Roasting pork for that perfect pulled pork we all love isn’t difficult. It takes a little time but very little effort and the rewards are exceptionally delicious!
I love pulled pork! There are so many ways to use this delicious slow-roasted pork that it will become a regular item on your menu, once you see how easy it is to make.
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Dry Rub Pork Butt. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What Cut of Pork should I use for Perfect Pulled Pork?
Most barbecue restaurants use whole pork shoulders for their pulled pork, but they’re rarely available in grocery stores. The pork shoulder is the entire front leg and shoulder of a hog. For home consumption, this cut is generally too large, but perfect for restaurant use.
In your grocery store, you will usually find this divided into two cuts, the Boston butt (cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg ), and the picnic roast.
Either of these cuts are good for pulled pork, but I prefer the Boston butt.
Once you’ve got all your ingredients together the first step is mixing all the seasonings together in a small bowl. Make sure they are all well blended.
Then begin the dry rub process which actually means rubbing the spices into the pork butt.
Chef Dennis Tip:
I split the pork butt into two pieces to make it easier to control and also to help reduce the overall cooking time. A large Pork Butt can take a long time to cook, two smaller butts will cook faster.
Wrap the pork in cling wrap, double wrapping it to make sure that its completely sealed to help avoid leakage.
Place a plate under the wrapped pork and refrigerate for at least 12 hours up to 24 hours.
When the pork is ready it’s time to start the cooking process. Dice an onion and saute it in olive oil (or oil of your choice) for 2-3 minutes.
The pot you saute in should have a lid and be oven ready.
Next, add the pork and begin searing the pieces on all sides. Searing each side for 3-4 minutes until the entire roast has been seared and has a nice color.
Add your favorite beer (or Dr. Pepper, Root Beer or Cola) to the pot. Place the lid on the pot and put the pot into a preheated 300 degree F oven for 3 hours.
You can check the roast at the 90 minute mark to see if it needs more liquid. If it does add more beer or water to the pan. Mine had more than enough liquid in the pan and didn’t need any additional liquid.
Chef Dennis Tip:
Make sure to have the fat side up when you’re ready to roast the pork butts.
Do I have to use a pot with a lid to roast the pork butt?
No you don’t. You can cover the pot with foil, or place a half sheet pan overtop of the pot.
You can also place it in a baking dish that is big enough to hold the pork, onions and beer and cover it with foil.
You can also forgo the beer and onions double wrapping the pork butts in foil and placing them on a sheet pan to roast.
Depending upon the size of your pork roasts it will take 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours to cook to the desired temperature for pulled pork.
What temperature should I roast Pork Butts to for Perfect Pulled Pork?
For pulled pork, the ideal temperature is 205 degrees F. This goes well beyond the recommended 165 degrees F that most of us are used to cooking pork too.
The high internal temperature allows the collagen in the pork butt to break down making the meat very tender.
When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 180 F to 190 F, the meat is ready to be pulled. Cooking the pork to any temperature below that won’t give you meat that is tender enough to pull apart properly.
Rember that the pork roast will continue to cook internally by and the temperature will increase by about 10 degrees after it’s been removed from the oven.
How do I shred pulled pork?
When the roast is cool enough to handle (but still hot) begin the process of pulling the meat. The tried and true method is using your hands to pull the meat against the grain into slivers.
Here are two other ways to get perfect pulled pork.
Two Fork Method:
Cut the meat into workable pieces. Then use one fork to hold the meat stable, and the other to rake it into shreds. Or use the forks to pull the meat away from each other.
Easy Method:
Using a stand mixer is the fastest and easiest way to shred pork (or chicken). Place the cooked meat in the mixing bowl, attach the flat beater paddle into the mixer and lock the lever., Turn the mixer to medium speed and let it run for approximately 30 seconds, or until meat has shredded.
If you’re serious about pulled pork and will be making it on a regular basis, get a pair of Meat Claws aka Bear Claws.
Use your favorite barbecue sauce to turn pulled pork into masterpiece of deliciousness!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like these:
- Dry Rub Grilled Baby Back Ribs
- Grilled Dry Rub Chicken Wings
- How to Grill a Steakhouse Style Steak
- The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Oven Roasted Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Pulled Pork
- 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup beer or substitute- Dr. Pepper, Root Beer or Coke
- 1 onion diced
Instructions
Dry Rub
- In a small bowl mix together all the seasonings for the rub. Mix well.
- Pat the pork roast dry using paper towels.
- Coat the pork roast with the rub. Wrap the roast in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 12 – 24 hours.
Pulled Pork
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a large pot heat the oil until it begins to smoke, then add the onions. Allow the onions to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Very carefully place the pork in the pot and sear the roast on all sides (3-5 minutes per side). Be very careful during this process so that the hot oil doesn't burn you.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the beer to the pan.
- Cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours. Check the pork at about the 90 minutes mark to see if it needs more liquid.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool until safe to handle.
- Shred the pork with two forks. Add your favorite barbecue sauce to coat the shredded pork and toss to coat the pork.
- Serve as shredded pork for tacos, sandwiches and other recipes using pulled pork.
Notes
Nutrition
Gloria L.
