Categories: Recipe

Pulled Pork with Tangy Barbecue Sauce

Published by

James marcus

1 year ago

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Slow-roasted until the meat is succulent and fork-tender, this pulled pork barbecue is an easy crowd pleaser.

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Rubbed with barbecue spices and slow-roasted until the meat is fork-tender, this pulled pork is a family favorite. It’s simple to prepare and takes just minutes to get in the oven; the hardest part of the recipe is trying not to eat all of the pork as you’re pulling it apart. The sauce is a hybrid of a sweet BBQ sauce and Carolina-style vinegar-based sauce; it gets its dark color and smoky flavor from the pan juices.

What You’ll Need For The Pulled Pork

Pork butt (which is also sometimes called Boston butt) is misleadingly named; it does not come from the rear end of the pig. Rather, it comes from the thicker, well-marbled upper shoulder. It is not to be confused with a picnic roast, which comes from the lower end of the shoulder and is a bit leaner.

What You’ll Need For The Tangy Barbecue Sauce

How To Make Pulled Pork with Tangy Barbecue Sauce

To begin, preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the lower-middle position. Pat the pork dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, dry mustard, brown sugar, and pepper in a small bowl.

Mix until evenly combined.

Place the pork in a roasting pan. Rub the spice blend all over the pork, turning to coat evenly (don’t leave any of the spice blend in the bottom of the pan; keep turning the meat until it all adheres). Roast for 6 to 6-1/2 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 195°F.

While the pork roasts, make the barbecue sauce. Combine the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, garlic, and cayenne pepper in a saucepan over medium heat.

Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about ten minutes.

Remove from the heat and let sit until the pork is done.

When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cutting board or platter; tent with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Pour off and discard the fat from the roasting pan (remember the handles are hot). Add 3/4 cup water to the roasting pan and set it over a single burner on medium heat; scrape with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced by about half. (The liquid will be very dark; that’s okay.)

Pour into the saucepan with the barbecue sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

While the pork is still warm, use two forks to pull the meat away from the bone into large shreds. Remove and discard any large pieces of fat or sinew.

Put the shredded pork in a large bowl or dish and pour about two-thirds of the barbecue sauce over it. Toss so that the pork is evenly coated with the sauce. Taste and add more sauce, little by little, if desired.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork onto the bottom half of each bun. Pass the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.

My starting point for this recipe was Tyler Florence’s Pulled Pork Barbecue recipe on Food Network. I used my own spice rub and barbecue sauce, but the cooking method is identical to the original recipe.