I always have a batch of this flavorful, versatile dutch oven pulled pork in my freezer. My basic spice combination is super flexible and pairs with a variety of cuisines. Searing then braising the pork in a dutch oven results in crispy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork.
Dutch oven pulled pork is a staple that I turn to regularly in my meal planning. It’s an incredibly versatile cut of meat, relatively inexpensive, deeply flavorful, and super easy to cook.
There are some drawbacks, though – primarily the time commitment (anywhere from 4-8 hours) and the portion size. The pastured pork shoulder or Boston butt that I source from my local butcher is generally in the 3-5 pound range. That’s a lot of freakin’ meat.
For years I used the entire cut to make a gigantic batch of carnitas, pork ragu, BBQ pulled pork, or chili, and then froze the leftovers into manageable portions. This was effective in terms of reducing waste, but even this crazy-for-carnitas family tires of it after 4 (or more) pounds worth.
Enter this oven braised pulled pork recipe. Every 6 weeks or so I purchase a boneless Boston Butt, rub it down with a super versatile spice mixture, braise it in my dutch oven, and then freeze the pulled pork into 1-pound cooked portions.
I can easily defrost an individual portion to make an endless variety of quick weeknight recipes that I’ve adapted from their lengthier parent versions. Crispy carnitas in 20 minutes? Yes please. Fast weeknight pork ragu? Sign me up.
All of the flavor with just a fraction of the commitment.
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Dutch Oven Pulled Pork Recipe Notes
My go-to cut for dutch oven pulled pork is a boneless boston butt. They’re readily available in most grocery stores and butchers, and it’s also an option from my local CSA farmer. Because it’s boneless, it’s much easier to cut it down into manageable 3-4″ chunks for searing. .
My basic spice rub complements a wide variety of cuisines – sea salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and a touch of oregano. If you consistently use pulled pork in spicy recipes, feel free to add a tablespoon of red pepper flakes or chili powder.
I sear then braise my pulled pork in my trusty dutch oven. The method isn’t difficult, but you do need to babysit the pork a little, so it’s definitely a weekend task.
The texture that results from browning then braising the pork in a dutch oven is unmatched – crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Towards the end of the braising process, the exterior starts to caramelize in its own fat, creating a delicious crispy crust while the interior meat stays moist and tender. To. Die. For. Tasty.
If you’ve only ever cooked pull pork in the crockpot (I’m not judging, I did it for years, and still do it for certain recipes), you’ll want to try this version of braised pulled pork in a dutch oven. You won’t be disappointed.
(PS – I’m in love with my Lodge dutch oven linked earlier. I’d marry it and have little dutch oven babies. It’s such an integral part of my cooking arsenal that I own three – red, blue, and white. How’s that for an honest endorsement?)
How to Use Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
I’ve adapted a variety of more time-consuming recipes into fast weeknight dinners using this basic braised pulled pork as a base, such as my weeknight Pork Ragu recipe. This is an incredibly flexible recipe that takes on a variety of flavors from Mexican to American to Italian:
Need fast and easy? Toss some into a grain salad for a kick of protein (this combo makes an excellent packed lunch BTW).
Tossed with my favorite paleo BBQ sauce or my paleo strawberry BBQ sauce and served with a side of cider vinegar slaw.
As a base for an easy breakfast hash.
Mixed with rice, black beans, avocado, lettuce, and pico de gallo for a burrito bowl.
Served with carrot slaw, avocado, and lettuce for a paleo wrap.
What’s your favorite way to eat oven braised pulled pork? Tell me in the comments!
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Braised Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
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Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless boston butt
- 2-4 tbsp bacon fat, avocado oil, or another fat with a high smoke point
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300*.
- Prepare the spice mixture. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano and mix to combine.
- Using a sharp knife, trim any excessive fat from the pork, but take caution to leave some intact (fat=flavor!). Slice the trimmed pork into 3-4" chunks. Dunk each side of the pork cubes into the spice mixture, covering all sides.
- Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the fat of your choice and heat until it simmers. In batches, brown each side of the meat until the exterior is golden brown, 6-8 minutes per side. To ensure maximum browning, ensure pieces are not touching and that the pot is not overcrowded. For a 4-lb boston butt, this this typically takes me 3-4 batches total.
- Transfer the meat back to the dutch oven and arrange in a single layer at the bottom of the pan - for this stage it's totally fine for the pieces to be touching, and it will be a bit snug. Add 1/2 cup of water to the dutch oven, cover, and transfer to the oven. Braise in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat easily pulls with a fork. In the last hour or so, all of the liquid will have cooked off and the meat will start to render in its own fat.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and then shred with a fork. The cooked meat can be immediately consumed, or, divided into 1-pound portions and freeze. To freeze, I wrap the pork in plastic wrap, then store in a gallon zip-lock bag. Cooked pork keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Kristina says
You do your pulled pork almost exactly like we do ours…definitely Dutch oven.
Erin says
Yes!!!!!! This is happening immediately.
Danielle says
Have you made it yet? If not I’ll make it for you this winter over Christmas!
Ernest white says
I made it, too easy, best I ever had w/0 any injections or special treatment. Need recipes
For sauce. Txt 803 -804-2542
Scott M says
Gonna try this tonight!
Deglaze after searing the pork or jus toss the chunks back into the Dutch oven?
Thanks for sharing this!
