TL/DR – Oven Braised Pulled Pork. Sometimes the best thing to do on a Sunday is to slowly braise nicely seasoned pork butt and then use it all week long. This is the recipe for that. Perfectly seasoned. –
I love making a good quantity of slowly braised pork for when company comes, then eating it for the rest of the week in a variety of different ways. This recipe has a nice combination of seasonings, including paprika, celery salt, garlic powder, coriander, onion powder and chili powder. It is braised in a combination of water, apple cider and apple cider vinegar. The result is tender enough to pull apart with two forks and eat with just about anything.
Start with a nice Boston pork butt. Ask the butcher or meat department at the store to hack it into 4 inch chunks so that you don’t have to do that part. (For real, this is worth asking. They know how to cut meat.) Mix all of the seasonings together and sprinkle rub into the meat until each piece is coated. Then leave it to rest for about 20 or 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Then heat about 3 T canola oil in a dutch oven until screaming hot and add a few chunks. Sear them on 3 or 4 sides, then remove. Repeat this process with about two more batches. Lower the heat if necessary. Return all of the chunks to the dutch oven and add the mix of apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Cover that baby and stick it in the oven for about 3 hours.
Don’t mess with it. When it finally comes out of the oven after an agonizing amount of time smelling its deliciousness, it will be perfectly tender. It will come apart with two forks. It will make beautiful sandwiches, tacos, and burritos. Or it will go nicely with roasted veggies or mashed potatoes.
For a quicker, weeknight meal with all of the same rich, hearty flavor, try Sage Garlic Lamb with Feta Yogurt Sauce.
Oven Braised Pulled Pork
This pork takes time, but is very simple. It requires little more than seasoning, searing, adding a braising liquid and leaving in a low oven. Use it for sandwiches, tacos, burritos or as an entree with vegetables.
Ingredients
- 4 lb. Boston pork butt, cut into 4 inch chunks. Ask the butcher to do this.
- 1 T kosher salt
- 1 1/2 t celery salt
- 1 T paprika
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t black pepper
- 1 t coriander
- 1 t chili powder
- 1 t onion powder
- 3 T canola oil
- 2/3 c apple cider
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
Directions
- Step 1 Season the pork chunks by combining all seasonings in a bowl and then sprinkling over the pork, coating all sides of each piece. Allow to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Step 2 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Step 3 Heat the canola oil in a heavy dutch oven on high heat. Add about a third of the pork chunks. Sear for 1 – 2 minutes on 3 or 4 sides, then remove to a plate. Lower the heat if necessary to medium or medium-high. Repeat the searing process with about 2 more batches of the pork chunks.
- Step 4 Put all of the pork chunks back into the dutch oven. Combine the water, apple cider and apple cider vinegar and pour over the meat.
- Step 5 Cover and put into the oven for about 3 hours.
- Step 6 When the pork is very tender and can be pulled apart with two forks, it is ready. Remove it from the oven and shred with two forks, then toss it well with the remaining liquid.
