In the realm of culinary delights, few dishes evoke a sense of comfort, satisfaction, and sheer joy like the iconic barbecue pulled pork. Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice home cook, embarking on the journey to create the perfect pulled pork can be an adventure filled with smoky aromas, tender textures, and mouthwatering flavors. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the secrets of crafting the ultimate pulled pork, exploring essential techniques, selecting the right cut of meat, mastering the art of seasoning, and providing step-by-step instructions for both traditional and innovative cooking methods. So, prepare to embark on a culinary adventure, as we unlock the secrets to creating the most delectable barbecue pulled pork that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!
PULLED PORK BARBECUE
Tyler Florence's Pulled Pork Barbecue recipe from Food Network starts with a flavorful dry rub that includes paprika, brown sugar and mustard powder.
Provided by Tyler Florence
Time 9h35m
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 31
Steps:
- 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.
- 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.
AWESOME PULLED PORK BBQ
This is a pulled pork BBQ that is sure to please everyone's taste. Best to use a slow cooker!
Provided by Randy
Categories Main Dish Recipes Pork 100+ Pulled Pork Recipes
Time 10h30m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Place pork in a slow cooker and season to taste with garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add quartered onion, apple, and 3 celery stalks. Pour chicken broth into slow cooker.
- Cook on Low until very tender, about 8 hours. Transfer pork to a large platter and discard juice and vegetables. Shred pork with a fork and return to the slow cooker.
- Prepare barbecue sauce while pork is cooking. Melt butter in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir 2 cups celery and 1 1/2 cups onion until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, and 1 tablespoon garlic powder; mix. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour barbecue sauce over shredded pork.
- Continue cooking pork on Low heat until flavors combine, about 2 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 548.1 calories, Carbohydrate 44.2 g, Cholesterol 131.5 mg, Fat 23.5 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 41.4 g, SaturatedFat 10.7 g, Sodium 1513.8 mg, Sugar 37.4 g
INSTANT POT PULLED PORK
Steps:
- Gather the ingredients.
- Dry the pork with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper, onion powder, cumin, dry mustard, and cayenne. Add the pork chunks to the bowl and toss to coat them thoroughly with the spice mixture.
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and add the water and vinegar. Place the seasoned pork on the trivet.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. Select the pressure cook or manual button (high pressure) and set the timer to 45 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow a natural release for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully turn the steam release valve to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.
- Drain and discard the liquids. Remove the pork to a bowl and shred it. Add 1 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce to the pork and stir to blend. Return the pork to the Instant Pot and select the lowest sauté setting. Cook the pork until it is thoroughly heated.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 722 kcal, Carbohydrate 26 g, Cholesterol 195 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 53 g, SaturatedFat 16 g, Sodium 1025 mg, Sugar 21 g, Fat 43 g, ServingSize 8 servings, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
BBQ PULLED PORK
An American classic, the meat is slow-cooked then shredded or 'pulled' and layered with BBQ sauce, pickles and slaw in a soft brioche bun
Provided by Jennifer Joyce
Categories Main course
Time 5h20m
Yield Makes enough for 16 buns with leftovers
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Rub the pork with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Heat a large non-stick pan until very hot and sear the pork on all sides until golden brown.
- Place the meat on a wire rack in a roasting tin. Mix the paprika, mustard powder, garlic and onion salt, and some black pepper with the liquid smoke, if using. Brush all over the meat.
- Add 1 cup of water to the roasting tin, cover very tightly with foil and cook for 5 hrs or until almost falling apart.
- Drain the juices from the meat into a measuring jug. Shred the pork using 2 forks, discarding the fat.
- Skim off the fat from the juices. Mix 125ml of the juices with 4 tbsp BBQ sauce (see recipe in 'goes well with') and pour over the meat. Keep warm until serving, or reheat.
- To assemble, pile the meat into the halved brioche buns, spoon over the BBQ sauce, top with coleslaw and pickles, and sandwich together.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 251 calories, Fat 16 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Protein 26 grams protein, Sodium 0.8 milligram of sodium
SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED PORK
If you've spent any time on Pinterest or food blogs, you've likely come across a recipe for three-ingredient barbecue pulled pork that can be made in the slow cooker. Methods and ingredients vary, but the recipe almost always calls for boneless pork shoulder, some sort of dark cola (usually Dr Pepper or root beer) and barbecue sauce. Dubious? We were too, so we asked the members of our NYT Cooking Community Facebook page if anyone had ever made it and if they liked it. We received more than 150 very opinionated responses. Many readers have come up with their own clever twists, like using coffee or beer in place of cola, adding onions or chipotles, rubbing the meat with a spice blend and searing the meat before cooking. We tried cooking it a few different ways and found we liked this adaptation best. It calls for a few more ingredients and an extra step or two, but it's got layers of flavor and it's still mostly fuss-free. (You can find the pressure-cooker version of this recipe here.)
Provided by Margaux Laskey
Categories meat, sandwiches, main course
Time 10h
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. If you have time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. If you don't, no worries; proceed to Step 2.
- Lightly grease the crock of a slow cooker. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the pork until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side. Add onion, if using, to the slow cooker. Add the pork on top of the onion. Pour soda over the pork and set the slow cooker to low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat has collapsed and shreds easily.
- Drain most of the liquid from the slow cooker and shred the meat directly in the pot. Add about 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. (At this point, if you like crisp bits in your pulled pork, you can spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan and place under a broiler for a couple minutes then return to the slow cooker.) Taste and add more barbecue sauce, hot sauce, salt or pepper, if desired. Serve with soft rolls and extra sauce on the side.
