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Back to Basics: Summer classic
This tried-and-true pulled pork recipe with homemade BBQ sauce is surprisingly easy
Pulled pork, a beloved classic, is a dish that can be found on menus everywhere, from neighborhood diners to trendy food trucks. While we all have our go-to spots for pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, and other creations, not everyone has a reliable recipe in their own kitchen. That's why I'm excited to share my tried-and-true recipe, which is both delicious and incredibly easy to follow.
Whether you prefer using an oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot, I've got you covered with simple and straightforward instructions for each method. This simplicity ensures that you can confidently recreate this classic dish in your own kitchen. And since pulled pork can't exist without BBQ sauce, I’ve included a recipe for a delicious homemade version as well.
I always start by opening a beer and letting it sit on the counter top while I'm preparing other parts of the meal. This helps reduce the number of bubbles, making it easier to work with. Beer is the magical ingredient in my pulled pork recipe, providing the meal with a unique and delicious flavor profile. But you can substitute an equal amount of water if that better suits your preferences or needs. To get the richest flavor, it's best to use an unfiltered wheat beer, but other beers will work too.
The next step is preparing the seasoning rub. You can speed up the recipe preparation by using your favorite premixed seasoning rub. However, I find making my own to be a breeze, as it gives me more control over the flavor profile and sodium level. Plus, it takes very little time and saves me some money compared to purchasing a premade mixture. It's best to use a large mixing bowl because, after the seasoning rub is prepared, you will coat all the meat in it. Having plenty of space helps you work efficiently and stay organized.
For the seasoning mixture, combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, ground cayenne pepper, salt, ground pepper, and peeled and grated garlic cloves (or pressed). You can substitute the fresh garlic with garlic powder or granulated garlic, but nothing beats the taste of fresh garlic. Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, thoroughly stir them together using a whisk until fully combined.
Next is the preparation of the hero of the meal, the meat. The best option for pulled pork is a Boston pork butt, and the second best is a picnic shoulder. However, you can experiment with any kind of pork that you like or have available. I always recommend using an entire Boston pork butt, which usually weighs about 8 to 10 pounds. It's more than most of us need, but pulled pork makes great leftovers and freezes well. However, if you prefer a smaller batch, feel free to cut the recipe in half.
If you purchase a whole pork butt, keep in mind that it will have a bone. You can ignore the bone at this stage, as it will be easy to remove later after the meat is fully cooked. Start by rinsing the meat under cold water. Then, you can remove the thick fat layer that is often present. I don’t use this fat layer in my recipe, but you can optionally use some or all of it if you prefer. Using the fat layer will result in a richer flavor and texture that some people enjoy but others may not. The decision is yours. If you decide not to use the fat layer for this recipe, don't throw it away. You can save it for other recipes, such as rendering lard.
Next, cut the pork butt into about 8 to 10 large, even pieces and place them in the seasoning mixture. Then, using your hands, coat the meat with all of the seasoning rub.
Recipes
BBQ Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons frying oil, adjust if needed
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (or white sugar), adjust if needed
1 cup water
1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, adjust if needed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worchester sauce
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Optional: 1 teaspoon chili powder (spicy)
Optional: 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (spicy)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, ideally freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
Directions:
Preheat a saucepan on a medium-high with 2 tablespoons frying oil and add onion. Saute with occasional stirring until glossy (about 3 to 4 minutes).
Lower the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar. While constantly stirring, let caramelize (about 2 minutes).
Simmer and add: 1 cup water, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worchester sauce and smoked paprika. Optional: add 1 teaspoon chili powder and/or 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper. Next, add ground pepper, salt and garlic. Briefly stir and cover with a lid. Bring it to a simmer (about 195 degrees) with occasional stirring.
Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes with occasional stirring. Optionally, add water during simmering to dilute the sauce (if the sauce is thickening too much).
Finally, process until smooth with an immersion blender (while still cooking in the pot). Or, for a really fine texture, pour the sauce into a kitchen processor, and process until smooth for about 3 minutes on high speed (be careful when manipulating the hot sauce and make sure to leave an opening on the top of the kitchen food processor to prevent “explosions”).
