My best Pulled Pork

Name: My best Pulled Pork
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 h
Yield: 15 - 20 people
Ingredients: 4 - 5 kg / 8 - 10 lb pork butt / Boston butt / square cut pork shoulder; 1 1/2 cups beer; 1 cup water; 6 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp paprika powder; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp onion powder; 1 tbsp mustard powder; 2 tsp cumin powder; 2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 2 tbsp cooking/kosher salt*; 2 tsp black pepper; 1 cup apple cider vinegar; 3 cups ketchup; 1 cup water; 3 tbsp molasses; 2/3 cup brown sugar; 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp tabasco; 4 tsp mustard powder; 3 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp cooking/kosher salt; 2 tsp black pepper

User Reviews

5.0

102 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
12 hrs
Brining
1 d
Servings
15 - 20 people
Calories
499 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

My best Pulled Pork

Kai Walton

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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!

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Ingredients

Servings

4 - 5 kg / 8 - 10 lb pork butt / Boston butt / square cut pork shoulder (skinless, bone in, fat cap on, Note 1)
1 1/2 cups beer , any except dark beers like Guinness (Note 2)
1 cup water

RUB (Note 3):

6 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp paprika powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp mustard powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper (can omit)
2 tbsp cooking/kosher salt* (Note 4)
2 tsp black pepper

BARBECUE SAUCE:

1 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 5)
3 cups ketchup (or Aussie tomato sauce)
1 cup water
3 tbsp molasses (original, not backstrap, Note 6)
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp tabasco (optional spiciness)
4 tsp mustard powder
3 tsp garlic powder (sub onion powder)
2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (Note 4)
2 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

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.
Preheat oven to 110°C (both fan-forced and standard) / 230°F.
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).
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)!
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.
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.
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!

Barbecue sauce:

Place ingredients in a large saucepan and whisk to combine.
Simmer 45 minutes: Bring to simmer on medium heat, then reduce to a low simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
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).

Notes

Pork - Known as pork butt, Boston Butt or “pork square cut shoulder”, this is a big rectangle block of pork that is part of the upper pork shoulder. Best for Pulled Pork because it’s well-marbled and a uniform shape. Comes with a layer of fat on the surface, no skin, with a bone inside. Find it at butchers, not yet widely available in Australian grocery stores. Best substitute is a regular pork shoulder but it will need to be a minimum of 3 kg else it will cook too fast!
Pulled Pork
Beer - Any beer other than really dark ones like stout and Guinness can be used. Substitute with apple cider or apple juice.
Rub spice substitutions:
Cooking/kosher salt have larger grains than table salt so it works best here for more even penetration into the meat for brining. If you only have table salt, use 2/3 of the quantity called for in the recipe.
Apple cider vinegar - Sub with white or red wine vinegar.
Molasses - Be sure not to use BLACKSTRAP molasses which is very dark, intensely-flavoured and bitter. Australia, DO NOT get Blue Label Molasses from Coles, if you read the label carefully you will see it is blackstrap. I use Mountain Valley Molasses from Wooloworths. Save leftovers for Gingerbread men!
Dry brining - Seasons the pork flesh all the way through and makes pork even juicier. While it’s highly recommended for best results, you can skip it in the event of a pork emergency (it happens, I understand).
Slow roasting - Read post for why this yields the best result.
Timing - I typically do the slow-roast overnight. With the very low oven temperature, the beer plus the juices that come out of the pork (a LOT!) to prevent the pan from scorching, I am not concerned about sleeping with the oven on.
To serve for lunch - Start late the night before last to serve for lunch tomorrow. The cooked pork will stay warm for a good 2 hours. Best to shred close to serving time.
To serve for dinner - Make the whole pork ahead then reheat when needed. It reheats 100% perfectly because it’s so juicy from the slow-roasting. See 'Make ahead' section below.
Make ahead - If not serving within 2 hours of taking the pork out of the oven, loosely cover the whole cooked pork with foil and allow to cool to room temperature (about 4 hours). Refrigerate until needed. 100% perfect made 24 hours ahead, and still very good made 2 – 3 days ahead.
Remove from fridge 3 hours prior to when serving and leave on counter for 1 hour. Then reheat covered in foil for 2 hours at 150°C/300°F, or until the internal temperature reaches 60°C/140°F (check this to ensure the inside is hot). Or - microwave it! :) Shred then serve per recipe.
How much to make per person - To figure out how many people your pork will serve, multiply each kilo of pork by 3 to get normal servings or by 2.4 for generous servings. Imperial measurements: Multiply each lb of pork weight by 1.5 for normal servings or 1.2 for large servings. Example:
It might sound like a lot of pork per person (335g - 410g / 11 - 14 oz) but remember, pork loses about 40% of its weight once cooked!
Storage - Cooked pork and barbecue sauce will keep for 4 days in the fridge (separate or tossed together), or 3 months in the freezer. Reheats 100% perfectly! See note above for best make ahead directions.
Garlic powder and onion powder - substitute with more of the other
Mustard powder - same amount of dijon mustard spread
Oregano leaves - omit
Brown sugar - white sugar or honey
5 kg pork: 5 x 3 = 15 servings (normal portions) or 5 x 2.4 = 12 servings (large portions)
10 lb pork: 10 x 1.5 = 15 servings (normal portions) or 10 x 1.2 = 12 servings (large portions)

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 499cal (25%) Carbohydrates 34g (11%) Protein 51g (102%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 160mg (53%) Sodium 1895mg (79%) Potassium 1213mg (35%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 28g (56%) Vitamin A 775IU (16%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 87mg (9%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 15- 20 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 499 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	499cal	25%
Carbohydrates	34g	11%
Protein	51g	102%
Fat	16g	25%
Saturated Fat	5g	25%
Polyunsaturated Fat	2g	12%
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	35%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	160mg	53%
Sodium	1895mg	79%
Potassium	1213mg	26%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	28g	56%
Vitamin A	775IU	16%
Vitamin C	3mg	3%
Calcium	87mg	9%
Iron	5mg	28%