Pulled pork is just pork that has been shredded. Due to the slow cook methods used paired with simple seasonings, it is a soft textured meat that is delicious served on its own, or on a bun with some BBQ sauce or coleslaw.
Here is the simple recipe that I use for making my pork.
Trim any excess fat from the pork. Season all sides with the seasoning mix.
1 4 pounds Pork Shoulder
Slow Cooker for Pork.
Place the seasoned pork in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 6 hours, or until tender.
Smoking the Pork.
Prepare the smoker and preheat it to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke the pork for 6-8 hours until tender. When the fat “bark” starts splitting and letting out some of the juices, it’s time to wrap it in aluminum foil. This will trap those delicious liquids and baste the meat in them for the next few hours.
Oven Method of Baking Pork.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the seasoned pork in a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 6-8 hours until tender.
Once the pork is cooked, use two forks to shred it into small pieces.
Plan 90 minutes of cooking time per pound of meat as a good rule of thumb. Therefore, depending on the size of your pork roast, the cooking time could vary.
Brine Pork Before Cooking
If you have the time, brining prevents dehydration while cooking which means a much moister piece of meat.Ingredients for a Simple Brine Recipe • 10 Cups of Water • 3/4 Cup Kosher Salt • 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar • 2 Tablespoons Black Peppercorns • 2 Bay Leaves • 1/2 Onion Coarsely Chopped • 6 Cloves Garlic, Cracked • 1 Tablespoon Paprika • 1/4 Teaspoon CayenneIn a large bowl or large plastic container, add the ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar. Add the pork shoulder or pork butt and keep submerged in the brine for up to 12 hours. For food safety, make sure to refrigerate the meat and the brine. Pro Tip. If you have a plastic bag large enough, you can add the brine and the meat to the bag and seal it. This helps assure that the meat stays fully submerged in the brine. If using a plastic bag, we place it in a large roasting pan or large bowl to catch any liquid just in case the bag happens to leak.Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.Continue with the recipe adding the outside rub and your preferred cooking method.
How Much Meat Per Person for Pulled Pork
Most BBQ experts recommend 1/3 pound of cooked pulled pork (or Boston butt) per person to assure you have enough food. However, no matter what cooking process is used, cooking the meat causes it to shrink and lose up to 40-50% of its weight in moisture and fat.Since the meat loses up to half of its weight during the cooking process, the pounds of raw pork needs to be reduced in half before dividing it between the number of servings needed.