Remember last week when we were talking about company recipes? This is one of those recipes. I’ll never forget the first time I had this *perfect* pulled pork. I was a guest in someone’s home and this was their company recipe. And true to company recipe fashion, I immediately fell in love with it and begged for the recipe.
This pulled pork is SO yummy and flavorful and tender, it just melts in your mouth. And it really is *perfect* for company because everyone I’ve ever made this for has just raved over it. You have to try it, at least once. Really. You will be hooked. :)
Let’s pick out the perfect pork shoulder for your perfect pulled pork. The best piece of meat for pulled pork is a 4-7 lb whole boston butt.
Make sure your pork shoulder has a layer of fat on the bottom:
And it should also have a bone going about halfway through it. (It doesn’t go all the way through. Just halfway.)
Now, if you notice, my pork shoulder is 7.91 lbs. I got a big one because I wanted to feed 6 people *and* have tons and tons of leftovers. Normally I hate leftovers, but I LOVE this leftover. People always want some to take home with them and it *just* as yummy heated up the next day. Just pop it in a 350-375 degree oven for about 5 mins. You’ll know when it’s done because the whole kitchen will start smelling so good and your mouth will be watering and you just won’t be able to wait any longer before you yank it out of the oven and put it on a plate. It even freezes really well, although we never want to freeze it because we always want to keep eating it for the next couple of days. lol.
After you pick out your perfect pork shoulder, you may want to pick up a few other items while you’re out..
You’ll need a 3″ deep roasting pan that’s big enough to hold your pork shoulder so that there is at least 1″ of extra room on all sides. Of course you may have a nice roasting pan at home that you can use. Lucky. I don’t, so I just pick up one of these babies at the grocery store. Disposable, yet oh so dependable. You’ll also need something LARGE to brine the roast in. I use a 2 gallon ziploc bag. And the last thing is a digital thermometer with an alarm. You don’t *have* to have one of these, but I find this an *extremely* useful piece of equipment in my kitchen. The thermometer stays in the meat, in the oven while the digital reader sits outside on top of the stove. You set the alarm and it will go off when the meat has reached the desired temp. I LOVE it because I don’t have to constantly keep checking on the roast. I just put it in and forget it! :) You can pick one of these up pretty cheap (less than $20) at the grocery store (and almost anywhere- Target, Walmart, Linens-N-Things, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc). And you can use it for everything- chicken, steak, burgers, etc. I love it for baking chicken because you know exactly when the chicken is done and it doesn’t get dried out. :)
So! Now that you’ve got all your equipment, let’s start out by making the special dry rub that makes this pulled pork so perfectly seasoned and savory.
Dry Rub
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix all ingredients together well and store in an air tight container.
This smells absolutely divine. Cover it and set it aside for a sec.
Now for the brine – A brine solution gives the meat the extra moisture it needs for a long, slow cooking process so you don’t end up with tough, dried out meat.
Brine Solution
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 qts cold water
3 tbsp dry rub mix
2 bay leaves
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar and dry rub and stir well to combine.
Rinse the pork shoulder in cold water and place in a 2 gallon ziploc bag (or a container big enough so the shoulder is completely covered in brine solution).
Carefully pour in the brine solution…
And add two dried bay leaves (found in the spice section of the grocery store)
And refrigerate for at least 8 hours. I like to clean out a spot in my door and keep the pork there because it seems to be the best place to keep the shoulder completely covered in brine.
At least 8 hours later…
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F, remove the pork shoulder from the brine solution and place in the roasting pan.
Pat the skin dry with paper towels so you’ll get a nice, crisp crust.
Generously, generously, cover the WHOLE thing in your dry rub mix.
And massage it into that skin real good. Be sure and get it up under any flaps you may come across.
It should look like this when you’re done massaging. If you have dry rub mix left, that’s okay. We will be using it later.
Make sure the fat layer is facing UP and stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone.
Place uncovered in a 225 degree F oven, yes 225 degrees F, on the middle rack. Resist the urge to use a higher temperature.
Set the alarm on the thermometer for 200 degrees. We don’t want to take it out of the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches at least 200 degrees. The first time I made this, I was like what?? 200 degrees?? Are you kidding?? Isn’t a roast usually done at 170 degrees?? Won’t my meat be tough and dried out?? But here’s what I found out. The pork is finished to the point of being sliceable at 170 degrees, but to get that tender, falling apart shredded meat, the ideal internal temperature should reach at least 200 degrees. And it’s still just as tender, juicy and flavorful because of our seasoned brine solution.
Now, cooking at 225 degrees F, this shoulder will take between 1.5 to 2 hours per pound to cook. As it happens, this 8 lb shoulder took 13 hours, so a little over an hour and a half per pound.
