Pulled Pork Two Ways

This recipe is a 2-for-1 deal because…wouldn’t you know it…it talks about how to cook pulled pork two ways!

I know…you didn’t see that coming, did you?

We love pulled pork in this house. My youngest recently said it’s his favorite home-cooked meal. It’s easy, tasty, and so versatile that you can use it to create various different dishes. How fabulous is that?

I’m going to talk about slow roasting it and cooking it in the slow cooker…both methods are good and easy. Most people make pulled pork in a slow cooker, but if you haven’t got one, I’m guessing you have an oven, so there’s no excuse not to make it!

Obviously, the operative keyword here is slow. S-L-O-W. “Easy” is a good word, too…as is “tasty”. But let me get back to SLOW.

Take a pork butt or shoulder roast and cook it slowly for several hours. You end up with meat so tender, you can shred it with a couple of forks. Aside from the different cooking methods, both recipes start out the same way by seasoning a pork roast with a dry rub. From there, however, the cooking method is up to you. Either way, you end up with delicious pulled pork.

Ready to be slow-roasted…

Nice and cozy in the slow cooker…

Let’s talk about the oven-roasted method first. Put the seasoned pork roast in a pan, cover it with foil, and roast it at a low temperature for about 6 hours. That’s it. You don’t even need to check on it. Let the heat and time do its thing and you will be rewarded for your patience. The smell of the slow-roasting pork will permeate through the house and get you so excited about eating it! Seriously!

The slow cooker method is even easier because you don’t even have to be home while the pork cooks. And even though the pork still needs to cook for a minimum amount of time, the end time is not as precise. You can let it sit in the slow cooker all day while you’re out and it will be ready upon your return. Dinner is ready!

Or start the pork in the slow cooker before you go to bed and let it go all night! You will have perfect pulled pork by lunch time the next day. All you need to do is shred and eat!

Amazingly, regardless of which cooking method you choose, after all the cooking is done, you will need only two forks to turn the pork roasts into pulled pork. The meat will be so tender and will pull apart with hardly any effort. And all that wonderful flavorful liquid at the bottom of the pan or pot? Don’t toss that! Those are juices straight from the pork meat that have kept it from drying out during all that cooking! Sometimes I will add a few thin slices of apple to the bottom of the pan with the pork. As they cook together, the apple slices give a slight sweetness to the pulled pork. This is completely optional, but offers a nice flavor.

From there, the pulled pork is ready to eat! Eat it with a nice salad..or on top of a salad! Mix it up with some barbecue sauce and stuff some into a bun for a hearty sandwich. Enjoy it as is with some roasted vegetables and cornbread. Alternatively, if you’ve got leftovers, stuff a meal’s worth into a zip top bag and freeze it for another day. On those nights when I need to throw dinner together quickly, a bag of frozen leftover pulled pork is a sight for sore eyes. Like I said, no one complains in our house I make pulled pork.

Are you looking for that easy meal that will last a couple of days? Do you want a meal you can set and forget? Do you want to return home to the wonderful smell of dinner that is ready for you to eat? Try one (or both!) methods for Pulled Pork Two Ways! Let me know how yours turns out in the comments below!

~ Lisa.

Pulled Pork Two Ways

Whether you cook it in the oven or the slow cooker, you will end up with fabulously tasty pulled pork that can be eaten in a variety of ways.

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: pulled pork

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Author: Lisa from A Day in the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork butt/shoulder roast
• 1 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 apple, peeled and sliced thinly optional

Instructions

• Pat pork butt roast dry with paper towels. Cut roast into two chunks.
• Combine all the dry rub spices in a bowl and mix. Coat pork in the dry rub, patting seasonings into the meat.

Slow Roasted

• Preheat oven 300 deg F (150 C).
• If using apple slices, place them at the bottom of the roasting pan. Set the pork roast chunks on top.
• Cover with foil and roast for 6 hours.
• Carefully remove pan from the oven so as not to spill the juices. Shred meat using two forks.

Slow Cooker

• If using apple slices, place them on the bottom of the slow cooker pot; set pork roast chunks on top.
• Cook 8-10 hours on low, or overnight; 6-8 hours on high.
• Shred meat with two forks.

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