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.
This recipe requires a lot of cooking time, but the prep time is really minimal.
While you’re waiting for the oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker to work its magic on the pork, you can mix up barbecue sauce and coleslaw.
Once those tasks are complete, all you need to do is assemble the sandwiches!
Oven Roasted Pulled Pork
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.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 lb Boston butt pork shoulder roast
- 6 tablespoons BBQ Spice Rub, (or your favorite store-bought version)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup apple juice, cider, or water
For the bourbon barbecue sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1-1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon, (see notes for substitutions)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
For the sandwiches:
- 8 large, soft sandwich buns
- 8 dill pickles
- 2 cups homemade coleslaw , (or store-bought)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225°F. Trim any large pieces of exterior fat from the pork, then cut it into 3 or 4 evenly-sized pieces.
- Pat the pork rub liberally onto all sides of the meat, then place the pieces in a Dutch oven and add the apple juice. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Roast the pork for 4 hours, then remove it from the oven and use tongs to turn the meat in the juices. Return it to the oven uncovered, and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 200°F, 60 to 90 minutes longer.
- To test for tenderness, use two forks to pull one of the pieces of pork apart in the center. If it separates very easily, it's done. If you find some resistance, pop the pan back in the oven and check again after another 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once the pork is done, transfer it to a large cutting board, and let it cool for at least 20 minutes. Use two dinner forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discard any large chunks of fat you run across in the process.
- Transfer the shredded/pulled pork to a bowl, stir in the barbecue sauce and proceed to assemble sandwiches, topping each with some coleslaw and sliced pickles if desired.
Make the barbecue sauce:
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking, stirring often, until soft and aromatic, about 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, bourbon, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Set aside until ready to use. Note: This sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
BOURBON SUBSTITUTION: If you don’t have bourbon, you can substitute your favorite whiskey. If you would like to make this barbecue sauce non-alcoholic, omit the bourbon and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or more to taste), and 3 tablespoons apple juice.
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. NUTRITION NOTE: The nutrition values below do not include the coleslaw.Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 806mg, Potassium: 733mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 487IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 148mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
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.