Here’s how I normally do it… The morning on the day before I want to serve this, first thing when I get up, I prepare the brine solution and let the shoulder brine all day in the fridge. That night right before I go to bed, I season the shoulder with the dry rub and put it in the oven and let it cook overnight. The alarm has never woken me up the next morning, I’ve usually already been up a couple hours before it goes off. And I am not an early riser. (yeah, yeah I can hear ya’ll laughing at how much of an understatement that is)
When the alarm goes off and the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, turn off the oven and let the roast cool for about 2 hours before removing from the oven. Turn off the alarm, but keep the thermometer in the meat, so you can monitor the temperature. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. Mine still had lots of juice in the bottom this time, so I didn’t have to cover it.
After a couple hours, when the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove the shoulder from the oven.
Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Using two large forks, begin pulling the meat apart. It will fall apart *very* easily and it should not take you long at all to pull apart this whole roast.
Now remember how I said that a 4-7 lb roast was best, but I ended up getting an 8 lb roast? Well, that was just fine and dandy, but my meat wasn’t as seasoned as it normally is with a smaller roast. But that’s no problem cause I had plenty of dry rub mix left! So take a few taste test bites, then generously sprinkle the shredded meat all over until your heart’s content. Be really generous with the dry rub and really mix it in good. This seasoned meat is fantastic. Keep taste testing along the way. ;)
Our favorite way to eat pulled pork is on hamburger buns. We pile ‘em high and let the meat overflow onto our plates and eat that with a fork.
But it really doesn’t matter how you serve it because it won’t be on the plate more than 3 seconds anyway. ;)
Having a Labor Day get together with friends & family this weekend? Go ahead and knock their socks off with this slow roasted, seasoned and savory pulled pork.
Have fun and enjoy!
Perfect Pulled Pork
1 whole boston butt
Dry Rub
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix well and store in an air tight container.
Brine Solution
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 qts cold water
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp dry rub mix
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar, dry rub, and bay leaves and stir well to combine.
Pork shoulder preparation:
Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container, pour in the brine solution until the shoulder is completely covered. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Then remove pork shoulder from brine solution, pat dry with paper towels, place in baking pan that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the shoulder and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides. Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking! Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 degree F oven on the middle rack. Insert a probe thermometer into the center or thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking (a digital thermometer with an alarm function is the easiest way to do this). Do not remove from the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches 200 degrees. When the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. When the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove from oven. Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks, it will pull apart very easily. Serve for friends and family!
This pulled pork is so delicious, it earns two pages in the recipe book.
Make for: Dinner / Main Dish
Tags: ham & pork
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599 Comments
Made this for my son’s 4th birthday last year and am making it again for his 5th!! It was a HUGE hit!! We had about 20 people, so I think I made about 12lb’s (I wanted leftovers!! I didn’t get many because everyone wanted to take some home!!) I have been asked many times for the recipe. It is in the fridge brinning right now. Can’t wait till Sunday!!Thanks for your hard work not only in cooking, but in this beautiful website!! God Bless!!!!!!!!
I’m making this as I type…..and….I must ask…..am I the only one who finds it wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to spicy???? Is there something I can add to make it less hot?
just cut out some of the cayenne pepper and add some more salt and brown sugar everything be good in the kitchen
An excellent recipe! Simple but fabulous. I’ve tried all kinds of other tenderizing liquids: cider, vinegar, tequila…but the brine solution works best. And the end result is the excellent taste. Thank you very much for posting this!
I LOVE this recipe, and forwarded it to my mum! I made a few slight tweaks to the rub, but I have made this pulled pork 3 times already and it never lasts! I always mean to have some left over, but there are never leftovers.
Love your website!
This is got to be the BEST ever. Give it a try.
can i use a 9 lb 19 ounce pork roast. will it work as well?
Amanda,
Just used this receipt and it turn out wonderful. I substituted crushed red pepper for the cayenne for a little more kick and mixed the leftover juice with some homemade sweat barbecue sauce and made an unreal dipping sauce.
Thanks, Leslie
I am not one that cooks very often, but this just sounded too good not to try. I am so glad that I did. I only had one problem. I had a 4 pound butt and it was not nearly enough for leftovers! Everyone that had some, wanted more and more. Will definately be making this again (probably this week!) I usually have to go to a local restaraunt to get a good pulled pork sandwich, but not anymore! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe.
Has anyone ever had luck with using an electric roaster oven to prepare this recipe of pull pork. I want to roast two 7 to 8 lbs. of pork shoulder to shred and serve for an Easter gathering and thought brining them prior to roasting them in the electric 18 qt. roaster might work. Let me kno
Am guessing that you are talking in F rather than C temp wise right?
If so, I will have to convert to make this.
I want to do something extra special for Easter Sunday Lunch/Dinner as we are not buying my boys as many chocolates this year (We still have chocolate left over from last years Easter lol)
So I will be attempting this recipe! I say “attempting” due to the fact that I do not have a temperature gadget like you have.
