Pulled Pork

We love pulled pork, yet I had never made it until this weekend.  I really can't even tell you why it took me this long to put it on the menu plan.

Last Christmas I was given The Pioneer Woman's cook book.  It's a great book to not only grab recipes from, but also an enjoyment to read through.  In fact, I spent most of my time reading it until now, and finally started diving into making some of the recipes.  This being one of them.

Aside from having to turn the meat every hour (which can be a tiny bit annoying) this pulled pork recipe is extremely easy!  The flavor is oh.so.wonderful as well.  We'll be making this over and over and over and over (do I sound like a 60's rock song?).

The Pioneer Woman pegs this as her Spicy Shredded Pork.  I didn't think it was necessarily spicy (and ever since my pregnancy, I've been super sensitive to spicy food.)  Plus, I'm more familiar with the term "pulled pork" rather than "shredded", although it's the same thing.

You can use this dish in many ways.  This time, we made sandwiches one day and threw them in tortillas another.  Ben and I both ate more than a generous portion each time, if that tells you anything. 😉

Pulled Pork

Printable Recipe

One 5 to 7-pound pork shoulder roast (or butt roast as it's called in my grocery store)
1 onion, quartered
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 to 2 Tbs salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 300˚F.

Rinse the pork and pat dry.  Pulse the onion, chili powder, brown sugar, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar in a food processor until thoroughly combined.

Place the roast into a very large roasting pan.  Pour the marinade over the pork and, using your hands, rub into every nook and cranny.  Flip the pork and repeat.  Add 2 cups water to the pan.  Cover tightly with foil and roast for 6 to 7 hours, flipping once every hour.

Once the meat is fork tender, use a large spoon to scoop out most of the juices and reserve in a heat-proof bowl.  (I do this because the juice tends to thicken/solidify too much during this next step.) Increase the oven temperature to 400˚F and roast the pork uncovered and skin side up for 20 minutes, or until the skin is crispy.  Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Use two forks to pull apart the meat.  Place on a large platter and pour reserved juice over top.  Let juice sink into the shredded meat and set to enhance flavor and increase tenderness.

Serve as you wish.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks  (Book and Blog)