15 Pulled Pork Recipes for the Oven, Grill, Stovetop, Slow Cooker, and Smoker
Serious Eats / Diana ChistrugaCooking a pork shoulder until it's silky and tender and then shredding it up for guests is one of the best feed-a-crowd dishes we know, and there are many ways to get it on the table. Low-and-slow pork barbecue, served with a vinegary Eastern North Carolina–style sauce and plenty of slaw on warm, soft buns is one of the first things that comes to mind, but there are so many other options to consider. Many of them are not nearly as time-intensive, and most do not require fiddling with the vents on a smoker for a whole day.We've gathered all of our favorite methods together for this collection: backyard smoking marathons, slow-cooker wonders, braised and fried, slow-roasted, sous vide, you name it. If it's pork and you can shred it, we've got it here—plus some great ideas for what to do with leftovers. For those who need a refresher on what exactly they're shredding, Elazar Sontag put together a nice explainer on the ins and outs of pork shoulder.Low-and-Slow Pulled Pork (Smoked Pork Shoulder)Serious Eats / Vicky WasikAfter many hours at low heat in a smoker, this pork shoulder comes out silky and tender, with a crusty and crunchy bark—perfect for shredding into terrific pulled pork. For a different approach to smoked pork shoulder, see Joshua Bousel's competition-style recipe, which gets injection-marinated and wrapped in foil with a flavorful braising liquid for a portion of its time in the smoker.Cochinita Pibil (Yucatán-Style Barbecued Pork)Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-AltA zippy marinade, banana leaves, and a grill help reproduce the sweet, earthy flavors traditionally gained by cooking in an underground oven.Easy Oven-Cooked Pulled PorkSerious Eats / J. Kenji López-AltOven-cooked pulled pork has all the flavor, with a fraction of the effort. Set it in the oven, and forget about it for hours until the perfectly tender pork is done. For another indoor method that gives tender, smoky results, see Kenji's sous vide barbecue pork shoulder recipe.Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork ShoulderSerious Eats / Julia EstradaOpting for a dry-heat method, this oven-roasted pork shoulder yields tender, pull-apart meat and ultra-crisp skin.Thai-Inspired Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder FeastSerious Eats / Vicky WasikThe next time you need to cook for a crowd, pull out all the stops with this crackling and tender roast pork shoulder feast, bursting with bright Thai flavors, that's perfect for sharing. Sticky rice, crispy fried shallots, chile-vinegar dipping sauce, and a mess of fresh herbs are the perfect companions for the tender pulled pork and crisp chunks of skin.Cuban-Style Roast Pork Shoulder With MojoSerious Eats / Diana ChistrugaThis pulled pork, marinated in a garlicky citrus marinade and then slow-roasted, is juicy, succulent, intensely porky, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork With Dr. PepperSerious Eats / Stephanie StiavettiA long, lazy braise in the slow cooker with Dr. Pepper yields excellent savory-sweet pulled pork and will leave your house smelling amazing. For another slow-cooker option, check out Morgan Eisenberg's pulled pork chili with cornbread dumplings.Chorizo-Spiced Pulled Pork With Mexican Street Corn SlawSerious Eats / Morgan EisenbergPork shoulder is cut into chunks, rubbed with a chorizo-inspired spice mixture, browned thoroughly, and then oven-braised in a mixture of onion, garlic, and Mexican lager. Served with an elote-inspired slaw, this mash-up of Mexican and Southern U.S. barbecue flavors checks all of the summer cookout boxes.No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa VerdeSerious Eats / Mariel De La CruzThis easy take on carnitas produces results that are juicy and flavorful with plenty of browned crispy bits. To fine-tune the finished texture of the pork even further, try Kenji's sous vide carnitas.Deep-Fried Potato Skins With Pulled Pork and CheddarSerious Eats / Vicky WasikIn most cases, making a batch of pulled pork means pulled pork leftovers. These french-fried potato-skin cups are the perfect way to transform extra pulled pork into a crispy, smoky, cheesy treat—perfect for a game-day snack.Tamales Rojos de Puerco (Red Pork Tamales)Serious Eats / Lorena MassoFilled with tender shreds of pulled pork coated in a spicy and smoky red chile sauce, these rojos de puerco tamales are packed with punchy flavor. Here, Octavio Peña simmers chunks of pork shoulder with onion, carrot, garlic, and a bay leaf until fork-tender, but this is another golden opportunity for repurposing leftover pulled pork.Mini Pulled Pork EmpanadasSerious Eats / Joshua BouselThese empanadas are a good way of transforming leftover pulled pork into a game-day snack. All you need is some barbecue sauce (another thing you're likely to have more of) and the ingredients for a buttery, flaky empanada dough.Pulled Pork Jalapeño Poppers With Raspberry SauceSerious Eats / Morgan EisenbergThe versatility of leftover pulled pork knows no bounds. Enter these jalapeño poppers, which get a barbecue-style update with bacon, pulled pork, and tangy raspberry sauce. No frying necessary: Just cut the jalapeños in half, stuff them, roast them, and serve them with sauce for a sweet, spicy, smoky, and downright delicious appetizer.Venezuelan-Style Arepas RellenasSerious Eats / J. Kenji López-AltThese thick corn pancakes, once split in half, are another good method for reimagining leftover pulled pork. We recommend topping the pork with cilantro leaves and cotija.Crispy Pork Shoulder Hash With Charred Asparagus and Serrano ChilesSerious Eats / Sasha MarxSasha developed this recipe to avoid the onset of leftovers palate fatigue after cooking up a whole roasted pork shoulder. Of course, any tender pulled pork that's not heavily sauced can work in this hash. For more inspiration, check out this collection of leftover ideas.
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