This recipe requires a lot of cooking time, but the prep time is really minimal. Mix up your rub ingredients, sauce ingredients and coleslaw and you're pretty much done and waiting for the low, slow oven (or slow cooker – see notes) to work it's magic on the pork.
PrintOven-Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This pork is coated in a dry rub, roasted in a slow oven until meltingly tender, mixed with barbecue sauce and served in soft rolls topped with coleslaw – decadent and delicious.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings plus leftovers
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lb Boston butt pork roast
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup water
For the rub:
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
For the barbecue sauce:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple juice or cider
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
For the sandwiches:
- 8 large, soft sandwich buns
- 1-1/2 cups coleslaw (recipe follows)
- 8 dill pickles
- Kettle cooked potato chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225°F.
Prepare the pork:
- Prepare the rub by combining the paprika, salt, sugar, mustard, cumin, pepper, garlic and onion powders and cayenne in a small bowl. Trim any large pieces of exterior fat from the pork if desired. Pat the rub mixture on all sides of the pork and place uncovered, in a dutch oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.
- Remove the pork from the oven, brush with the olive oil, add the water, cover and return to the oven for approximately 5 hours longer. At this point the pork should be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork. Total roasting time runs between 90 and 100 minutes per pound.
- Transfer the pork to a large platter and allow to cool enough to handle. With two dinner forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, removing any large chunks of fat in the process.
Prepare the barbecue sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until thickened.
- Add the barbecue sauce to the shredded pork.
Assemble the sandwiches:
- Fill each bun with a portion of shredded pork and top with a tablespoon or two of coleslaw (recipe follows).
- Serve with a dill pickle and a side of chips.
Notes
Recipe Notes:
You can freeze the leftover pork in airtight containers. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in the coldest part of the freezer.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
You can cook the pork in a slow cooker instead of the oven if desired. Simply add a layer of sliced onion to the bottom of the cooker, put the rub-coated pork on top and add the water. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (depending on the size of your roast), or until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Easy Coleslaw
- 6 cups fresh cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
Ingredients
- Combine the cabbage, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, mayonnaise, garlic and onion in a large bowl. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Jeff says
wonderful recipe i have made this for times now and the whole family loves it. i do have a question! the recipe calls for 3-4 lb roast mine are normally 6-7 lbs. going by the suggestion in the recipe about 90-100 min for every lb of pork i roast mine for about 10 hours is this ok or is to long.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Jeff,
So glad you like the recipe. Since you’re going to be pulling the meat anyway, I think I would cut that roast in half and set the pieces in the pan side by side. Follow the roasting instructions in the recipe and if see if it’s tender after 6 hours. If not, put it back in the oven and check it again in an hour. As long as you’re retaining moisture in your pan, it would be hard to overcook this cut of meat at such a low temperature. You may need to make a little extra rub and sauce though. Let us know how it works out.
jeff says
i am thinking of dicing peeled apples and putting them on top of the roast do u think this will be a good idea.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Jeff,
I think the apples are a fantastic idea. They’ll blend in with the pork when you pull it and add a nice, natural sweetness. Thanks for sharing the idea with us.
toomanygrandkids says
Making this ASAP! I’m gonna use the slow cooker method so the pork can cook overnite. Reading the instructions for the slow cooker, I don’t see when to brush on the olive oil. Do I brush it on after the meat has cooked for an hour? Thanx.
Lynne Webb says
You can just brush a little olive oil on the top of the pork after you’ve applied the rub. That way you won’t need to remove the lid during cooking.
Luke Brunson says
I used your rub and it was delicious…one variation I did was I put a good bit of apple juice in the bottom of the pan, but with the spill over rub and by the time it was done the juices from the pork combined with apple juice and extra dry rub that spilled over and pretty much made a great bbq sauce all by itself. It did take much longer than I thought it would. I actually had to pull it out before it was quite ready to pull. Do you think that the apple juice slowed down my cooking time? BTW it still turned out wonderful and it was my first attempt.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Luke,
I do think the apple juice may have caused a need for increased cooking time, but every roast is different too, so it could have been a combination of factors. You saved yourself a step in making that bbq sauce though. Good thinking!
Ms Deborah says
The pulled pork just came out of the oven and it’s so tender & fall off the bone! The aroma is mouth-watering and the taste I sampled is delicious. This will make a wonderful meal tomorrow for my friends…but a super dinner for me tonight…who can wait!!!
Lisa says
How funny!!! I am making this tonight for my friend’s family tomorrow and for my family tonight too!!! Just like you did.
Katie says
This was such a great recipe! All the flavours came together so nicely. I am looking forward to making it again!
Jenn says
I made this today for my family. (including a 3 and 6 year old) It was LOVED by all! Thank you for this delightful recipe!
I didn’t have a dutch oven, so I used a roasting pan and double wrapped it with foil on top.
Michelle says
Wow. This looks absolutely, amazingly wonderful. Great photo!!
My Food and Life Enounters says
WOW
WOW
I love pulled pork…I have a recipe that I made at both my kids birthdays. It was a huge hit.
I should post the pics. I made a spicy slaw (My husband made a sign calling it “Manly Slaw”) and a reg. slaw (He called it “Wimp Slaw”)
haha…
IT was fun
Cynthia Nelson says
Drooling here!
Barbara Sugerman says
This is a great sandwich!