XD
I made it tonight and it was delicious!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks foe sharing this recipe. I enjoyed it while traveling round the US last year for five weeks. We are cooking ours in the crockpot and using a boneless shoulder as butt is not available down here in oz. I put it in brine over night, and put it on this morning about 9am. Set the timer for 10 hours. Will let you know what it’s like. Looking forward to it.
Hi Amanda,
I read through your recipe and have decided to give it a try. My question for you is: I am planning on cooking 40lbs of pork to use for graduation and I’m wondering how long I will need to cook it. I am hoping to use a large electric cooker, if you think that will work ok. Based on the estimated cook time, I figure it would have to cook for 60 hours? Wow, that seems like a forever. Please Help!! I’ve never cooked this much meat before. Thank you in advance!!
Great recipe! Thank you.
I’ve used this recipe to cook pulled pork on my Big Green Egg. It’s a family favorite!
Well, just to let you know that 3 years later, your recipe is still making a BIG impression! This was the first ever pulled pork recipe i’ve tried, and the one i keep returning to! :) I have one in the oven right now.
Awesome teaching site too! So, 2 questions, please. 1 – For 2 people who want just 1 day of leftovers, would you recommend a 2lb boston butt? and 2 – I have both a CharGriller gas and a separate charcoal grill. Both have cast iron grates that I have seasoned. Would you recommend a brass or stainless steel brush?
Thanks!!!
Great recipe as is! 4lbs =8 hours ……..skip the crockpot….
Thanks for this
Mike R
im making the rub right now and its to spicy what should i do
I have made this twice now and this is by far the best pulled pork I have ever had! Everyone raved about it for Superbowl (I made 15 pounds that time) and last weeked I made it again for my family. I will recommend this recipe to everyone and would not change a thing! I cannot wait to try more recipes from you!!!
I just made this recipe last weekend for my daughter’s graduation party. I made 20+ pounds and it was gone by the end of the night. Everyone raved about it and sooooo many people asked me for the recipe. Thank you so much!
Used a 3 1/2 lb pork roast, soaked in brine all night, took it to my daughters where I roasted it for 7 hours and it still wasn’t shreddable. Covered with foil, put it in the frig till next day, then roasted it on 300, covered, for 2 more hours. Success! Very tasty and shredded nicely. Of course, (as usual) I didn’t have all the spices or the bay leaf, but next time will make sure I do. Great recipe.
Cooking it on high heat doesn’t really work. Part of the issue may well be taking the brined meat out of a 38 f fridge and adding the rub and then starting the roast. A better result may happen by taking the brining bag out earlier and hopefully getting the meat closer to room temperature before starting the roast. It needs to cook for a long time on low heat with the alarm set so the collagen (connective tissue) breaks down. Done that way you’ll see the temperature will get up to about 170 f quite soon and will stay there for several hours. When the tissue breaks down will quite quickly rise to the alarm setting.
Amanda,
I’m making this one right now…my house smells AMAZING….i love your recipes! I made your burgers the other night and that were FANTASTIC! Thanks for all these wonderful recipes…keep ‘em coming! :D
I am so excited to try this recipe! All the positive comments totally sold it for me :) We have my son’s first holy communion on Sunday and was looking for a pulled pork recipe to show off :) My plan is to brine and season as directed(but adding liquid smoke) My husband and I are major grillers, but do not have a smoker, so we always add flavored wood chips to smoke up while grilling. I’m not sure yet if its going in the oven or croc pot. Can’t wait to eat it and report back :)
I have a very large pork shoulder butt that I am doing this with and in order to cover the whole roast with the brine in a very large roaster I had to quadruple the brine recipe. Still had even amounts of everything as listed but will it be way too salty – should I have just added more water to cover the pork instead of adding everything until it covered?
I made this for my family and they LOVED it! I am in the process of making it again only this time instead of 2 qts water i used 1 water one apple juice and a slash of Jack Daniels!
I just made this recipe and it was amazing! I would take an earlier suggestion of brining in the morning and popping in the oven before bed. Served this on Boulange Bakery brioche buns, warmed in the oven, and topped with Bakesale Betty’s coleslaw recipe. It was so good that I had to tell you about it. The tartness, heat and juice of the coleslaw was unbelievably delicious! Thanks!!
The vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ( Edmond Fallot Dijon mustard is what Betty uses)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ( Bariani extra virgin olive oil is what Betty uses)
The coleslaw
1 small red onions, very thinly sliced
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise ( I’ve used a green bell pepper instead and it’s still wonderful)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
kosher salt
For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt (I used less) in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.
For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in the cup of red wine vinegar, and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.
That coleslaw sounds delicious!
OK, I made this pulled pork a while back, and my family liked it enough. The only problem is that we found the cumin almost overpowering, that was all we could taste. I’m not a big fan of cumin anyway, a very little goes a long way. I’m making this again this morning for tonight’s dinner, but instead of cumin I thought I’d try a TBS. of allspice.