This looks fabulous, but I don’t like beer so never have any in the fridge. If I go to buy one can, if that’s even possible, what’s the best to choose? Or, what can be a decent sub for the beer?
Chef Dennis Littley
If you don’t have beer you can substitute Root Beer, Dr Pepper or Coke
Kevin
Can I use Dijon Mustard instead of mustard powder?
Chef Dennis Littley
I would just leave out the dry mustard if you don’t have any. If you add dijon to the spices its not going to be a dry rub.
Tina
Can you share what barbecue sauce you used?
Thanks.
Chef Dennis Littley
I love Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce
Tina
I’ll give it a try.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Nicole
I’m a huge fan of pulled pork, especially the leftovers. I really love the flavours going on in your dry rub, and I love that you use beer in the pot while it’s roasting. I’m adding this to our menu for next week for sure.
Jamie
I love the dry rub for this pulled pork! It added so much flavor to this and the pork turned out so juicy and delicious! Thank you!
Priscilla
I have a 12 pound bone-in whole shoulder. How can I adapt your recipe to accommodate this? Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re going to need twice the amount of rub and probably twice the beer. It’s going to be too large to roast in a dutch oven, so you’ll have to do an oven roasted method.
Follow the recipe for the rub up to the point of roasting.
Roast uncovered at 450 F for 45 minutes.
Remove the pork shoulder from the oven and decrease heat to 325 F.
Add the onions and beer to the bottom of the roasting pan.
Tent the roast with tin foil and return to the oven. Roast for 3-4 hours or until the roast reaches an internal temp of 175 degrees
Allow to cool for 30 minutes before you start pulling the meat of the roast.
April
If you have a larger pork butt, do you still cook the onions on the stove and sear the meat in a pan on the stove, or will cooking it at 450 for 45 minutes do that for you? Just want to make sure I’m following the steps correctly. And if we have a large roaster pan, can I just use that cover, or is it better to use the foil? Thanks for the recipe and the help!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi April
sauteing the onions first will add additional flavor, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you’d rather not. And if you have a cover for your roaster pan, definitely use that. The foil would be only if you didn’t have a lid.
Alex
Gosh I LOVE pulled pork; I’ll have to try this recipe the next time I have a craving for it! I had no idea what cuts of meat were best to use though, so I’m glad you included those tips in the recipe!
Helen
Huge pulled pork fan here and reading your recipe is making me really crave some. I’ve never thought to shred pork using a stand mixer before, that’s a great tip!
Uma R
I love all the spices that you have used here! dry mustard sounds interesting among those? where can I find the dry mustard?
Chef Dennis Littley
it’s a very common spice, look for Colman’s mustard (yellow tin) in the spice aisle.
Swathi
This pulled pork looks delicious love it
Kathryn
Pulled pork is so versatile and is great to have ready for easy meal prep. This version sounds fantastic!
Debra
Wonderful spice combo for a super tasty treat.
Jessica Formicola
I am a sucker for a good pulled pork, and this recipe looks incredible! I will definitely be trying this out for dinner this week!
Leslie
My entire family is a HUGE fan of pulled pork. Your recipe looks full-proof and mouth-watering!!!
Lauren Vavala
This pulled pork recipe really is perfect and I love that it can serve a crowd or be used in other recipes in you have leftovers.
Maur
This pulled pork recipe looks so good Dennis, I might have licked my screen. Love the dry rub!
Lilly
My pork came out so tender and flavorful! Thanks for the recipe!
Kerri
This is on our menu for tomorrow! We love Pulled Pork and this is version is so incredibly flavorful and it’s so easy to put together!
Michele Peterson
What a delicious rub – worked out perfectly!
Gloria
Pulled pork IS perfect. You can use it in so many applications. Sandwiches, pizza, pasta….the list goes on. I know this would be a winner in my house.
Emily Flint
There’s nothing better than fresh pulled pork!
Angela
Great recipe! Thanks!
Dulcie Jacob
Trying the recipe but I don’t know how many onions to fry for 2-3 minutes, as mentioned.
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry about that, its just one medium to large onion, diced.
sharyn fireman
wow……I’m in
Schwartz Michael
Is the pulled pork freezeable?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes it is. Just make sure to keep it well sealed and double wrapped. I wouldn’t leave it the freezer for more than two months, the meat strands will dry out.
Debra
Love the flavor profile of that dry rub!
Marina
We love pulled pork with some rice or in a burger! Great recipe thanks for sharing
Marina
Fantastic recipe, we love pulled pork. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Amy
Great recipe! Easy to follow and the family loved it!
Leslie
Your pulled pork recipe looks heavenly! Thank you for the meat tips as well!
Sue
I love pulled pork! So versatile once its made!
Emily Flint
Mmmmm, I love pulled pork and your spice rub is so yummy!
Kathryn Donangelo
This is the best pulled pork recipe and even better than the restaurant. Thank you Chef!
Andréa Janssen
I just love pulled pork, it’s so delicious. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Alexandra
Pulled pork is one of my favourites, and this is so delicious. Thank you for all of your helpful tips to make this perfect!
Estelle Forrest
Love cooking with beer! I bet this would be great south a Golden Ale