PULLED BBQ PORK
During years of vacationing on the North Carolina coast, I became hooked on their pork barbecue. The version I developed is a favorite at potluck dinners. -Joseph Sarnoski, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 10h15m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a large skillet, saute onions in oil until tender. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and pepper; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire and cumin. Cook over medium heat until heated through and sugar is dissolved., Cut roast in half. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker; pour sauce over the top. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred meat with 2 forks and return to the slow cooker. Heat through. With a slotted spoon, place 3/4 cup meat mixture on each roll.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 518 calories, Fat 21g fat (7g saturated fat), Cholesterol 101mg cholesterol, Sodium 528mg sodium, Carbohydrate 44g carbohydrate (12g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 36g protein.
SLOW COOKER BARBECUE PULLED PORK
This slow cooker barbecue pulled pork is spice-rubbed for the best flavor.
Provided by Donna Mohr Bungo
Categories Main Dish Recipes Pork 100+ Pulled Pork Recipes
Time 11h45m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Mix paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, oregano, sugar, white pepper, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
- Massage spice rub into the pork roast. Wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Unwrap the roast and place in the bottom of a lined slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke. Cover and cook on Low until pork is fork-tender, 8 to 10 hours.
- Transfer roast to a cutting board; discard liquid in the cooker. "Pull" by tearing meat into thin shreds with 2 forks or your fingers. Discard fat.
- Place shredded meat back in the slow cooker; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on Low until hot, 30 to 60 minutes. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 271.9 calories, Carbohydrate 16.4 g, Cholesterol 78.2 mg, Fat 12.6 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 22.7 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 1299.6 mg, Sugar 10.9 g
PRESSURE COOKER BBQ PULLED PORK
A pressure cooker provides a nifty shortcut to perfect pulled pork. This recipe calls for braising the meat in a dark soda like Dr Pepper or Coca-Cola, and the results are lush and tender - savory, slightly sweet and tangy. Once the pork is done, you can customize it to your taste using your favorite barbecue and hot sauces. Adding lots of black pepper and a few dashes of Southern-style hot sauce, like Crystal, Louisiana or Tabasco, is a very good idea. Like many braises, the pork improves overnight and can be cooked up to three days in advance; shred and warm it gently on the stovetop before tossing it with sauce and serving. The pork makes satisfying sandwiches on soft rolls (try coleslaw as a topping), but it could also be used in tacos or served over grits. (You can find the slow-cooker version of this recipe here.)
Provided by Sarah DiGregorio
Categories dinner, lunch, meat, main course
Time 2h
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Mix the garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the pork and turn to coat in the spice mix. Put the oil in a 6- or 8-quart electric pressure cooker and turn on the sauté setting to warm the oil. (Use the "normal" heat setting if your pressure cooker has that option.) Working in batches, add the pork and brown on two sides, about 2 minutes per side. If the bottom of the pan gets too dark or you get a "hot" or "burn" warning, turn the heat down to "less," if your pot has that option, or turn it off entirely and allow the pork to continue searing. Turn it back on if the pot cools too much.
- Add the onion to the pot. Add the soda and stir to thoroughly scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for one hour. Turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Open the lid. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork and onion bits to a large serving bowl. Using two forks, coarsely shred the meat. Add 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to moisten. (Discard remaining cooking liquid.) Taste and add salt, pepper, hot sauce, and more barbecue sauce as you like. Serve with soft rolls and extra sauce on the side.
THE EASIEST AND BEST BBQ PULLED PORK RECIPE (SLOW COOKER)
I had trouble finding a recipe that didn't have a million ingredients but this one is amazing so thought I'd share!
Provided by lmcp1981
Time 10h2m
Yield Makes 12-16 floury baps - depending on size of joint.
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Stick the pork in the slow cooker, skin side up and pour over the carton of apple juice. The pork does not need to be completely cover by the juice.
- Slow cook on low setting overnight - a good 10-12 hours if you can manage it.
- Remove the pork from the cooker, take off and discard the hard skin and fat but keep the soft squishy fat.
- Shred the pork with a fork and stir the pork and soft fat back into the slow cooker juice.
- Stir in the BBQ sauce and cook on low for another hour or until ready to serve.
- Serve with anything you fancy! I like to serve mine with floury baps, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, garlic roast potatoes, and creamy coleslaw. Delicious!
Tips:
- Choose the right cut of pork. The best cuts for pulled pork are the shoulder (also known as the Boston butt) and the picnic shoulder. These cuts are well-marbled and have a lot of connective tissue, which breaks down during cooking and makes the pork tender and juicy.
- Use a dry rub. A dry rub is a mixture of spices and herbs that is rubbed on the pork before cooking. This helps to add flavor and create a nice crust.
- Cook the pork low and slow. Pulled pork is best cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time. This allows the connective tissue to break down and the pork to become tender and flavorful.
- Use a smoker or a slow cooker. A smoker is the ideal way to cook pulled pork, but you can also use a slow cooker. If you're using a slow cooker, cook the pork on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred the pork. Once the pork is cooked, shred it with two forks. This will make it easier to eat and serve.
- Serve the pulled pork with your favorite sides. Pulled pork is typically served with sides such as coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and cornbread.
Conclusion:
Pulled pork is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Whether you're cooking it for a backyard barbecue or a special occasion, following these tips will help you make the best pulled pork possible.
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