Cook (now without the lid) with occasional stirring until all ingredients are nicely incorporated (about 3 to 5 minutes). For thicker sauce, extend the cooking time for a few minutes until you reach desired thickness. But keep in mind that the sauce will thicken more after cooling.
Taste and add sugar, apple cider vinegar, and salt or pepper if needed.
Serve hot or cold.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Pulled pork
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
8 to 10 pounds pork butt*
1 bottle of beer of your choice**
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce
* Buy pork butt with the bone. It will be slightly cheaper, and you will benefit from more flavor in the final product. Optionally, you can use pork shoulder, but you have to remove the skin when it applies.
** I prefer to use unfiltered wheat beer, or substitute with 12 fluid ounces water. Let the opened beer sit at room temperature to reduce the number of bubbles, usually 15 minutes is enough.
Directions:
For the seasoning rub: Place into a large mixing bowl brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, ground pepper, garlic. Stir together with a whisk until fully combined (about 1 to 2 minutes).
For meat preparation: Make sure that the pork butt is properly rinsed under cold water. Remove the top layer of fat. It will not be used for cooking. Do not remove the bone — it will add some flavor during cooking and when fully cooked it will be easy to remove because the meat will fall apart because it is so tender.
Cut the meat into a few large even pieces (about 8). Place each piece one by one into the large bowl with seasoning rub and coat each piece of meat evenly.
Note: Before you start cooking the meat, you can consider searing the meat from all sides (saute) for a few minutes until browned. Use about 2 tablespoons frying oil and saute on a frying pan for oven or crockpot preparation or directly in an Instant Pot. Some people believe that this extra step will add extra flavor, but I believe that it is unnecessary in terms of the final flavor of this dish. It is up to you to decide what you like best.
Prepare in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
For oven preparation: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place meat into the roast pan. Pour 1 bottle of beer around the meat. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Cooked covered in a preheated oven until the meat is tender and slightly falling apart — it is easy to shred (about 4 hours and 30 minutes).
Remove the meat and place on a cutting board and drain the cooking liquid (it will not be used for further cooking). Remove and discard the bone. Using two forks, shred the meat until you reach the size you prefer. Place the shredded meat back into the roast pan, add 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, and thoroughly stir until fully combined.
Place into the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
For the slow cooker: Place meat into the liner of the slow cooker (the top part of the slow cooker designated for cooking). Pour 1 bottle of beer around the meat. Cover with the lid and set to high. Stew until the meat is tender and slightly falling apart — it is easy to shred (about 8 to 9 hours).
Remove the meat and place on a cutting board and drain the cooking liquid (it will not be used for further cooking). Remove and discard the bone.
Using two forks, shred the meat until you reach the size you prefer. Place the shredded meat back into the slow cooker, add 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, and thoroughly stir until fully combined. Cook on high for about 20 minutes.
For the Instant Pot: Place meat in the Instant Pot liner (the top part of the Instant Pot designated for cooking). Pour 1 bottle of beer around the meat. Close with the lid and set to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 60 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for about 10 minutes; then perform the quick release.
Remove the meat and place on a cutting board and drain the cooking liquid (it will not be used for further cooking). Remove and discard the bone. Using two forks, shred the meat until you have reached the size you prefer.
Place the shredded meat back to the Instant Pot, add 11/2 cups BBQ sauce, and thoroughly stir until fully combined.
Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting and continuously stir the saute until the sauce gets nicely absorbed into the meat and slightly caramelized (about 1 to 2 minutes).
Optionally smoke: Place the freshly cooked meat into a baking pan, crockpot, or Instant Pot liner and directly into the smoker. Smoke on 165 degrees for about 1 hour (optionally longer). Follow your smoker’s manual for exact instructions.
Optionally, serve in a bun with extra BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, and coleslaw. Or optionally serve between two slices of homemade bread.
Source: Tom Slepicka
And now to the optional step. Before you start cooking the meat, you can consider searing the meat from all sides (saute) for a few minutes until browned. Use frying oil and saute in a frying pan for oven or crockpot preparation or directly in an Instant Pot. Some people believe that this extra step will add extra flavor, but I believe that it is unnecessary in terms of the final flavor of this dish.
