Pork
Carolina-Style Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder slow-roasted until it shreds, tossed with a tangy vinegar-pepper sauce and piled on buns.
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 4 hrs 30 mins
- Total
- 5 hrs
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
Eastern Carolina-style sauce is thin, sharp and peppery, built to cut through rich pork rather than coat it. The shoulder roasts covered in a low oven until it reads 195 to 205°F (90 to 96°C) inside, the range where the connective tissue melts and the meat shreds easily. Toss with the sauce while it is still warm so it soaks in.
Ingredients
Serves 10
Directions
- Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Mix the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder, then rub it over the pork on all sides.
- Set the pork in a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan, fat side up, and add 1/2 cup (120 ml) water. Cover tightly with a lid or foil.
- Roast 4 to 4 1/2 hours, until the center reads 195 to 205°F (90 to 96°C) and a fork twists in easily.
- Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, hot sauce, pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in a jar until the sugar dissolves.
- Rest the pork 15 minutes. Shred it with two forks, discarding large pieces of fat, and moisten with some of the cooking juices.
- Toss with about 3/4 cup of the vinegar sauce, taste, and add more as you like. Pile onto buns with coleslaw and pass the extra sauce.
Tips and make-ahead notes
- Shred while the meat is warm; cold pork pulls apart poorly.
- Leftover pulled pork freezes well for up to 3 months in portions with a splash of its juices.
- Reheat covered in a low oven or a skillet with a spoonful of water.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520
- Carbohydrates
- 35g
- Protein
- 38g
- Fat
- 24g
- Fiber
- 2g
- Sodium
- 880mg
Estimated. Values change with brands, portion sizes and substitutions.
