Oven Pulled Pork
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This oven pulled pork recipe delivers pit-worthy flavor—no smoker required. Slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender, it has a crusty bark and tangy-sweet sauce that rivals your favorite barbecue spot.
This easy oven pulled pork recipe yields plenty of juicy, fall-apart meat with smoky BBQ flavor. It’s simple to make: just rub the pork with barbecue spices, pop it in the oven, and let it cook low and slow. As the irresistible barbecue aroma fills your kitchen, the hardest part is waiting—and then trying not to eat all the pork as you shred it!
I roast the pork uncovered, which allows the spice rub to develop a dark, flavorful bark. But what really sets this recipe apart is the barbecue sauce: after roasting, I deglaze the pan to capture all those flavorful browned bits and juices, then stir them into a tangy-sweet sauce. Tossed with the shredded pork, it makes every bite extra flavorful.
Serve the pork piled onto buns with coleslaw for an easy, crowd-pleasing meal. It keeps and freezes well, making it great for meal prep or easy meals down the road.
“Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Great flavor, beautiful bark, delicious sauce. The whole family enjoyed it!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pulled Pork
- Pork Butt: Despite the name, pork butt comes from the upper shoulder of the pig. It may also be labeled Boston butt. Its generous marbling and connective tissue make it ideal for pulled pork—the fat keeps the meat moist during the long cooking time, while the connective tissue breaks down until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Spice Rub: A combination of brown sugar, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper seasons the pork and forms a flavorful bark as it roasts. The brown sugar also helps the exterior caramelize.
- Ketchup: Forms the tomato-rich base of the barbecue sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Gives the sauce its tang and cuts through the richness of the pork.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness to the sauce and balances the acidity of the vinegar.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds savory depth and a subtle umami note to the barbecue sauce.
- Mustard: Adds a little sharpness and helps round out the sweet and tangy flavors in the sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Oven Pulled Pork
Season the pork: Pat the pork dry with paper towels. This helps the spice rub stick better and ensures a nice crust as it roasts. Combine the spices for the rub, then coat the pork generously on all sides. Don’t be shy with the seasoning—the pork is a large cut of meat, and the rub will eventually become the flavorful bark on the outside.
Slow cook the pork: Cook the pork uncovered until the exterior is deeply browned and crusty and the meat is tender enough to pull apart easily with a fork. Cooking it uncovered is key: it allows the spice rub to develop into a flavorful bark rather than softening in trapped steam. For truly tender pulled pork, don’t go by time alone—the internal temperature should reach about 195°F, when the connective tissue has broken down and the meat is ready to shred.
Make the BBQ sauce: While the pork roasts, make the barbecue sauce. It should have a tangy-sweet flavor with enough acidity to balance the richness of the pork. Keep in mind that the sauce isn’t quite finished yet—the flavorful juices from the roasting pan will be added later.
Deglaze the pan: Once the pork is done, transfer it to a cutting board to rest and pour off the excess fat. Deglaze the roasting pan, scraping up all the deeply browned bits stuck to the bottom—there’s a tremendous amount of concentrated flavor there. Reduce the liquid until it intensifies, then stir it into the barbecue sauce.
Shred and sauce the pork: When the pork is cool enough to handle, pull it into bite-size pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Toss the meat with enough barbecue sauce to coat it generously without overwhelming it. The pork should stay juicy and flavorful, with bits of the dark bark mixed throughout. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
What to Serve with Pulled Pork
For a classic pulled pork dinner, serve the pork piled onto buns with coleslaw, along with sides like cornbread, baked beans, potato salad, or mac and cheese. For something lighter, pair it with a simple green salad or corn on the cob.
My starting point for this recipe was Tyler Florence’s pulled pork barbecue recipe. I used my own spice rub and barbecue sauce, but the cooking method is identical to the original recipe.
Video Tutorial
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Oven Pulled Pork
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 1 (5 to 6-lb) bone-in pork butt (sometimes called Boston butt; see note)
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Tangy Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ¾ cup cider vinegar
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup water, for deglazing the roasting pan
For Serving
- 12 hamburger buns, lightly toasted and buttered, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels.
- Mix the salt, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, dry mustard, brown sugar, and pepper in a small bowl. 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, uncovered, for 6 to 6½ hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 195°F (95°C).
- 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 ¾ cup (180 ml) 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.
Notes
- 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. The bone adds extra moisture and flavor, but if you can only find boneless, no worries—just use a 4 to 5-pound roast and expect a slightly shorter cook time.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The pork can be made entirely ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat just a few servings of pulled pork, toss the pork in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a bit more sauce if the pork seems dry, and cover the dish with a plate or lid. Microwave the pork for one to two minutes, or until hot. To reheat a larger quantity, place the pork in a baking dish and add a bit more sauce if the pork seems dry. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in a 250°F (120°C) oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot. To freeze, place the pulled pork in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this, and it cooked in the oven for about 6 1/2 hours. I used a 6 1/2 lb shoulder with bone. I cooked it in a 300 degree oven until meat thermometer was at 195 degrees. I took it out of the oven, and let it rest for about 20 minutes, I transferred the roast from the roasting pan to a plate and started pulling the pork and … It wouldn’t pull! So I just used knife and fork and started cutting small pieces.
