Most home cooks don’t have the time or equipment to smoke a whole hog for half a day. Which is why our test kitchen’s go-to pulled pork recipe takes place in the oven, requires no overnight brining or marinating, and still delivers the complex flavors of barbecue.
For inspiration, we looked to the flavors of North Carolina barbecue, specifically the Eastern style with vinegar and chile peppers, versus the sweeter ketchup-based sauces of other regions.
Instead of the whole animal, we’re using a single cut. Both the picnic shoulder and Boston butt come from the same region of the pig, the front shoulder. In this case, I prefer the butt, which is slightly less sinewy. It also contains slightly more intramuscular fat, which leads to meltingly tender, moist pulled pork.
A boneless, skinless cut delivers excellent flavor. While, for larger cuts of pork, keeping the bone in can prevent the meat from drying out, for a relatively small pork butt, boneless tastes just as good, with the added benefit of a faster cook time.
Many pulled pork recipes happen in a slow-cooker, but we found that this develops significantly less caramelization than an oven. We don’t sear the pork before roasting it, because the outside of the pork still caramelizes, even if it hasn’t been seared ahead of time, thanks to the dark brown sugar in the rub.
That all said, the secret ingredient here is the yellow onion underneath the meat. While the pork slowly cooks, sliced onions get soft and jammy. When the pork is done, it gets shredded along with the onions, resulting in a sweet, smoky, deeply savory flavor. We finish by adding cider vinegar for tang, more chili powder and black pepper for warmth, and some of that braising liquid for good measure.
Serve this as an entree along with your favorite sides (like braised greens, mac and cheese, and cornbread). Or make pulled pork sandwiches with squishy buns and cabbage slaw. You can also store the pulled pork in the refrigerator for several days. When you reheat, just add a few tablespoons of water to ensure it doesn’t dry out. —Josh Cohen
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