Mains

My best Pulled Pork

Recipe video above. This takes 36 hours to make - but it's worth it. A 24-hour dry brine seasons the pork all the way through, followed by slow-roasting for 12 hours at a really low temperature. I would not tell you to roast a pork for 12 whole hours if I was not 100% sure that this produces the very best results! It really does, and the reason is simple: lower heat means less moisture loss which means more succulent meat. Plus, a great bark on the surface that everybody loves about traditional BBQ food. It’s my favourite part!

Recipe via recipetineats.com

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DifficultyMedium

Prep15 min

Cook12 hr

Total12 hr 15 min

Serves15

Scale

Units

Ingredients

4 kg/ 8 - 10 lb pork butt / Boston butt / square cut pork shoulder )(skinless, bone in, fat cap on, Note 1

1 cupbeer ), any except dark beers like Guinness (Note 2

1 cupwater

6 tbspbrown sugar

2 tbsppaprika powder

1 tbspgarlic powder

1 tbsponion powder

1 tbspmustard powder

2 tspcumin powder

2 tspdried oregano

1 tspcayenne pepper )(can omit

2 tbspcooking/kosher salt* )(Note 4

2 tspblack pepper

1 cupapple cider vinegar )(Note 5

3 cupketchup )(or Aussie tomato sauce

1 cupwater

3 tbspmolasses )(original, not backstrap, Note 6

2 cupbrown sugar

4 tspWorcestershire sauce

2 tspTabasco )(optional spiciness

4 tspmustard powder

3 tspgarlic powder )(sub onion powder

2 tspcooking/kosher salt )(Note 4

2 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1
Dry brine overnight (Note 7) – Pat the pork dry and place in a large ceramic dish. Mix Brine ingredients in a small bowl and rub it all over the pork, being sure to get into the cracks and crevices. Turn it fat side up (smoother side) covered with as much rub as possible. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.
2
Preheat oven to 110°C (both fan-forced and standard) / 230°F.
3
Prepare for roasting - Transfer pork to a roasting pan (do not wipe the rub off) with the fat side up. Discard any liquid and residual rub left in the brining dish. Pour beer and water around the pork, topping up with extra water as needed so the liquid level is 2.5 cm / 1" (insurance against pan going dry).
4
Slow roast 12 hours (Note 8) - Roast, uncovered, for 12 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 95°C/203°F and the meat falls apart effortlessly using two forks. ⚠️ Make sure your oven does not automatically turn off mid cook, many have auto-off functions that kick in at 12 hours (also factor in oven pre-heating time)!
5
Shred – Transfer the pork to a large pan (reserve juices in roasting pan). Rest for 20 minutes then shred with tongs / forks - it will be effortless! You can discard the fat cap at this stage if you want. I leave some, it makes the shredded pork even juicier.
6
Sauce it - Pour 3/4 cup of the juices from the roasting pan and 1 cup of Barbecue Sauce (see below) over the pork, and toss.
7
Serve Pulled Pork with remaining Barbecue Sauce on the side so people can help themselves. Either make a big Southern feast with a side of cornbread, coleslaw and potato salad or macaroni salad. Or make Pulled Pork buns with soft rolls stuffed with coleslaw, Pulled Pork and the BBQ sauce!
8
Place ingredients in a large saucepan and whisk to combine.
9
Simmer 45 minutes: Bring to simmer on medium heat, then reduce to a low simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
10
Add pork juices: When the pork is cooked, add 1/2 cup of the juices from the roasting pan into the BBQ sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Use water to control thickness – it should have a thick syrupy consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature (not fridge cold).

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My best Pulled Pork

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