Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

I have a really hard time not buying pork when it goes on sale. I found this pork shoulder at Sprouts on sale for $1.39/lbs and I just couldn’t resist. The only catch was… the smallest piece they had was a 9 pound pork shoulder. I figured, 9 pounds isn’t that much. I feed a lot of big hungry guys it shouldn’t be a problem.

Turns on 9 pounds is a lot of meat. Good news? Pulled pork makes the best left overs.

I roasted this pork in my oven low and slow for about 12 hours, but it was also one heck of a beast. If you have a smaller, more reasonable size (around 5-7 lbs) it would only need to roast around 8 hours. Another reason why I love pork shoulder is it is extremely forgiving. You could absolutely cook it longer and it would be fine. I probably could have even cooked mine longer if I really wanted to; but the aroma is so incredible just couldn’t wait!

All you really have to do is season your pork shoulder with a dry rub, put it in the oven, and walk away. The magic happens over time. You will be left with the most tender and aromatic pork where the juices cascade as you pull every morsel apart.

We served ours with a side of cole slaw and roasted asparagus, but some also enjoyed it mounted on soft doughy brioche buns. You can top with BBQ sauce, but we didn’t even need any it was so flavorful!

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

 

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Ingredients

• 9 lbs pork shoulder (or if you're a reasonable person, unlike myself, a 5-7 pounder will do)

Dry Rub

• 1 T. sea salt
• 1 T. white pepper
• 2 T. garlic sea salt (if using garlic powder, add a little extra sea salt)
• 2 T. mustard powder
• 2 T. dark brown sugar
• 3 T. paprika
• 1 t. cayenne pepper

For the Pan

• 2 cups 100% juice apple cider (I never buy any with sugar added)
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the dry rub.
2. Place pork on a sheet pan (or dish) large enough to fit the pork, but will still fit inside your fridge.
3. Slather and massage the dry rub all over the pork shoulder.
4. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the fridge. Minimum 1 hour - overnight if possible.
5. When ready to cook, preheat oven to to 250 degrees.
6. Place pork in a roasting pan. Add the apple cider and water to the pan.
7. Allow to roast anywhere from 8-12 hours, depending on the size of your pork. The pork is ready when it falls apart with a pork. If there is some resistance, cook longer.

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