Danielle says
Personally I don’t deglaze, just toss them back in. I find I get a crispier crust that way (which I like), and the pork will naturally release liquid as it cooks for a seasoned sauce when it’s done. But ultimately it’s personal preference, and you can deglaze with about a cup of beef stock or wine.
Markus says
This must take forever!!! 6-8 minutes per side = 6 sides = at least 36 minutes per batch. For 4 lbs and approx 3 batches it takes at least 1 1/2 hours to just brown. Add on at least 3 hours and you are close to 5 hours. Is this so?
Jon says
I sliced mine in I inch thick round slabs and was able to fit enough in the Dutch oven to do two batches. I only browned the flat sides of each slab and it only took me about 25 minutes total. Then continued as directed and it was the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. My wife and I decided to go vegetarian for several reasons, but I’m making this again today as my last meal of sorts.
Peggy says
This was incredible. I just learned we had a cast iron dutch oven in the garage and have been making some incredible beef pot roasts. This was recipe #2 I’ve tried in it, and my husband loves it. I wasn’t sure about the small amount of liquid (since the beef roast recipe takes much more) but it turned out great. Thanks so much (and if you have any more dutch oven recipes, bring them on!)
Danielle says
So glad to hear this Peggy!! I have a few other dutch oven recipes on the site – give a search for “red wine pot roast” and “red wine beef stew”, and will definitely have more in the future. Cheers!
Amanda says
Made this yesterday, it’s incredible! I was lamenting that we don’t have a smoker – but who needs one when you can do pulled pork this way. I about smoked us out of the house when browning the meat, I did not brown anywhere close to 6 minutes per side because it was so smoky, but it still turned out great. Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe!
Rylan says
You had your pan too hot. You were probably smoking your oil. If the oil smokes, your pan is too hot or you need a higher smoke point oil.
Danielle says
Yes, this. I like to use bacon fat to help with smoking, but you can also adjust the temperature as you cook if the dutch oven gets overheated. Cast iron can be a little temperamental.
Jodi says
I plan to make this recipe this weekend. What size Dutch oven do you recommend? Or can I use a 3.5 qt braiser?
Alyssa says
Danielle, , it’s awesome! I cannot wait to try this. I bet it makes the house smell divine and tastes incredible!
Danielle says
I hope you loved it as much as we do!!
Olga says
It looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!
Constance says
I’ll admit I speed through and skimp on the browning step, only doing 3 batches and not nearly 6 minutes a side – but even cheating, this is the best pulled pork! I always receive compliments on my slow cooker pulled pork, but when I did it in the Dutch oven, my husband said “holy $-!7 honey, you’ve outdone yourself!” I use my own spice blend, too, a little more heat to it. I love the minimal amount of added liquid; really makes it crispy and creates it’s own BBQ sauce.
Danielle says
I’m so glad you loved it Constance!
Novak says
Preparing this now! What happens if you use enough water to cover half of the meat in the pot as you do with a typical braise?
Al says
Made it – loved it.
Kelly Gates says
Question! I’ve made this a time or two and LOVE it! Costco had pork tenderloin on sale for super cheap. Do you think it will work with that cut? Will it shred the same??
Danielle says
Hi Kelly – sorry for the delay, I was traveling! I think you could try this with pork tenderloin, but it won’t be *quite* the same, and the reason is because tenderloin is so lean. You’ll need to use more liquid, and I would add enough liquid to cover the tenderloin pieces by at least half, perhaps 2/3rds. And definitely double the fat to keep the cooking liquid nice and moist. Tenderloin won’t release liquid and fat like pork shoulder does, so you’re basically adding those elements in at the beginning to compensate. If you try this, please report back! I’d love to know how it turns out.
Danielle says
Oh! And yes, it should shred, as long as you cook it in enough moisture.
Amanda says
Can you add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion to make it as a roast?
Thank you
Henry says
I’ve made this 3 times since seeing this post about a year ago. Best pulled pork recipe.
Though, I do want to try it in the Instant Pot after browning it in cast iron. Thoughts?
OZ says
Specifics work well for me, but the braised results were very tender. I had 3.9# boneless butt. Cut it up into 9 pieces and seasoned. Used bacon fat, but the spices soaked up the fat and slugged off. Mine was done in 3 hours, and tasted very salty, but fell apart and was very moist.
I’ll keep searching for a braising recipe that works for me, thanks for helping me learn this technique.
Tracy Boyer says
I can’t wait to make this! I just bought a dutch oven and trying to find a lot of recipes…And I like the fact you can freeze some! I’ve made a few roasts so far, YUM, and I wonder…Why it took me so long to buy a dutch oven lol!! (which I hit a sale and was planning on getting my sister one for Christmas, and I got 2 dutch ovens (5 qt & 7 qt) for a very good deal!! Thank You so much..fingers crossed 🙂
Danielle says
I hope you enjoy it Tracy! I love braising meats in the dutch oven 🙂
Angie says
Very easy and the meat was so tender. My family gave this a 10 out of 10 and want me make it again next week.
Danielle says
I’m so glad this was a hit Angie!
Jay says
Looks really yummy. May I know what camera did you use to take these photos?
ELLEN FRIES says
Amazing! Going into my favorites recipe binder.
Issac says
Aside from it being way too salty, I thought everything else about this recipe was fantastic. The meat had a nice crust, but was also super tender and juicy. I think next time I’ll use about half the salt it was called for.