This is by far the best recipe I’ve found for pulled pork. I have a feeling I’ll be making it a lot over the summer (minus the cumin, lol). Thanks!
made your pulled pork it got awsume my daughter said i should open up a shop thank you for the recipe it one of the best i came across
I made two 8 pounders for a party. They turned out great, and I got lots of compliments. I brined during the day and put in the oven @ 9:30 pm the night before the party. The meat never got to the required temp tho. I think they only made it to 180 degrees by 1:00 pm the day of the party – which is when the party started. I was nervous that they weren’t cooked to the point that they fell apart. But when I took them out of the oven @ 1 pm they were fall apart done and oh so yummy. I think the next time I cook it, I will do it a day ahead and just heat up the day of. Great recipe.
I made this receipe for my daughter’s first communion party. I never cooked pulled pork before and I was looking for a great receipe and found it !!! I cooked it in the crock pot for about 10 hours at low setting, it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g- !!!
The only thing is , next time I will put less cayenne pepper cause it was a little spicy. Thanks for your great pictures as well, it made it easy for me to buy the right cut of meat .
what kind of meat thermometer do you use, brand ? thx
I bought a 9 Lbs butt and followed this recipe all most to a T for a Memorial Day BBQ. WOW!
I did not use my oven for this. I have a beautiful Weber Summit S-620 with built in smoker box. I put the butt in at 11:00 PM the night before our gathering and smoked it using Hickory Chips soaked in Sam Adams Summer Ale. The 9 Lbs roast took 19 HOURS at 250 degrees! ( I was planning on 14 to 16 hours) There wasn’t a single piece of meat left and my guests raved about this being the best thing they have ever eaten.
Thanks for the recipe. I will be using this again and again!
This was the absolutely best pulled pork I have ever had. The recipe was easy to follow. It was a hit at the party. I didn’t have enough
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Disney and he wanted me to re-create a dish we had there (the Samoan @ Kona Cafe). It’s an eggs benedict dish, but it has pulled pork as well. Since I’ve never made pulled pork before, I went searching for a recipe and I am SO HAPPY that I found yours!! I brined mine overnight last night and then put it in the oven at 9AM today. It’s now 5PM, my house smells amazing, and we had the most delicious pork we’ve ever eaten (even better than Disney)!!! Thank you so much for sharing this; I will definately be making this again very soon!
just put shoulder in oven having been brined overnight . thought i’d give it a go as we just got Man V Food over here in the UK and never tried pulled pork, will let you know how it goes ;0)
Amanda,
Thanks for the recipe, the rub smells fantastic. I made mine with Elk instead of Swine, and it’s in the Brine now. I’m going to try it out and see how it works. My only concern is I have steak cuts not roast cuts. I’m going to have to watch them closely so not to over cook as their is a lot of surface area. Thanks again.
JD
I followed the instructions and made, what is possibly, the best damn pulled pork in the history of ever.
When I extracted it from the oven, all it took was a come-hither look and the meat fell apart.
Excellent recipe! I did everything by the letter except I didnt add cayenne because of my little one. I’m going to make it again this weekend. Great job!!
This recipe was fantastic. I used your brining technique and then cooked it in the crock pot on low for about 9 hours overnight, verifying that we’d reached the 200 degree mark before cooling.
I put the pulled pork on ice and took it on a camping trip with friends. We ate it in taco shells with cheese, barbecue sauce, salsa, and veggie toppings offered buffet-style. Yum. What a great introduction to your website. I’ll be back for more…
I am preparing about 35 pounds of pulled pork for a party next weekend; I’m bar-be-queing one butt roast at a time, so it’s taking several days. I am planning on putting it in a Nesco roaster on the day of the party to warm it up; my question is what do you suggest I add for moisture when I re-heat it? I am concerned it may dry out. I don’t want to compromise the wonderful flavor of the smoked meat with heavy bbq sauce. Help me please!
Has anyone cooked this on high in a crockpot? Kinda short on time, but dying to make this for a lunch gathering tomorrow. If so, how many hours did it take?
Thanks~
Absolutely fantastic! I see all of the wonderful comments and mine would mimmick most the accolades on the recipe. I want to say thank you not only for the recipe but the explicit directions. I am new to brining and buying pork aside from pork chops. Thank you VERY much for the wonderful details right to the depth of being able to converse with the butcher!
It’s almost ready (10 hours in)!!! Slight changes to the rub & brine each time but following all you basics…. Perfect every time!
Making this recipe for the second time in as many months: fantastic! So appreciate how you outline the timing and execution of the steps in this recipe. I think the only thing that could improve it further is if I had a smoker. Love your website and attention to the details that make a difference (i.e. which side up the fat should be!). Happy 4th!
I have made this and it is WONDERFUL. Has anyone made this ahead of time and put it in the freezer? I need to do about four of these for a party and would love to do one every few days and then freeze. Would it be better to freeze before shredding?