So, might you have any idea as to why the pork didn’t pull? The only thing I might have done wrong is use a roasting rack. How would that keep the roast from pulling?
The pork tastes good, but it isn’t the same as a pulled pork. Sad face.
Hi Daniel, I’m sorry you had a problem with this. It sounds like you did everything right. You mentioned using a roasting rack; that shouldn’t have made a difference. I wish I could help but it’s definitely a head-scratcher as the pork should have been really tender. Glad that it tasted good but I’m sure it was a different experience than true pulled pork.
Hi Jenn-
I’ve made this before and it was to die for. I have a party for 20 coming up and wanted to make this ahead of time. Can I freeze and if so, best way to defrost and rewarm? I will be making two roasts as we have big eaters coming. Thanks so much!
So glad you’ve enjoyed this! You can definitely freeze it. Just put it in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat according to the make-ahead instructions at the bottom of the recipe. Hope everyone else likes it too!
I followed the recipe exactly. I had to substitute teaspoon of horseradish sauce because I did not have the mustard. Everything turned out well. Very delicious. It just takes all day though.
This is, without a doubt, the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. Spectacular. I served it over homemade mac ‘n cheese (used Jason Santos’ recipe from Simple Fancy) and the two pair absolutely perfectly. I suspect my housemates are going to be demanding this one all the time now.
This was a great recipe- followed it exactly except that I used a boneless pork shoulder from Costco. Everyone loved it at our family gathering! Paired it with coleslaw and some nice ciabatta buns- perfect! Thanks Jenn.
This recipe is very detailed and I’m going to try making it in the morning and look forward to the results.
I found a bone-in shoulder picnic roast at the bottom of my deep freezer that was in dire need of using…my bad for forgetting about it. It weighed in at 1. 228 kg which is a bit less than 3 pounds. I used half the amount of rub and cooked it for 4 hours and it turned out great!
I found the barbeque sauce to be a bit too sharp for our liking so added a half bottle of Bullseye hickory barbeque sauce and also reduced the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon as my hubby is very sensitive to cayenne.
Anyhow, made the full sauce recipe and have enough left over to freeze or would it taste okay on use on burgers? BTW I always make your steakhouse burgers…absolutely the best!
How long do you think the sauce would last in the fridge Jenn?
As always your recipes help make me look like a super cook! Thank you so much 🙂
Cheers,
Susan
Hi Susan, So glad this came out well! I think the sauce would taste delicious on burgers and should last for about a week in the fridge. Feel free to freeze the remainder if you still have some left after that.
Can i do this in a crock pot. I only have 2 pounds and think it will die for 6 hours at 350.
Hi Lea, unfortunately, this one won’t work in a slow cooker.
How about in an instapot? So hot this summer I don’t want to turn my oven on
Hi Corinne, I’m not experienced with an Instapot, so I can’t say for if this would work in one. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I have never heard of spicy brown mustard and don’t believe I can get it where I live. What can I substitute?
Hi Donna, Dijon (or really any other mustard you have on hand) is fine. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn! Would you mind sharing why this wouldn’t be good in a slow cooker? Would it become too fine when shredded? Would you just not get any crispy bits? I’m just curious! Thanks!
Hi Mary, that’s correct. You wouldn’t get that bark on the outside of the pork, which is one of the things that makes it so good.
Hi Jenn
Can I use a pork picnic for this recipe?
Thank you
Bonie
Sure – just keep in mind that it won’t be quite as tender (it’s a slightly leaner cut). Please LMK how it turns out!
Wow! quick reply I appreciate it. And will let you know. I will try at another time the 350, but too hot in my state today to have the oven on so long.
Is there a spilt method that would work? Using oven/cooktop and crock pot?
Hi L, I can’t say for sure — I don’t have a slow cooker so I’ve never tried it. You could start it in a slow cooker and then transfer it to the oven, but I can’t give you any timing guidelines. Also, I’m not sure if you’ll achieve the bark on the exterior of the pork only cooking it partially in the oven (and that part is delicious).
This was delicious! I like the concept of pulled pork but rarely actually like it when I have it. That’s what comes of being super picky about type and amount of barbeque sauce. This one will be added to the list of acceptable pulled pork! It’s great with toasted sourdough and coleslaw. The pork itself was excellent and a manageable size for my toaster oven (just loosely covered it with foil to prevent outright burning from being so close to the elements). The barbeque sauce, while not my elusive ideal, was quite good. I added 2-3 tbsp molasses since I like a darker flavour. The sweet and tangyness is such a good combo.