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Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork. A simple, dry rubbed pulled pork recipe that lets you enjoy smoky spicy flavour all year long from your oven.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork shown pulled apart after cooking

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Winter persists here in the Far Northeast. The calendar may say Spring but the foot and a half of snow we had this week insists it is not.

It’s going to be a while still before the several feet of snow melts from my back deck. Only then will the gas grill and smoker be put to use.

To bridge the gap, I came across this idea from Chef Perry Perkins. He slow roasts dry rubbed pulled pork in the oven for a very long time. Similar to how you would in a temperature controlled smoker.

While the original idea calls for the use of liquid smoke in the liquid under the pork, I’ve never really liked it plus It will fill your house with a smoky scent that may persist for some time.

Instead I used a dry rub that uses smoked paprika to provide some delicious smoky flavour.

This is the same idea that I used for our incredibly popular Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs.

Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs

Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs

You really do need to use a large piece of meat for a recipe like this, it really won’t work well with a small pork roast for example. I used a whole pork shoulder that was about 8 pounds.

The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your particular piece of meat but like when I smoke pork shoulder, up to 2 hours per pound is recommended.

I took this one out of the oven at 14 hours which was 1 hour and 45 minutes per pound and it was perfect. The pork will mostly stay together as a whole but should pull apart easily. On a meat thermometer 190 – 200 degrees F should be perfect.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork shown fully cooked.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

This recipe got the approval of my pulled pork loving son. We made some great pulled pork sandwiches with the addition of a little of my Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.

One of the best reasons to make pulled pork, especially on the weekend is for the leftovers that it provides for easy meals early in the week. We used some of our frozen pizza dough to make pulled pork pizza very much like this one.

Pulled Pork Nachos are also one of our family’s favourites and we’ve used it in great calzones too.

If you like the idea of this recipe, try the same idea on some succulent slow cooked ribs too.

The recipe here makes about 2 cups of rub so you can scale it down if you like but I like to keep it on hand for terrific roast chicken, chops or even burgers. You will find many ways to use it.

I just keep a supply on hand in a mason jar in my spice drawer. It also makes a wonderful thank-you gift if someone invites you to dinner. You’re sure to receive another invite before long.

What to serve on the side?

We have plenty of side dish inspiration to explore. Everything from baked beans & corn bread to deliciously different potato and pasta salads. Be sure to check out our collection of 35 Best BBQ Side Dishes

26 Best Barbecue Side Dishes photo collage for Pinterest

Like this Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork recipe?

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Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

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Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork shown pulled apart after cooking

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 20 hours

A simple, dry rubbed pulled pork recipe that lets you enjoy smoky spicy flavour all year long from your oven.

Ingredients

For the dry rub (makes about 2 cups)

  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 3 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp powdered ginger
  • 1 tbsp chipotle powder
  • 6 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp ground oregano
  • 1 tbsp ground thyme
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp dry mustard powder
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 3 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

For the pulled pork

  • 7-8 pound whole pork shoulder
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

For the dry rub

  1. Mix together all of the ingredients very well and store any unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool place.

For the pulled pork

  1. I like to remove the skin from the pork shoulder and trim the outer fat layer to about a 1/4 inch. You can leave the skin on if you prefer.
  2. Liberally rub the entire pork shoulder with the dry rub, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours to let the spice flavors penetrate the meat before cooking.
  3. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
  4. Mix together the water, apple juice and apple cider vinegar.
  5. Pour into the roasting pan with the pork shoulder.
  6. Roast uncovered for about 1 hour and 45 minutes per pound. (See notes in recipe introduction.)
  7. When the pork shoulder comes out of the oven, tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it sit to rest for 30-45 minutes before pulling the meat apart in medium sized pieces to serve. Toss the pork in the skimmed pan drippings or with a little Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce to serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

1 grams

Amount Per Serving Unsaturated Fat 0g

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Adam

Sunday 22nd of September 2019

I've made this twice now, elevating the meat above the liquid in a roasting pan. There were two observations I made in the process:

1. The 3 cups total of liquid in the base recipe evaporated well before the cooking process was done the first time I made this, ending with a burned mess of drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan. I bumped this to triple the amount (9 cups) which made it all the way through without issue. Your kitchen will smell like apple cider vinegar for a day or so afterwards, but it's worth it.

2, The crawl in temperature between the 160-170 mark and 200 really is sloooooow. You need to be patient; my 4lb shoulder took about 13 hours at 225, so the tip about overnight cooking was a good idea. Don't skip the post-cooking "rest" period either and you'll be rewarded with pork that is super tender and easily shreddable.

P. Kelly

Friday 23rd of August 2019

I am also preparing 2 roasts at the same time, rather than one larger roast. Because they are 2 smaller pieces, the time should be less, not more. I have not tied them together, so there is room for air to circulate around each of them, hence the shortened time. I would assume half to no more that 3/4 of the total estimated time. Follow the hours/per/pound plus a little. Use a meat thermometer if you have one. This can be done way and held or re-heated, so you have a lot of flexibility.

Susie Hodge

Thursday 14th of March 2019

How do I get the skin crispy?

Barry C. Parsons

Thursday 28th of March 2019

The skin is not meant to be crispy in this recipe. I normally remove the skin and most of the fat layer beneath before dry rubbing.

Erin

Friday 27th of July 2018

What if I have TWO pork roasts (8 lbs each)- do I double the roasting time or keep it the same since they are separate?

Lori

Monday 27th of August 2018

If they are in the oven at the same time you would keep everything the same, though they may require just a bit more time than cooking a single shoulder

Barry C. Parsons

Thursday 23rd of August 2018

I'm really missing the point of your question here. Are they not in the oven at the same time?

2pots2cook

Monday 30th of April 2018

This is definitely a keeper. Seems ideal for Saturdays when out of office. Thank you for detailed instructions !

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