Here It Is at Last! Our Very Best Pulled Pork Recipe
OK friends. We’ve made carnitas, we’ve made about a million pork tenderloins, we’ve done chops and pork stir-fries and just about everything pork you can think of. And today, we’re sharing our very best pulled pork recipe! Succulent, juicy, and bursting with flavor, pulled pork is a lot easier to make than you might expect. Simply seasoned and classic, this pulled pork recipe is super adaptable, too! It can be made in a Dutch oven, slow-cooker or even an Instant Pot—we’ve included instructions for all three methods below, so take your pick!
What Is the Best Cut of Meat for Pulled Pork?
The simple answer is that the very best pork for pulled pork is boneless pork shoulder. Here’s where it gets complicated. Pork shoulder is a term that can be a little more vague than you may realize, because it refers to a “primal cut” of pork, meaning a large piece of the pig that is cut off during butchering and then typically broken down into smaller, “sub-primal” cuts, each with a different name (though all coming from the shoulder). All of which is to say that, while you do want meat from the pork shoulder, the best piece of the shoulder meat for making pulled pork is the “pork butt”. We know— it’s called butt, but it’s a cut of meat that comes from the pig’s shoulder. It’s confusing. But it is what it is, and now you know! So the TL;DR is that to make the best ever pulled pork you want to ask your butcher for pork butt, which is a cut of pork that comes from the shoulder of a pig. FYI, sometimes pork butt is labeled “Boston butt” or even “pork shoulder roast”. Now you’re ready to head to the butcher, and start making some pulled pork!
Let’s Talk About Pulled Pork Seasoning
We’ve kept things classic and basic here. Once you’ve gotten yourself a gorgeous piece of pork, all marbled and ready to slow-cook until it’s just falling apart and so juicy, all you need to do is add a few carefully selected seasonings to draw out the best that hunk of meat has to offer. Here’s what you’ll use to season that pork butt:
Brown sugar
Mustard powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
How To Make Pulled Pork from Scratch
This is one darn easy pulled pork recipe, so you don’t need to brace yourself for anything tricky here. All you’ll need is a bit of time—even if you’re making Instant Pot pulled pork, you’ll need at least 90 minutes—and a good appetite. Let’s make some pulled pork! Whether you’re making the pulled pork in a Crock-Pot, Instant Pot, or regular old Dutch oven, you’ll start out the same way:
Combine stock and cider vinegar in your vessel of choice. The cider vinegar will help to break down the pork and ensure that it’s really, really tender.
Put the pork butt pieces into the Dutch oven, slow-cooker or Instant Pot. Speaking of pieces, we’re asking you to cut the pork butt into quarters (or you can very nicely ask your butcher to do it for you). Why? We think it cooks better that way, especially in a slow-cooker or Instant Pot. You’ll get more crispy edges—thanks, surface area!—and it’s just one of those little things that makes our recipe the very best pulled pork recipe ever. In our (oh-so-humble) opinion, at least.
Time for the seasonings! Rub that pulled pork with a whole mess of slightly smoky, spicy, sharp and sweet spices.
Cover and cook! Depending on what vessel you’re using—and if you really want to know, cooking pulled pork in the oven is our preference—your cook time will vary. In the oven, it’ll take about four hours. In an Instant Pot, pulled pork will take a little over an hour. In a Crock-Pot, it’ll take 8-10 hours on low, or 4-6 hours on high.
Now, watch for doneness! The official pulled pork done temp is 205°F, and you’ll know that it’s done when the pulled pork is fork-tender, meaning just a hint of pressure from the tines of a fork causes it to absolutely fall apart.
Serve! Get some really good-quality buns—you’ve worked hard on that pork, so make sure your buns are worthy—and then you get to pick! You can douse the pulled pork with either barbeque sauce (like our homemade bbq sauce) or teriyaki sauce, depending on your mood, and squish all that goodness between the buns. Just like with the buns, buy really good BBQ sauce or teriyaki sauce—you don’t want to ruin all your work right at the end. Your pulled pork deserves the best!
What to Serve With Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is a favorite food for both of us, and so as far as we’re concerned it pretty much goes with everything. That said, you can round out your pulled pork meal into a total feast with some really classic pulled pork side dishes. Try serving it with some (or all) of the following:
Leftover Pulled Pork Recipes
What is this “leftover pulled pork” you speak of? Kidding kidding (kind of). This makes a lot of meat and if you’re not completely starving and / or feeding a crowd, you’ll likely have leftovers! And that’s a beautiful thing. There are so many things you can do with leftover pulled pork, here are a few ideas to get you started:
Make tacos! Just warm some tortillas, and top the pulled pork with whatever fixings you love.
Make pulled pork hash!
Make pulled pork quesadillas!
Make this pineapple pulled pork sandwich!
Tools You’ll Need:
Dutch oven, slow-cooker or an Instant Pot
Meat thermometer is handy (but not completely essential)
Finding Out How Easy It Is to Make Pulled Pork Is Kind of a Mixed Blessing, Right?
On one hand, with a pulled pork recipe like this, you could basically make it once a week. On the other hand, if you make pulled pork once a week, well...let’s just say that has other implications. However often you make this—our lips are sealed as to how often we cook this—we want to hear all about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
