Name: Pulled Pork Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 h 10 min
Total time: 14 h 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: BBQ
Ingredients: 8-lb bone-in pork shoulder; 1 tablespoon granulated garlic; 1 tablespoon granulated onion; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1/2 tablespoon chili powder; 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard powder; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; Salt and pepper to taste; 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced; 1-3 cups BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought

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Let’s talk about oven-roasted pulled pork. It’s an easy dish to make and serve. It packs a lot of flavor and it’s an incredibly versatile leftover. (You haven’t lived until you’ve tried a leftover pulled pork and cheese quesadilla, topped with smoked tomatillo salsa.)

This recipe roasts a large, seasoned pork shoulder for several hours. Once the pork is cooked to your liking, you shred it, mix it with your favorite BBQ sauce, and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. The end result is deliciously tangy, rich meat dish with bits of crispy, caramelized edges. Serve it atop a toasted ciabatta roll for sandwich perfection.

How to make oven-roasted pulled pork

Close up view of oven-roasted pulled pork served on ciabatta roll.

Here’s the lowdown on how to make this crowd-pleasing dish. Start working on this the day before you plan to cook the pork, so the seasoned meat can sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 1. Make your pork rub

The pork rub is a mix of chili powder, paprika, granulated garlic, dry mustard, granulated onion, brown sugar, plus salt and pepper. If you’re not feeling super motivated, you could alternatively buy a premixed pork rub. Look for one with some sugar in it, as that adds a delightful sweetness to the meat.

Step 2. Wrap and refrigerate your pork shoulder

Unwrap the pork shoulder and pat it dry with paper towels. Then, using your hands, press the rub all over the meat, coating all sides. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and pop it back in the refrigerator. Shoot for two hours minimum or overnight if possible.

Step 3. Oven roast the pork

Seasoned pork shoulder in roasting dish, ready to go in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 300F or 149C. Slice up a few onions and toss them in the bottom of a roasting pan or dish that’s at least 2 inches deep. Unwrap your seasoned pork shoulder and place it on top of the onions, fat side up. Using heavy duty foil, cover the pork and tuck the foil in around the edges of the dish. Roast it covered for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, you may need to make a snack — the smell of the roasting pork is likely to make your stomach growl. Before you get to the snack, pull the pork out of the oven and remove the foil. Then return it to the oven and get yourself something to eat. The pork will roast, uncovered, for another 3 hours.

You are targeting an internal temperature of 195F or 90C. That’s when the meat will be tender enough to shred with a fork.

Step 4. Rest the pork

Remove the pork from the oven and resist the urge to jab at the pork immediately. You want to let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Then shred it with two forks or BBQ claws or whatever you have.

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Step 5. Add sauce and roast again

If you or your guests are starving, you could serve the pork after it’s rested and you’ve shredded it. But this last step is where the magic happens.

First, preheat your oven to 350F or 177C.

Place your shredded pork on a baking sheet. Mix in some of the liquid and cooked onions from your roasting pan. Then mix in a healthy amount of your favorite BBQ sauce. You can use 1 cup or 3 cups — it depends on how much you like the sauce flavor vs. the natural flavor of the seasoned pork.

Pulled pork in the oven after shredding and adding BBQ sauce. — The last step of adding BBQ sauce and roasting pork a second time adds a ton of flavor and texture.

Now, slide that baking sheet into the heated oven. Cook it for 10 minutes. You could also broil it for 3 or 4 minutes if you’re in a hurry. Broiling is less foolproof, but I like the results with the crispy edges and all. If you go this route, watch it carefully because it can burn fast.

Step 6. Serve

Oven-roasted pulled pork served on toasted ciabatta roll.

This oven pulled pork recipe makes a divine pulled pork sandwich. Simply take a few ciabatta rolls and put them in the oven during the last step, when the oven is hot.

Give each guest two halves of a toasted ciabatta and a healthy portion of pork piled on top.

How many people will this pulled pork recipe serve?

This recipe calls for 6 to 8 lbs of bone-in pork shoulder which will serve 12 to 14 people. The general guideline is to plan for 1/2-lb of meat for each person.

What cut of pork should I use for the perfect pulled pork?

The perfect pulled pork starts with the right cut of pork. This recipe uses pork shoulder, but you can also use pork butt.

Pork butt offers a good combination of fat and meat, making it extremely tender and juicy. It also has a good amount of connective tissue that helps hold the meat together during cooking.
Pork shoulder is ideal for those looking for more flavor as it contains more marbling than its counterpart.

Do not use leaner pork cuts, like tenderloin. And, while we’re on the subject, don’t over-trim the pork. Keep some fat for texture and flavor.

What to serve with pulled pork

Some great side dishes that go well with pulled pork include coleslaw, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes or sweet potato fries. You can also double-down on your smokey proteins with BBQ baked beans with smoked sausage. For those who are avoiding carbs, a crisp green salad is also a good choice. You could also try fresh pineapple slices as an accompaniment. The sweetness of the pineapple will pair nicely with the saltiness of the pulled pork and make for a scrumptious meal!

If you’re feeling creative, make masa pancakes and coleslaw with the pulled pork. Use the masa pancakes as your sandwich bread and layer the coleslaw inside the sandwich. That combo is mind-blowingly delicious.

Can you freeze pulled pork?

Yes, you can freeze pulled pork. Place the cooked meat in an airtight container or plastic wrap to preserve its texture. You can keep it in the freezer for up to three months before the flavor and texture will decline.

You can easily reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove top.

What can you do with leftover pulled pork?

I thought you’d never ask! Here are some ideas:

Pulled pork sandwiches
Baked taquitos with pulled pork
Pulled pork quesadilla, burrito bowl, or taco
Toss pulled pork into pasta with olive oil
Pulled pork nachos
Pulled pork mac and cheese
Pulled pork salad

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

Pulled Pork Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours 10 minutes

Inactive Time 8 hours

Total Time 14 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

8-lb bone-in pork shoulder
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1-3 cups BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought

Instructions

Mix chilli powder, paprika, granulated garlic, dry mustard powder, granulated onions, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Gently rub this mixture all over the pork shoulder so that it gets coated well.
Cover the pork with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge and let it sit for a couple of hours. Leaving it overnight is the best.
Preheat the oven at 300 degrees. Place onions in a roasting dish and place the seasoned pork shoulder over the onions.
Cover the dish with an aluminium foil and roast it for 3 hours in the oven.
Remove the foil and cook for another 3 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 195F or 90C.
Let the meat rest for 30 minutes or more, then shred it with two forks or BBQ claws.
Heat your oven to 350F or 177C. Put the shredded pork in a roasting pan or baking sheet with high edges. Mix in the BBQ sauce. Place the pan in the oven and heat for 10 minutes.
Serve over toasted ciabatta or Kaiser rolls with coleslaw.

Notes

Remember if your pork shoulder has a thick layer of fat you need to trim them because you really don’t need that fat.
When you uncover the pork you will notice a lot of juice in there, don’t worry they all are going to thicken up when you cook them uncovered.
It does render a lot of fat you can remove them after the pork is completely cooked because you don’t need all of that when you have a good bbq sauce.
Heating the bbq sauce and shredded pork mixture is crucial because I think this is going to get all the flavours in. That is insane, messy but well worth it!
Try it with some freshly made coleslaw and pickle sandwiches in toasted kaiser rolls. Oh, heavenly!

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork Recipe