Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

5 from 2 votes

Looking for the perfect Easy Pulled Pork Recipe? If you're in the mood for a pulled pork sandwich this barbecue season, we'll show you how easy it is to make! This simple recipe utilizes a slow cooking process to yield tender, juicy meat.

Prep Time5

Cook Time3 20

Total Time3 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Briana

Ingredients

For the pork & dry rub:

½ cup brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
½ teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless pork butt

For the braising liquid:

2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, cut into strips
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
8 ounces beer (or chicken stock or water)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Create bbq seasoning rub by combining all dry seasonings. Season the pork butt really well on all sides. Reserve some of the seasonings for later.
Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat with avocado oil. Once hot, add in the pork butt and sear on all sides until browned, this will take about 5-7 minutes total. Once browned on all sides, remove and set aside on a plate.
Add more avocado oil to the dutch oven, and add in the onion, season with a pinch of the seasoning blend. Cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan every so often. Stir in the beer, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining seasoning blend, scraping the bottom of the pan.
Add the pork butt back into the dutch oven, and ladle with the liquid. Cover with the lid, and add to the oven, cooking for 3 hours until super tender.
When done, shred with forks. Add to buns with bbq sauce, and optional coleslaw and pickles. Enjoy!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, in the oven, or air fryer.

Notes

Buns, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, pickles, etc. are not included in the nutrition facts.
You can use any braising liquid you like for this recipe, beer is optional.
Please note that brown sugar can be replaced for a brown sugar substitute in a 1:1 substitute.
Don't trim the fat. The fat will melt away slowly while the pulled pork cooks, and adds so much moisture and flavor to the meat. Unless there is an overwhelming amount of fat on your pork before cooking, leave it alone!
Allow it to rest before shredding, however. This may seem counterintuitive after we just mentioned shredding it while it's hot! However, allowing it to rest for about 10 minutes will seal in the juices. It will still be piping hot when you go to shred it!
Shred pork while it's hot. Pork is much easier to shred when it's warm, so don't allow it to cool off before shredding it.

Nutrition