I have made this recipe multiple times. The dry rub is absolutly perfect. I do take liberty with the “cyenne” pepper part by mixing different types with various heat and smoke levels (Ancho, Serrano …). I have read some reviews that talked about the temperature not reaching 200 very easily. Take you time! It will!. When I make this, I buy a boneless two pack from Costco. I double the dry rub recipe and brine. As the meat I’m using is boneless, when It is done in the brine (and by the way, you CAN’T over brine this, as the salt ions equalize in the total solution, meat, etc…). I sprinkle the rub on the inside as well as the outside. I use kitchen string and tie the roast tight, as there is no bone. I also place both roasts in the pan with space between them. 225 for 14 hours. The last time I made it, the temp seemed to get stuck at 195, so I bumped the oven up to 230, and an hour later it was done. We are having a party in a couple weeks. This recipe is so good, we plan on serving this pork to 100 people at our party. It also makes a fantastic filling for an empanada. Good luck, have fun, and good eating!
This sounds delicious but there is no way I could leave my oven on for 12+ hours in the middle of the summer! Our house would be entirely too hot, that’s for sure. I will definitely have to try this in the fall/winter but for now, I’ll stick with my fool-proof crock pot Boston butt method of pulled pork!
Doubled up this recipe for the 4th of July, and everybody loved it. It was the very best tasting pulled pork I’ve ever had…bar none.
I did this for the 4th of July, followed the receipt exactly except I did 4 large pork butts in the smoker and added so Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce at the end. Everyone loved it! Great receipt, I was worried it would be to spicy with all the peppers, but it was spot on!!
Best pulled pork I’ve ever had, let alone made. I’ve facebooke’d it and personally let all my friends know about this recipe. It’s my new holiday default btw.
-Kelsey
This is the best receipe for pulled pork that I have ever tried. I had a huge party for the 4th of July with lots of guests. I swear they all loved it!! I am so glad I found the receipe and it will be the one I use from now on! Thanks.
Amanda—Love your website and expecially the recipes. Thanks for sharing them. I want to try the pulled pork. It sounds delish!!! I noticed on the recipe card that you use a sauce made with pickle juice. Is that dill pickle juice or sweet?
Thanks, Barbara
its Sunday morning My Swine has been roasting since 9PM last night, I’ll tell ya how it goes!
I made this for my family tonight and the corn yesterday……they were both a huge hit. I was so happy with the pork. It was my first time ever making pulled pork. My mother in law made this fabulous N.C. mustard sauce to go with it and though the pork by itself was “perfect” the sauce enhanced the taste and flavor. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes this pulled pork will now and forever be a part of our family.
This is the BEST recipe I’ve found on the net for pulled pork. Made it once and we all loved it. I refined the dry rub and the brine a bit to my liking. I used less salt, a little more bay leaves and savory. I’m coming from a country where we use savory on beans, potatoes, meats, cured meats, etc.
Thank you Amanda!!!
this pulled pork was great ,delicious….etc.
I would like to make this for my daughters graduation party but I need about 15lbs of meat to feed everyone. Can I make 2 – 7-8lb pork butts at the same time or should I cook one and then the other the next day? What is the best way to reheat this for the party?
Thanks!!
I to, searched Google and came up with your website, this looked like just what I was looking for. So I started on a Friday with brine etc. and then Sat morning took it out or refrig and started the cooking process at 6:30 am. This was a 7 lb butt and after 15 hrs (9:30 pm) it just about got to 200 degrees. It looks great and I was tasting while pulling to make sure it was OK :) So tonight’s the night we’ll have oue delicious pulled prok sandwiches. I did freeze some already. out of my 7 lb butt I got approx. 3 1/2 lbs of pulled pork, so I think a 7 lb butt would serve approx. 8-9 people. I think it should be cooked at slightly higher temp. say 230-250, next time. Thanks for sharing, love it!
Tried crockpots before for this and other things. Totally dries it out.
This way is 1000% better.
We are Singaporean Chinese and had just finished our pulled pork dinner. It was fantastic and all loved it. I followed the recipe but cooked in a slow cooker with one and a half cup of water for about 10 hours. The stock made an excellent gravy. Even my mother-in-law gave the thumbs up.
the recipe photos shows KOSHER SALT…I thought kosher salt was large crystals? I didn’t notice any large crystals in the photos of the rub?? If i use regular table salt – will it be too salty??
I am going to try this recipe next week to take over to a friend who is moving to a new city. I will need to prepare it the day before. Any suggestions on how to warm it up and keep it warm without drying it out? The 5 minutes in a 350-375 oven doesn’t seem like enough time if warming up the entire 8 lbs. I’m not sure what time the crew will be eating, so I need to have it warm for several hours. Do you suggest I just heat it in the oven when I get there for a few minutes and then put it in a crockpot on low? Thanks for the help! I just don’t want it to get too dry.
This was delicious ! I made it for an anniversary party and everyone commented on how moist the meat was…will make again !! Thank you for sharing !
