Braised Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

Love pulled pork, but don't know what to do with the leftovers? This is an easy solution! I batch cook then freeze this basic braised pulled pork into one-pound portions. It's is an easy way have an endless variety of fast weeknight dinners.

4.65 from 17 votes

Braised Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

This dutch oven pulled pork is a flavorful and versatile paleo and Whole30 recipe. Oven braised pulled pork is both crispy and tender, with deep flavor. Tuck this easy pulled pork into your freezer for fast, filling weeknight dinners!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Whole 30

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings

Calories 440kcal

Author Danielle Esposti

Equipment

Dutch Oven

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.

Video

Notes

One cooked serving size is about 3 ounces.

Nutrition