Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork
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Easy oven cooked pulled pork is just like it sounds. Rub the pork with garlic salt, brown sugar, and liquid smoke. Then add water and bake at 300°F for 8-12 hours until the meat is falling apart, melt in your mouth juicy and tender! The hardest part of this recipe is to stop eating the pulled pork when you're shredding it!
What Kind of Pork Roast is Best for Pulled Pork?
The pork I use for this recipe is part pork shoulder and part boneless pork loin. Pork shoulder, also called pork butt, is one of the least expensive cuts of meat. This affordable cut of meat makes the absolute best pulled pork ever! With the extra fat, it can be almost too fatty so that is why I often mix this cut with the other very affordable type of pork roast, which is the boneless loin! I have used one or the other as well. I find that a mixture of fat and lean pork roasts creates a perfect amount of moisture to have the juiciest pulled pork recipe ever!
Such an Easy and Forgiving Recipe
If you wish, you can put the brown sugar, garlic salt, and liquid smoke on the meat the night before. I don't really think it makes much difference. I do use a heavy duty stainless steel roaster for this pulled pork recipe. It really does keep the temperature even and the moisture in. The long, slow, roasting process generates the sweet and smoky, garlicky flavor to be completely infused throughout the meat. The juicy, tender, pulled pork tastes so delicious that you can eat it without any bbq sauce on it. I do usually mix the shredded pork with Homemade Smoky Barbecue Sauce and serve it on Light and Fluffy Homemade Honey Buns.
I often make this Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork to feed a crowd. This recipe also freezes well, so even if you're not cooking for a large group, you can make it and have some in the freezer for a busy day. This pulled pork recipe is a snap to pull out of the freezer, toss it into a slow cooker, set on low for a the day, and have for supper! Usually, Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork is served with Homemade Smoky Barbecue Sauce and coleslaw. Some prefer to add pickles or a dash of horseradish to their sandwiches. Another tasty addition is cheese, which I know is unconventional, but hey, some of us are cheese lovers!
History of Pulled Pork
Pulled pork originated in the southern U.S. This method of slowly smoking pork was thought to have been brought to America by Spanish explorers who learned this tasty way of cooking meat when they were in South America. Slow cooking a whole hog was the original way of making this tasty slow cooked pulled pork.
Don't forget to celebrate National Pulled Pork Day on October 12th!
Why you will LOVE Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork recipe!
- Super easy, no fuss recipe!
- Feeds a crowd.
- Tastes icredibly delicious!
- Very low cost meal.
- Never fail recipe, made many, many, many times.
Ingredients for Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork
- Boneless Pork Loin, and Pork Shoulder also called Pork Butt.
- Water, added to the pan while cooking.
- Brown sugar, adds a sweet, caramelly flavor.
- Garlic salt
- Liquid smoke
- Barbecue sauce, homemade or your favorite store bought brand.
How to make Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork
- Place the pork shoulder and loin in a large roaster. Pour the water over the roasts, then the liquid smoke. Next, sprinkle the garlic salt and brown sugar onto the meat and rub in.
2.Cover and bake at 300°F for 8-12 hours, until a meat thermometer is showing 200°F.
3.Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Take the meat out of the roaster onto a large cutting board, trim the fat off, cut into large chunks to make it easier to handle, then shred with 2 forks.
4.Place the shredded meat back into the roaster with all of the liquids and stir.
5.Add barbecue sauce if you wish.
What to serve with Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Light and Fluffy Homemade Honey Buns
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Homemade Coleslaw
- Japanese Cabbage Salad
- Dilly Cucumber Salad
- Baked Beans
- Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Easy oven cooked pulled pork is just like it sounds. Rub the pork with garlic salt, brown sugar, and liquid smoke. Then add water and bake at 300°F for 8-12 hours until the meat is falling apart, melt in your mouth juicy and tender! The hardest part of this recipe is to stop eating the pulled pork when you're shredding it!
- 5 lb pork loin (boneless)
- 2 1/2 lb pork shoulder
- 1 cup water
- 1/2-1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 3 cup barbecue sauce
Place the pork shoulder and loin in a large roaster. Pour the water over the roasts, then the liquid smoke. Next, sprinkle the garlic salt and brown sugar onto the meat and rub in.
Cover and bake at 300°F for 8-12 hours, until a meat thermometer is showing 200°F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Take the meat out of the roaster onto a large cutting board, trim the fat off, cut into large chunks to make it easier to handle, then shred with 2 forks.
Place the shredded meat back into the roaster with all of the liquids and stir.
Add barbecue sauce if you wish.
Servings 25
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 317kcal
- Calories from Fat 108kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 12g19%
- Saturated Fat 4g20%
- Trans Fat 0.07g
- Cholesterol 102mg34%
- Sodium 843mg36%
- Potassium 563mg17%
- Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
- Dietary Fiber 0.3g2%
- Sugars 15.7g
- Protein 32g64%
- Iron 9 mg
- Thiamin 58 mg
- Riboflavin 32 mg
- Niacin 51 mg
- Vitamin B6 70 mg
- Vitamin B12 37 mcg
- Pantothenic Acid 26 mg
- Phosphorus 44 mg
- Magnesium 13 mmol
- Zinc 49 mcg
- Selenium 82 mg
- Copper 15 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Shred the pork when it is still quite hot, the cooler it gets, the harder it is to shred.
Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the pork is cooked very well, about 200°F is when the meat will start falling apart.
Don't stress over it, this recipe is super simple.
Make sure to let the pork roast rest.
Don't add too much overpowering sauce, let the flavor of the meat shine through.
Do NOT use marinades, injections, or brines.
