Pulled Pork

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Get ready to impress your loved ones with our mouthwatering pulled pork recipe. Seasoned just right and cooked low and slow until it’s perfect, this crowd-pleasing favourite will leave everyone reaching for seconds!

We’re big fans of pulled pork. It’s one of those dishes that I don’t prepare as often as I should, mainly because I think it’s a lot of effort. Still, when I finally make it, I’m reminded just how straightforward it is—and I always tell myself I’ll cook it more regularly!

When you slow-cook pork, it becomes fall-apart tender and tastes incredibly good.

This is my go-to recipe for oven-baked pulled pork. It’s a recipe even kids love, tastes fantastic every time, and doesn’t require much effort at all!

Ingredients for Pulled Pork

Whenever I make this recipe, I prepare a simple rub for the pork with spices from my store cupboard, but there’s no need to use anything fancy.

I use:

Pork Shoulder– While some pulled pork recipes call for pork butt, shoulder is much easier to find where I live.

Paprika

Cumin

Salt and Black Pepper

Dark Brown Sugar

Cider

BBQ Sauce

What BBQ Sauce Should You Use?

I make use of my homemade BBQ sauce combined with ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and honey (plus a few other extras!)—and I genuinely love it.

This BBQ sauce recipe yields enough for around 2 batches of pulled pork, and it also stays great in the fridge for quite a while.

You can also choose any ready-made BBQ sauce from the store, or another recipe you already enjoy, for this oven pulled pork.

I’d suggest using about 100ml, though you can adjust up or down depending on how strong you want the flavour to be.

What Do You Need to Cook Pulled Pork?

I cook my pulled pork in a big Dutch oven, in the oven.

As long as it’s large, oven-safe, and has a lid, it will work.

How to Make Pulled Pork – Step-by-Step

This is an incredibly simple pulled pork recipe.

You’ll also find the full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step One

Choose a large, oven-safe, lidded dish that your pork will fit into comfortably.

I use a large Dutch Oven.

Step Two

In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt, and dark brown sugar.

Step Three

Set the Pork Shoulder into the cooking dish, then coat it generously

rub with the spice mix, everywhere. You can do this on a plate, but it’s going to be a lot messier that way.

Step Four

Add roughly 300 ml of cider, pouring it into the bottom of the dish, not directly over the pork.

Step Five

Cover and put it in the oven. There’s no need to preheat—so set the oven to 120 degrees C (fan-assisted) right now.

Step Six

Cook for about 4 hours (a touch more or less is perfectly okay, though I don’t think it needs to be extremely long) checking in roughly every hour and topping up with more cider if required.

I also spoon a little liquid over the top of the pork each time I check it.

If you’re making your own BBQ sauce, do that now.

Step Seven

Take it out of the oven and lift off the lid.

Gently lift the pork from the cooking dish and transfer it to a plate to rest. It will likely start to break apart as soon as you move it, so handle it carefully.

Re-cover the dish and set it to one side.

Step Eight

Cover the meat loosely with foil (this step isn’t mandatory—you can just leave it on the plate) and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Step Nine

Using your fingers, remove the extra layer of fat from the top of the joint. Discard it.

Step Ten

Take two forks and pull the pork apart until it forms thin, shredded strips. Tip onto a tray or a large plate.

Step Eleven

Pour a generous amount of the cooking liquid from the base of the dish over the pork, then drizzle with the BBQ sauce.

Stir well.

What Happens if You Overcook Pulled Pork?

You can’t really overcook pulled pork.

The liquid may evaporate a bit, but you can always add more, and the outer part of the pork where you coated it with the spice mix could become slightly crisp. Still, it will be delicious.

Even if the pork itself turns out a little dry, the sauce will bring it back nicely.

How Do You Pull Pork?

I just push two forks in and pull it apart. Sometimes I pull the forks away from each other, and sometimes I sort of rub them together—depending on how the meat is grained.

Why Won’t My Pork Pull?

If only a small portion won’t pull, you may have hit a bit of fat or a tougher edge. Dig it out with your fingers and keep going.

You may also want to turn it and pull from another direction, so you’re working with the grain of the meat.

If the entire joint won’t come apart at all, it likely needs longer cooking. Spoon over some of the liquid and cook for another hour at a lower temperature.

It could also mean the oven runs too hot—next time, cook it for longer but at a lower temperature.

How Do You Serve Pulled Pork?

I served pulled pork shoulder on burger buns with a little grated mozzarella and a bit more BBQ sauce.

You can serve it on a plate with a side of chips, or something like mac and cheese.

Alternatively, pile it onto some bread for sandwiches.

What to Serve with Pulled Pork?

I usually serve my pulled pork burgers with corn on the cob and salad, maybe some mac and cheese, but there’s really no correct or incorrect way to do it.

What Do You Do with Leftover Pulled Pork?

Leftover pulled pork can be reheated and used for pulled pork sandwiches the following day, or served with pasta and some vegetables.

Another choice is pulled pork flatbread pizzas—they’re fantastic!

Reheating Pulled Pork

How you reheat pulled pork depends on how much you have.

First, make sure you store it properly if you’re planning to keep it. Put it into an airtight container, let it cool completely, then seal it and refrigerate.

Disclaimer: While I aim to be as precise as possible, any guidance in this post, including but not limited to cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing advice, is based on my own experience. Please use your own abilities, knowledge and judgement, and check for up-to-date food safety information. 

I’d keep it for just one day, and never leave it sitting out. Don’t keep it if the pork was already beyond its best-before that day.You can find more tips on storing leftovers here.

Then, if you have a lot of leftover pulled pork, I’d spread it out in a thin layer on a baking tray, drizzle with a small amount of water, and bake for 15-20 mins at 180 degrees, until the meat is piping hot.

If you’ve got less than that, I’d put it in a pan with a little water and warm it gently on the hob, until piping hot.

And if you have one, you can also use a microwave.

Can You Freeze Pulled Pork?

Yes—if the meat is still within its use-by date, you can freeze cooked pulled pork in an airtight container for up to two months.

Defrost fully in the fridge when you’re ready, then reheat as above.

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