The last time I made pulled pork, I found a recipe on YouTube that has you cook it in the a dutch oven and just over 200 degrees, with some ramikins of liquid smoke to give it some smoky flavor. It didn’t call for a brine, but still turned out pretty good. I wanted to try a brine this time, and this was the first site to pop up in my Google search. I added a bit of liquid smoke to the brine, and will be cooking the pork tomorrow using the same dutch oven method, and will be sure to report back on how it turns out!
Your recipe sounded amazing so I am giving it a try (it is brining as we speak). I had already purchased the pork shoulder when I found your recipe and I realized my pork shoulder is boneless. How do you think this will effect cooking time?
I want to tell people what happened to me when I made this. The meat was a little over 9 lbs. so I was fully prepared for it to take up to 18 hrs. to cook, however, unbeknown to me at the time, my oven has an automatic shut-off after 12 hours. I was not at home at the time and the oven had been shut off for nearly 3 hours before I came home. I continued to cook it at 225 degrees, but it took forever for it to reach the magic 200 degree mark – and I do mean forever. I pulled it apart, refrigerated it and took it to a get together the next day and kept it on low in the crockpot to reheat it adding the rub and some of the pickle sauce mix to keep it from getting too dry. It wasn’t all that good, but I’m sure the oven mix up was the cause. Just wanted to warn others that their oven may also have that automatic shut-off that they may not be aware of.
If Im planning on doing everything as directed but putting the pork butt in a oven bag(basting bag) with bbq meat marinade and cooking it that way what will I cook it at and for how long?
I noticed on your printed recipe the ingredients for the sauce is not listed. Since I LOVE pickles I had to try it. I was impressed. I actually thinned down my blue cheese dressing with the mixture for my salad (no I am not pregnant!) and it was SOO good.. Just a little zing and less calories (used only half of what I would have used)!!!! Thanks. I am trying all your recipes and so far there is not one I would change a thing on!!!!!!!!
Just a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed the flavor of this rub! I brined three 4lb portions but sub’d apple juice for the water. I massaged the wonderful rub, adding just a hint of ground clove to it. I smoked & roasted it on my gas bar-b-q over indirect heat w/combo of mesquite and apple wood chips, raising the temp to 250 degrees. Just before it was finished, I raised the temp to 450 to really crust the outside of the meat for 15 minutes, then shut off the gas to let it sit (it still had lots of juice in the pan – so after a couple of hours sitting, I removed the meat, and mixed the juices with the remaining rub, a tsp of maple syrup and apple juice to make one cup, then simmered it until it reduced to 3/4 c) and poured this over the shredded meat.
I served my pork over toasted split kaiser rolls topped with my bell pepper and onion slaw. It was absolutely delicious and everyone literally “pigged-out”! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!!!!!
Hey!
I have used this recipe with MUCH success for about the past year. It is the perfect meal for tailgating.
My only contribution to this tremendous recipe is the cooking method. I put the pork in a slow cooker for 12 hours on LOW. I don’t add any liquid to the pot, just put on the rub, and let it cook. After the cooking is done, I pull it apart, and place the meat and juice in some aluminum loaf pans.
When we get to our tailgating destination, I just put the pan on the grill, and heat it up. No magic here, but everyone loves the results. I have a recipe for a Louisiana-style barbecue sauce that is the perfect accompaniment for this dish. It is a thin, vinegar based sauce, not that thick stuff which will mask the flavor of the pork. I will pass this on to your readers if you wish. It’s only fair that I share.
I hope I have helped some of your readers who are nervous about leaving things in the oven for a prolonged period of time. As a retired fire captain, it was a major concern for me; I’ve seen the results of unattended cooking.
Made it last weekend.
Cooked a 2.3kg(5lb) shoulder for 10 hours (in the oven, not crockpot). Turned out perfect!
Definitely gonna make this one again
=)
Just a note: make sure to check that your oven does not turn off in the middle of cooking! I am in the process of cooking this recipe and I have a newer oven with programmable controls, lets just say I found out that the oven shuts itself off after 12 hours of being on :( oh well I think it just set me back an hour or so
I have been trying to perfect a pulled pork recipe for a while. This recipe is so dang good. Its worth all the time and prep work. Everyone wanted the recipe but few were willing to spend all the time. They talked and talked about shortcuts that would make it easier. Bull Hockey…..this is the only way I will ever do pulled pork again. I’ve tried all the short cuts. It came out OK but this is perfection. I am not kidding. Thank you for this fabulous recipe. Y’all ROCK!!!
I made this pulled pork overnight and it was fantastic. I do have a question for all who have made it. Did you save any of the cooking juices to keep the pulled pork moist or did you simply discard? Great recipe and can be adjusted to taste by reducing the amount of salt in brine (for less salty taste) and using less cayenne (to reduce heat). I cooked a 7lb roast for 12 hours and then let it rest in oven for almost two (until internal temp. reduced to 170 degrees). My gang loved it – fantastic recipe! Thanks Amanda!
