We have all enjoyed a pull pork meal in the restaurants and eateries, be it burgers, wraps or any other. And we have all thought about making a pulled pork dish at home. But since, it appears to be a long and laborious process, most of us just give in and get it parcelled.
But what if we tell you that we have brought you one of the easiest pulled pork recipes, won’t you surely be tempted to try it out at least once? We are confident that the tender and juicy pulled pork obtained will keep you lingering for more and you will keep coming back to this recipe to create more every time.
So go on, and check out all the tips, tricks and information about a pulled pork recipe below.
Pulled Pork in the Oven v/s Pulled Pork in Slow Cooker
Pulled pork can be made in a slow cooker as well and mind you it is supremely delicious- tender, juice and all that. Besides, the other advantage is that, you can leave the meat, spices and all at once in the slow cooker and forget about it unless it is done.
The only downside is that a slow cooker (As its name suggests) takes very long to cook pulled pork. It takes at least 5 hours more than the oven. Therefore, we recommend you use an oven to cook pulled pork. Besides, in a slow cooker, you also don’t get the crispy burnt ends to relish. (Burnt Ends are the blackened edges of meat that result as a coagulation of fat and caramelizing sauces).
Searing the Meat
Even though it is not absolutely necessary to sear your meat, we recommend doing that. Searing is the way through which you can get burnt ends and we all know how much we love burnt ends. You can sear your meat in a big casserole dish or a large plate with edges.
Beer: Yay or Nay?
Next important question that pops up is how important is beer in making pulled pork. You can skip adding beer if you have medical (or personal) reasons but then you will need an alternative like apple cider. Beer is an important ingredient that helps in keeping the meat moist, and adds a juicy, caramelised flavour to pork.
Dishes of Pulled Pork
There are several dishes that can be made with pulled pork. You can use it as a filling in burgers and drool over the taste. Other options include tacos with a side of pineapple slaw, wraps with dips, pulled pork crescent rings, BBQ Shepherd’s Pie and more.
Pulled Pork Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 3 hours 20 min
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 min
- Servings: 6-8
Ingredients (For the Pork)
| Sr. No. | Ingredients | Quantity |
| 1 | Pork Shoulder | 1 kg (boneless) |
| 2 | Brown Sugar | 3 tablespoons |
| 3 | Salt | 1 tablespoon |
| 4 | Smoked Paprika | 1 tablespoon |
| 5 | Garlic Powder | 1 teaspoon |
| 6 | Onion Powder | 1 teaspoon |
| 7 | Ground Cumin | 1 teaspoon |
| 8 | Black Pepper | As per taste (freshly ground) |
| 9 | Vegetable Oil | 2 tablespoons |
| 10 | Lager | 350 mL |
Ingredients (For the BBQ Sauce and Sandwiches)
| Sr. No. | Ingredients | Quantity |
| 1 | Ketchup | 350 g |
| 2 | Apple Cider Vinegar | 150 mL |
| 3 | Dijon Mustard | 150 g |
| 4 | Brown Sugar | 50 g |
| 5 | Worcestershire Sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| 6 | Buns | For Serving |
Recipe
- To make pork, trim the excess fat from the meat and cut it into smaller chunks so that they can fit in a standard size Dutch oven.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
- Take another bowl and add the spices- brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin and lastly, freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix the spices well and rub them all over the pork meat.
It is preferred that you rub this over pork and let it rest overnight. - Use a Dutch oven to heat oil. When the oil is super hot, add the seasoned pork in batches to sear the edges. Be careful to not let it burn.
- Once the searing is done, add beer to the Dutch oven and add all the pork before sealing the lid.
- Transfer the container to the oven and cook until the pork turns tender which will roughly take around 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Remove the lid and keep cooking until the pork turns really tender and can be pulled apart by a fork.
- Take off the pork from heat and let it rest while you work on the BBQ sauce.
- To make BBQ sauce, take the pan drippings in the oven and add the sauce ingredients to it- ketchup, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce.
- Keep the heat on high until the sauce mix comes to a boil. After that, turn down the heat and let the sauce mix simmer for at least 5 min until it thickens.
- Shred the pork with a fork. Toss the pulled pork with half the sauce.
- When serving, add more BBQ sauce and serve with buns.
So hurry and try on this recipe and relish a delicious plate of pulled pork.
