Pulled Pork
A tender and delicious pulled pork with bourbon barbecue sauce. The low and slow cooking process in the oven means that anyone can make this at home.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 hours 30 mins
- Total Time: 11 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
4-5 pound boneless pork butt**
For the Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup molasses
2 quarts cold water
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons of the dry rub (recipe below)
For the Dry Rub
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
For Serving
8-10 bulkie or kaiser rolls
Prepared Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
Prepared Coleslaw
Instructions
- To prepare the brine, mix all of the brine ingredients in a bowl and stir until the salt dissolves. Place pork in a large container (you could use the roasting pan you plan on using to roast in) and pour brine over pork, making sure the meat is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
- Remove pork from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels and discard brine. Wipe out the pan and place pork fat side up – making sure that there is some air flow on all sides of the pork for even cooking in the oven.
- Pour the rub all over the pork using your hands to completely cover the pork.
- Place a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and set the probe thermometer to alarm at 200 degrees internal temperature of the meat.
- Place uncovered in the center of the oven. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200 degrees (about 6- 8 hours*), turn oven off, cover pan with foil or a cover and leave pork in the oven with the heat off until internal temperature drops below 175 degrees (approximately two additional hours).
- While the roast is cooling, prepare the Bourbon Barbecue Sauce and Coleslaw to serve with the pork.
- Remove the pork from the oven.
- Begin by removing the top fat cap from pork and discard.
- Shred remaining roast with two forks.
- Scrape up any brown bits from bottom of pan and mix them into pulled pork. (This adds great flavor.)
- Place shredded pork on good bulkie rolls, top with a tablespoon or two of the Bourbon Barbeque Sauce and a spoonful of Coleslaw. Serve with a dill pickle and enjoy.
Notes
*Ovens vary and the size and thickness of the roast will vary which is why there is a two hour window of doneness.
** Pork butt is also called pork shoulder, not to be confused with a fully-cooked smoked shoulder.