As I write this I am putting the meat in the brine! This is the second time I made this and the first time was a huge success. This recipe is awesome, an 1 1/2 hours per pound in perfect. The only substitute I made was chipotle pepper instead of the chili powder. I’m a fan of the smokey flavor. Great job guys!
Thanks Guys!!!!
Made this overnight last night. I have made it in a crockpot before but this was much better.
SOOOOOOO delicious! thanks again~
This is without question the most delicious pulled pork I have ever had. Puts my old recipe to blame. Thank you for sharing it!
Meant “to shame”!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am catering a BBQ event for a friend (40 guests) and googled the BEST pulled pork recipe ever :) This came up and I am so happy with how it turned out!!! I followed your recipe exactly but quadrupled it and it is incredibly moist and tender! I made tons of extra rub bc that is amazing too. THANK YOU!! yay. will be making again not only bc I want to but I had immediate requests to make this for future events.
made this pulled pork for yesterday’s tailgate and everyone was taken with it, so moist. can’t lose. and very simple to fix. just takes time.
Just made this pulled pork recipe again this week end for the 5th time in the past 4 months. The total experience starts the second I walk into my local butcher shop with a smile on my face. He knows to go right to the back-walk in and find me two 10 pound pork shoulders. I decided after the first time that one roast is not enough (a waist of gas and it freezes well) so I started to roast off two at a time. I love the smell of the cumin, chili powder and garlic that fills the air when making a quadruple batch of the dry rub. Even after washing my hands they smell awsome for the rest of the day. Cooking time is usually around 12 hours so I’ll put them in around 9pm the night before. At around 5am I just cant take it any more as the aroma of the slow roasting pig fills my house. I spring out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning and then its “game on”. The tough part is standing in front of my oven and waiting for the internal temprature LED it to read 200 degrees. Then the two hour rest time puts me into a frenzy. A few dozen fresh hard rolls from the bakery down the street and my own wicked awsome BBQ sauce and cole slaw? UNBELIEVABLE!!! Kevin and Amanda thank you so much for this recipe!! You guys are definately going to Heaven!!!
Hey you guys,
I am such a fan of your pulled pork. I serve it once a year for a family gathering and everyone loves the pork, the rub, the textures, the taste, it is just amazing! So on that note……what do you know about beef brisket? Can I treat it the same way as I do the pork? I have no clue as to how to handle such a large piece of beef. It came with the half of beef we bought and now we have a party coming up and I thought, “I bet Kevin and Amanda know what to do”. Can you help a fan, please?
Thanks so much Amanda! This is going to become my cookout specialty fo generations to come (Pulled Pork) my oven temp is about at 180* right now and counting it has been about roughly 7 hours at 225 for a 8lb butt roast w/ bone. It seems like the juice is plentiful in the pan and things are moving toward completion. I already know the results are going to be awesome!!! I used all the “dry rub” and so I’m going to have to make some more for sauce, but thanks for the recipe.
I have smoked many pork shoulders over the years – outdoors in a smoker, using the low heat method described here. IMHO the remote reading thermometer is a MUST HAVE item. One note I would add for those who are cooking one for the first time is the temperature plateau.
You will notice that the meat temperature rises slowly and steadily at first and then seems to stop rising somewhere around 170 degrees. It will linger there for several hours. Do NOT raise the oven temperature to get it going again. Leave it alone. The temperature absolutely will resume climbing to your end point eventually. The amount of time it spends on the plateau seems to depend on the size of the roast. My theory is that at this temperature, the fat is melting out of the meat. When it is all gone the meat will finish cooking.
I made a couple of small changes to this recipe. I have a large roasting pan with a removable rack inside. I placed the roast on the rack to keep the meat up out of the drippings.
The other thing I did was rub the raw meat with liquid smoke before applying the dry rub. I like a smokey flavor on the meat and this is the only way I know to get that indoors in an oven.
I’m ready to try this pulled pork again. It came out Ok the first time but took forever to cook. This time I’m going to use the suggestion of putting it before I go to bed the night before. Also, looking at all the pictures I was wondering what you used for sauce,
as sauce isn’t mentioned at all,
but I did see the Sauce note at the end of dry rub and pickle juice.
I used barbacue sauce the first time, but I’m not a big fan of barbeque sauce. I’m going to try the pickle juice this time too.
Thanks for the GREAT RECIPE!
I ran across this recipe from kristineats.com, and I WANT TO EAT THIS NOOOWWW. It seriously looks so dang good, and we’ve been talking lately about making pulled pork…I wish it were in the oven now.
I tried this recipe in the oven and everything worked according to the recipe. I used a 7.5 pound pork butt. However, it seemed like the pork was a little dry and the portions that had the rub on it were delicious, but the rest didn’t seem to have much flavor at all. A friend’s brother owns a restaurant with pulled pork on the menu that is smoked. I asked for the recipe, unfortunately they didn’t share it. My friend said his brother adds a little chicken stock at the end to keep it moist. Since my shredded pork was dry, I added some chicken stock and additional rub spice. It didn’t seem to get very moist, so I added more and without realizing it, I added too much, because when I try to mix it, it became mush. The texture is gone and it doesn’t taste like pull pork anymore. Any suggestions to rescue this meat?