You can prepare pulled pork from my recipe in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
For oven preparation, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the meat in a roasting pan (make sure it's large enough to accommodate all the meat and the beer) and pour 1 bottle of beer around the meat. Then, cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and cook until the meat is tender and slightly falling apart for easy shredding. This usually takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes for a perfect result, but you can cut the time in half if you're in a rush.
The slow cooker preparation is similar. After pouring the beer around the meat, cover it with the lid, set the cooker to high, and cook for about 8 to 9 hours for the best results. You also can cut the preparation time in half. With the slow cooker, make sure you have enough liquid throughout the entire cooking time, and add more water if needed.
If you opt for the Instant Pot, close with the lid after pouring the beer around the meat and then cook on manual high pressure for 60 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, then perform a quick release.
While the pulled pork is cooking, you can consider preparing your own BBQ sauce, which is super easy. Saute the onion in some frying oil over medium-high heat. When it becomes glossy, lower the heat to medium and add butter and brown sugar. While stirring constantly, let the mixture caramelize, which takes about 2 minutes. Then add water, ketchup, apple cider vinegar (or distilled vinegar), Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, salt, and garlic (grated or pressed). Stir briefly and cover with a lid. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Optionally, add water during simmering to dilute the sauce if it becomes too thick. Then, process the sauce with an immersion blender while it's still cooking in the pot. Cook uncovered until all ingredients are nicely incorporated, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes. For an even thicker sauce, you can extend the cooking time. Then, set the sauce aside and let it cool for the next step.
When the meat is tender, place it on a cutting board and drain the cooking liquid (you won't need it for further cooking). Remove and discard the bone, which should be easy due to the meat's tender texture. Using two forks, shred the meat until you reach your desired size. Then, place the shredded meat back into the roasting pan, slow cooker, or Instant Pot and stir in about 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce until thoroughly combined.
For the oven, cook the meat for about 15 minutes. If you're using a slow cooker, cook on high for about 20 minutes. If you're using an Instant Pot, saute the meat with the sauce, stirring constantly, until the sauce is nicely absorbed and slightly caramelized (about 1 to 2 minutes).
Now your pulled pork is ready to serve. When time allows, I sometimes put the entire roasting pan with the pulled pork into a smoker set to 165 degrees for about 1 hour to get extra smoky flavor. However, while it adds to the overall benefit and flavor depth, it's not necessary, as some smokiness is already provided by the smoked paprika and the BBQ sauce.
The best way to serve pulled pork is on a fresh burger bun. Pour over some extra BBQ sauce and consider adding some mayonnaise to the bun — it will nicely balance the delicious flavor of your pulled pork. Coleslaw or any other salad makes a great side dish.
Tom Slepicka is the founder of www.cookinghub.com, and is a recipe creator, culinary instructor, chef, and a consultant. You can reach him at tom@cookinghub.com.
Good to know
· Boston pork butt, which is actually part of the top shoulder of the hog, can also be sold as "shoulder" or "top shoulder." The name "Boston pork butt" dates back to colonial times, when New England butchers packed less desirable cuts of meat into barrels called "butts" for storage and transport. The shoulder cuts packed this way became known as "Boston butts," and the name stuck. This cut then became known as a New England specialty.
· Cooked pulled pork will last in the refrigerator for up to 7 days after preparation or several months in the freezer (there is no strict limit, but meat can start losing flavor and texture after about six months). I always buy an entire large Boston pork butt, then the part is eaten fresh, and the other part goes into the freezer for upcoming easy dinners.
· It's best to portion pulled pork for the freezer into smaller portions for faster defrosting and better portion control. If you are freezing your pulled pork, it is best to use a vacuum sealer with special bags, which allows you to remove most of the air and prevent freezer burn. However, regular freezer bags also will work.
· BBQ sauce should be part of any good pulled pork. It is important to be mindful of how much sauce you stir directly into the pulled pork. If you don't put enough, your pulled pork may lack flavor and even taste dry. On the other hand, putting too much may make your pulled pork watery after parts of the sauce turn into liquid. About 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce is a good amount to stir into about 8 to 10 pounds of pulled pork butt to get the right ratio. Keep in mind that you can put as much extra BBQ sauce on the pulled pork right before serving without risking the sauce becoming watery.
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