What To Serve With Pulled Pork
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Everyone needs a pulled pork recipe to keep in their back pocket for summer BBQs or game day parties, and this one will always be my go-to. Extremely tender with a sweet-yet-tangy homemade BBQ sauce, this pulled pork is the weeknight dinner that feels like an extra-special treat. If you've never made pulled pork in the oven, follow my top tips below the recipe for acing this easy BBQ dish every time.
What People Are Saying:
"Love this recipe!!! Pulled pork turns out the perfect texture and juiciness!" - GoldPopsicle
"Incredible recipe! Didn’t even need the sauce. Will be my new go-to for pork." - PurpleLobster
Before we get started, we need to prep our pork. We do this by trimming any excess fat with a very sharp knife. The pork will already have enough fat to keep it moist, so I like to remove a bit of the excess.
Once you've trimmed the fat, cut the pork into large pieces that are still small enough to fit in a Dutch oven. You don't have to be too precise here, but make sure that you're pieces are all a similar size. This will not only help with even cooking, but even spice distribution.
The first step in creating the most flavorful pulled pork is to create your spice mixture. Rub it all over the pork, making sure you cover every inch. If you’d like to get ahead on prep (and ensure your pork is extra flavorful), rub the pork the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to get cookin’.
Once the pork is perfectly seasoned, you’re ready to get to work. One of my favorite things about this recipe? The burnt ends. These blackened edges are a result of the fat and sauce caramelizing together. Searing the meat will give you those irresistible burnt ends, and if you're using a Dutch oven, it's a quick and easy step. But if you don't want to sear the meat and don't care about the burnt ends (can't relate), feel free to skip.
After searing, pour in the beer, cover with a lid, and bake until the pork is just tender. Then remove the lid, and bake until the pork is very tender and can be pulled apart easily with a fork. Then you can transfer the pork to a cutting board to rest until we're finished with our sauce. Make sure to keep the drippings in the pot—those will add flavor to our sauce.
Now, it’s time to get started on the BBQ sauce. Add your ingredients to the pan drippings in the pot and whisk to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened. This should only take 5 minutes or so, but keep an eye on it.
Once your sauce is ready to go, shred your pork with 2 forks. You can either do this in a separate bowl, on a cutting board, or add to your pot with BBQ sauce (if it's big enough) and shred directly in there.
If you shredded your pork in a separate vessel (my preferred method), then add it back to the pot with our BBQ sauce, and give everything a mix to fully combine.
The final step? Serve it up! I love to pile it on toasted buns with dill pickles and coleslaw, but it's also great in pulled pork nachos and on top of a simple baked potato.
Full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
Put any leftover pulled pork in an airtight container and store in the fridge for around 3 days.
boneless pork butt
packed dark brown sugar
kosher salt
smoked paprika
garlic powder
ground cumin
onion powder
Freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil
lager
ketchup
Dijon mustard
apple cider vinegar
packed dark brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce
Toasted buns, for serving
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