I made this a couple weeks ago and it turned out great. My husband REALLY enjoyed it! It was so tender that my one year old son could eat it, even though he only has 11 teeth! My only issue was that my meat thermometer never reached 200 degrees. The highest it got was 185, but after keeping it in the oven WELL over the suggested amount of time, I finally gave up and took it out, since pork is fully cooked at 170 degrees. Would make it again, though, in a heart beat.
This is the best pull pork ever!! Best in the crock pot!! Let it sit in the brine solution over night then add rub in the morning put it on low for 10 hrs when u come home bam its ready!!!
I’ve been searching for a killer pulled pork recipe, and I’m super excited to try this one! I love how you posted the step-by-step photos. That’s a great added touch for those of us who are visual learners ; )
I have a 10 lb shoulder in the brine right now, I will have to get up early tomorrow to have this done in time for dinner! I will post the results tomorrow!
I have been waiting to make this recipe for the past few weeks and I finally picked up my Crock Pot yesterday, which I highly recommend (SCVT650-PS). I was off to the store to buy all the ingredients and especially the Boston Butt Pork. As yesterday was 11/11/11, I found it was fate my 4.5lb pork cost $11.11.
Last night I put the rub and brine together and had the pork in the fridge for 10 hours. I just used a casserole pan that completely covered it. This morning I took it out of the fridge/brine and covered it in the rub on all sides. I then let it sit for 30 minutes to help get to room temperature and then in the crock pot it went. My crock has a little rack elevated off the bottom so I used it to keep it out of its juices which I thought might make the bottom soggy. I also put 1/2 cup of the brine mix on the bottom just for fun. I set the crock to low and put in the meat thermometer. After 6 hours my 4.5lb butt was @ 200 degrees. I then set it to warm and 2 hours later it was down to 170 degrees and ready to come out. After a test bite, I was amazed and in heaven. I couldn’t believe how good it is since I’m in the south and use to slow cooked hickory smoked butts… But this crock pot recipe is the best I have had to date. My wife and in-laws couldn’t believe it either. Even her father who was bustin my chops this morning for not using his smoker and homemade rub loved it!!
Thanks again for an amazing recipe! To everyone, do not hesitate to make this, especially in the very easy to use crockpot!
Amanda, thanks so much for this recipe. I made it today for lunch with some friends. It was met with an “OMG!” or two, and after tasting it right from the oven, we ladies were blessed with multiple porkgasms! This is a keeper!
Just made this for my entire family for my son’s birthday party. Was a huge hit! Everyone loved it! And the best part… I made so much we have leftovers!!! Thanks so much Amanda for the great recipe!!!
PORKGASM! This beats Food Channel’s recipes hands down! My friends went nuts for it, and I’m happy I saved enough to finish off tonight. Thank you, Amanda!
I do mine the same way except for the first 45 min to an hour and 15 depending on how it looks i cook it at 475 to 500 deg far. then imediatly turn my oven to 225 to 250 for the remainder of the time. This helps add some bark to the meat and also helps get the fat off to a good start breaking down. I also like to add a little apple cider vinegar, but thats just me.
Cooked my 12 pound Boston Butt in the oven at 225 for 18 hours. Used the bottom half of a large turkey roaster…soaked the roast in brine and rub for 24 hours. Used the juice in the bottom of the roaster to flavor the pulled pork when done. This meat doesn’t even need any bbq sauce as the rub has wonderful flavor. If you used a crock pot it would not be the same as dry heat cooking even though it would still be great eating.
I have four 3 1/2 lb shoulder roasts that are in the brine right now. I am wondering what to expect for cooking time. It’s 14 lbs of meat, but they are small roasts, so should I expect this to be done in 6-7 hours or would it take longer than that? I am very excited to try this! Everyone is picking at the dry rub mix- it is delicious.
a tip for cooking, make sure your oven temp. runs true with the temp. selection you haveset it on. my oven runs 30 degrees under the selected temp. so to run at 225 degrees i set it on 255 degrees. buy an oven thermometer that hangs on your oven rack and test yours. adjust accordingly. temp. is always crucial. especially for long term cooking, it will take away the guess work if you dont use a meat thermometer.
I just made this recipe for a party tomorrow and OMG!!! it is the best pulled pork I’ve ever had! And I have made several in the past. I cooked a 9.61 lb butt (almost as big as mine…har har) at 225 and it was perfect and at 200 temp in 12 hours. My oven is regulated too, so while the recipe says longer, you have to start checking after about 10 hrs. I’m planning on serving with slider buns, but I think folks will throw the buns to the dogs and eat the pork with their fingers!!! thanks guys…you got talent!