Pork. Without a doubt it’s my favorite meat. I could sit here and list all the wonderful pork cuts and all the delicious ways to prepare them – but I’ll save all that for a snowy day. Today we’re talking about the almighty pork shoulder/butt roast.
We love smoked pork and love trying out all the little BBQ joints that set up shop roadside during the summer months. Pulled pork sandwiches are a family favorite. Makes a great treat but can get a bit pricey, so we don’t get to eat it as often as we’d like. Time for me to wave my magic wand – I can make a whole roast for just about what we pay for one sandwich platter.
I’ve tried recreating a smokey flavored pulled pork for ages now. After many, many, many roasts and too many sandwiches topped with BBQ sauce – I’ve finally created the PERFECT pulled pork. Smokey, full of flavor and just a bit of heat. I’m in LOVE.
This is one of the few roasts I make that doesn’t involve any marinating time. I rub it down with a liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar mixture and let it rest for a few minutes. Then I slather on the dry rub and it’s ready to go. Throw that bad boy in a roasting pan, pour in a 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, cover and cook low and slow for 6-8 hours, occasionally basting. Your roast is done when it easily pulls apart with a fork. Pull the roasting pan out of the oven and heat oven up to broil. At this point I remove all big chunks of fat (small bits of fat should stay in) and shred roast with two forks. Put roast back in oven, uncovered, and broil for 10 -15 minutes. KEEP AN EYE ON IT! Please don’t walk away, become distracted or forget about it. We’re trying to brown it up a bit and get a little crunch – not burn it. I stir the meat a few times to distribute all the juices so nothing dries out.
That’s it folks. Smokey, delicious pulled pork. No smokers, no grills, no wood chips – nothing but your oven and some seasoning creativity. I’m thrilled with the flavors of this and must say – it’s better then some of the “professionals” smoked pulled pork I’ve tasted. Sometimes I impress myself – this is definitely one of those times. Enjoy your pulled pork on a kaiser roll all by itself or maybe top it with a pickle or some coleslaw. Leftovers of this went quick in my house and I cannot wait to make it again!
I do hope you try my smokey pulled pork! I know you’ll enjoy it and look forward to hearing your comments. Thanks for stopping by…XOXO
Smokey Pulled Pork without the Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Shoulder/Butt Roast 3-6 Lbs.
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 2 Teaspoon Ground Mustard Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Bring roast to room temp for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 250.
- With a knife, stab roast all over.
- Mix together liquid smoke and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Rub all sides of roast with liquid mixture - massaging into holes. Use all of liquid mixture. Let roast rest for 5 minutes.
- Mix spices together. Rub down roast with spice mixture, rub all sides and into holes. Use all of spice rub.
- Place pork roast into small roasting pan. Pour 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar into pan. Bake covered, basting a few times, at 250 for 6-8 hrs or until roast is tender and pulls apart easily with fork. Remove from oven.
- Heat oven to broil.
- Shred roast with two forks. Discard any large chunks of fat, small pieces of fat should stay in.
- Broil roast for 10- 15 minutes or until it browns enough to your liking. I stir the meat a few times to distribute all the juices so nothing dries out. Pay attention to roast making sure nothing burns.
- Serve on rolls and enjoy : )
Amazing thank you so much. Ive gone from a house to an apartment and had no good ideas on the pulled pork without the smoker. You have officially made my afternoon. The flavor was great, and I love the ability to use my own spice options!
It was awesome-easy to do and loads of flavor!!! Thanks so much 1for this recipe
That’s wonderful, Andrew! I’m so glad you enjoy this smoky pulled pork as much as we do. Thank you so much for commenting – it’s soooo encouraging!
We never comment but this recipe was to die for! I hope others will for sure try this recipe. Perfect amount of smoke cause my wife doesn’t like to much smiley lol. 5 out of 5 for sure! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Steve – I’m so glad you both enjoyed this recipe! Before I got into smoking I used to make this pulled pork often. I’ll have to make it again this winter when it’s too cold to step outside. Thanks for stopping by : )
can you use this recipe in a slow cooker?
Hi Amy. I’ve never tried it in a slow cooker – but I see no reason it wouldn’t work. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hey Amy, were you able to cook it in a slow cooker?
If so, how did it turn out?
I am going to try this sounds delicious. Do you think instead of broiler at the end. You could instead just quick sear the roast, then just roast as directed.
Hi Patti!
You certainly could sear the roast before cooking.
I would still recommend broiling at the end though. The roast is so fall apart soft & tender after cooking – the quick broil gives it a little brown crisp texture – kinda like the bark of a roast after smoking.
Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
My family and I loved this recipe! I do believe this is the best pulled pork I’ve ever had! I am going to make this for my daughter’s graduation because it is so easy to make….thank you for sharing!!!
Awesome! So glad to hear you & your family love the recipe!
Thanks for stopping by Carmen 🙂
From the pictures it appears you pulled the pork in the juice from cooking it. Is that so?
Hi Ron. You got it – I pulled & tossed the pork in the leftover juices 🙂
Which brand of liquid smoke do you use for this recipe? This sounds delicious, I’m excited to try it!!
Hi Jasmine. I usually use Wright’s Liquid Smoke – but I’m pretty sure I used Colgins before too.
Hope you enjoy the recipe – would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’m going to attempt to make this in the roaster tomorrow I’ll let ya know how it goes!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Do you know how i can adapt this to a multi cooker,using pressure?
Hi Lauren!
I don’t know – but I promise I’ll try soon! I have a pressure cooker on it’s way to me and am looking forward to trying this recipe in it!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’m thinking of msking this for a wedding reception as sliders but wondered how this would freeze up?
Thanks, Jill
Hi Jill. I’ve honestly never tried freezing any pulled pork – but I have heard it freezes well.
Best of luck 🙂
Hi there,
Do you alter the amount of acv/liquid smoke or the dry rub ingredients depending on the size of your roast? If not, have you found the flavor to change depending on the size? 3 lb. being quite flavorful, 6 lb. being more mild?
Thanks for your time!
Hi Patty!
I use the same amount of ingredients for a roast anywhere in the 3-6 pound range. If you were concerned about a larger roast being a bit more mild, I would up the amount of dry ingredients just a bit. The liquid smoke is potent….a little goes a long way.
I do usually buy a 5-6 pound roast, so that was the starting point for this recipe. When I tried it with 3-4 pound roasts, I felt the end results were the same.
Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Waaaay too salty. If you’re looking for a heart attack or looking to ruin a good piece of meat, follow the directions exactly. Super disappointed.
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. These measurements are pretty standard for a dry rub…
Oh my goodness! This was so easy to make an absolutely fabulous! My husband said and I agree, this was the Best pork I have made. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for a great recipe. I wouldn’t change anything
Do you think I could substitute the 1/2 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup of Dr. pepper?
I have made this recipe two times now, and the pork is especially good after pulling & then the 15 minute broil at the end. Pork doesn’t really need BBQ sauce, spices are spot on. Thx Amanda!