OVEN ROASTED PULLED PORK
A few words...
I love low and slow cooking. When I can’t or don’t want to cook outside I turn to low and slow oven methods. A slow-cooker is wonderful for pork butt. But it also takes longer–at least 5 hours. And, more importantly, in a slow cooker, you miss out on burnt ends.
What are burnt ends? They're the blackened edges that are a result of the fat and sauce ingredients caramelizing.
Do I need to sear the meat first?
If you want burnt ends, then yes. And if you're using a Dutch oven, it's a quick and easy step. That said, it's not 100 percent necessary.
Can I use store-bought sauce?
Yep! But this homemade bbq sauce is super easy to follow.
Can I skip the beer?
Short answer: Yes. But you'll need to sub in an equal amount of another liquid, like apple cider. But if you want to leave it out just because you don't like it, reconsider! Beer pairs really nicely with pork, and in the oven, it takes on a caramelly, toasty flavor.
Buns, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Make pork: Preheat oven to 300°. Trim excess fat from pork and cut into large pieces to fit in a large Dutch oven. Don’t remove all the fat. Some fat is good for flavor.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, Tastic, paprika, garlic powder, herbs de Provence, Berber, and cumin. Rub all over pork. (This can be done the night before.)
- In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat oil. Working in batches, add pork and sear on all sides. (Spices can burn quickly so don’t let it go for too long!)
- Pour beer around pork and cover with lid. Transfer to oven and cook until pork is beginning to turn tender, about 2½ to 3 hours. Remove lid and cook until pork is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Remove pork from Dutch oven and let rest while you prepare barbecue sauce.
- Make barbecue sauce: To the pan drippings in the Dutch oven, whisk in ketchup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, gochujang and Worcestershire. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Shred pork using two forks. Toss shredded meat with about half the barbecue sauce.
- Serve warm with buns and more barbecue sauce.
* Tastic Spice is available HERE
Do me a favor? If you decide to be great and make this recipe, take a pic and share it on Instagram and tag me (@mrfoodtastic) and use the hashtag #mrfoodtastic so I can see just how amazing you are. I repost my favorite ones