Probably the most popular and unhealthy way to enjoy pulled pork is between two buns in a pulled pork sandwich, but it can be enjoyed on its own or with many different sides with great success. It’s especially great when served with a coleslaw, braised or creamed green leafy vegetables, a simple salad, or a tart cranberry sauce.

Here we combine the spicy pulled pork with a delicious sauce made with apple cider vinegar, homemade ketchup and homemade mustard.

Spicy pulled pork recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pork shoulder or butt roast, about 5-6 lbs;
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika;
• 1 tbsp garlic powder;
• 1 tbsp dry mustard;
• 3 tsp sea salt;

Spicy sauce ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar;
• 1/2 cup homemade ketchup;
• 1 cup Dijon or homemade mustard;
• 2 garlic cloves, minced;
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper;
• 1 tsp sea salt;
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation

1. Prepare the dry rub by combining the paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard and sea salt in a bowl.
2. Rub the pork roast all over with the spice rub and place in the refrigerator for the flavors to penetrate the meat for a minimum of 1 hour, but up to overnight. If marinating only for 1 or 2 hours, leave the roast at room temperature to marinate.
3. Preheat your oven to 300 F.
4. Place the marinated pork shoulder or butt in the oven in a baking pan for about 6 hours, until the meat is almost falling apart and is very fork tender.
5. While the pork is cooking, prepare the sauce by combining together the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a small pot or saucepan.
6. Gently bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
7. When the pork roast is ready, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
8. Pull the meat apart from the roast with two forks and place the meat shreds in a bowl.
9. Combine the spicy sauce with the pulled pork and serve the delicious and tender meat with your favorite side of salad.

P.S. Have a look at Paleo Restart, our 30-day program. It has the tools to let you reset your body, lose weight and start feeling great.

+ Paleo Leap Tribe is now also available. Try out our meal plan generator and quick cheat sheets.

Apple And Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Pork Tenderloin With BBQ Peach Sauce

Pork Chops With Garlic Sage Butter

Pork Chops With Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Follow Us On The Web

© 2017 Paleo Leap, LLC. All rights reserved.

For your information only. Paleo Leap does not provide medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.

We recommend 3rd party products via affiliate links.

Make the Perfect Pulled Pork at Home

Here's a rundown for how to make the perfect pulled pork at home.

When you hear that something is inexpensive to shop for, easy to make, and an economical way of feeding yourself because it’ll last for more than one meal, it’s pretty hard to turn it down. So why do we keep buying our pulled pork premade from the store?

For many, pulled pork is a quintessential Southern dish that can’t even be touched with a ten foot pole. “I don’t have a smoker,” may be a common excuse heard, or “I don’t know how to make authentic barbecue,” might be another. What people don’t understand is that pulled pork is one of the most basic and easy barbecue dishes to try their hand at (and we’re talking about real barbecue, not a party that you have in your backyard that revolves around a grill), and that even some of the most basic recipes for pulled pork don’t require a smoker or an open flame, like traditional barbecue recipes do.

A staple of the south, pulled pork originated out of the basic theory behind barbecue’s beginnings, which took place during the colonial period when plantation owners would give their slaves the cheaper cuts of meat that they didn’t want. What was soon realized was that these cheap cuts actually tasted pretty good, so long as they were cooked low and slow and slathered in sauce. Because of its origins, it’s clear that pulled pork was meant to be something that’s easy, and nothing could make this more clear than when barbecue guru Meathead Goldwyn instructs you to “make love to your spouse” while cooking it, among many other things. Time would soon tell, too, that pulled pork is not just popular because it’s easy, but because it’s also finger-licking-good to enjoy.

If you’re not convinced already, then maybe the flexibility of pulled pork will further encourage you to try it. Pulled pork can be made from brines, marinades, dry rubs, or wet ones, and there’s not just one method used to make it, but a few for you to choose from. Particularly like olives? Then throw a couple of them in the braising liquid and call yourself a Cuban. Don’t have a smoker? Hope is not lost — your oven is a great alternative. Making pulled pork is really about deciding how you’re going to flavor it and what method you’re going to use to cook it, so to help you make the perfect recipe, we’ve mapped out all of your options with the help of barbecue experts who share their opinions, as well.

The most common cut of pork used for pulled pork is the pork shoulder, which is also referred to as pork butt or Boston butt. There are two things to remember about this cut: it’s cheap and it’s marbled and fatty. The two things are inter-related, because the reason the cut is so cheap is because it requires longer cooking time to break down the marbling and connective tissue of the meat. Making it the perfect choice for pulled pork. In essence, any fatty cut will do, and in some regions, like Eastern North Carolina, they might do the whole pig. Most commonly, though, you’ll see pork shoulder as the choice cut.

The other thing about picking your pork is whether you want bone-in or bone-out. Having the bone-in will give you a much more tender result, but it’ll also take longer to cook. Another plus about bone-in pork is that jiggling the bone is a great way to check if your pork is tender enough to pull.

“Pulling pork is only possible when the pork shoulder or pork butt, as it is often called, is tender enough for the meat to, literally, pull away from the bone or remainder of the muscle. That being said, the cooking method always involves time and temperature in the process,” chef Michael Kornick of County Barbeque in Chicago, explains to us. And by time and temperature, and he means low and slow. Traditionally, the pork is smoked over low heat for several hours until tender, but more and more we’re seeing the pork dry-roasted or braised in the oven. Here are the differences between each method:

Smoking: Smoking is often used for pulled pork because it imparts a strong, smoky flavor and it is one of the gentlest methods for cooking the pork slow and low. Most traditionally, you’ll see a dry-rubbed cut of pork smoked over a low flame for up to 12 hours. A typical six pound pork shoulder can take anywhere from 8-12 hours at 225 degrees. By smoking the meat, you’ll get a nicely charred crust and a moist, tender inside, which can be smothered in sauce. A smoker is easy to make at home on the grill. Here, Kornick explains how to do it:

“For outdoor smoking, set the coals up on one side [of the grill] so that the heat will be indirect, and only have enough coal at one time so that the lid is hot to the touch on the opposite side. You should be able to tap your fingers on the lid, without being able to hold your fingers on for more than a second.”

Around the Web

Coming Up Next

Sign up for our newsletter

Recipe of the day

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili

Sign Up For Email Alerts

Fine Cooking Magazine

Sign up for our newsletter

Latest from our community

Join The Community

Connect with us

Sign up for our newsletter

Copyright © 2017 tronc, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE DAILY MEAL ® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF TRONC, INC.