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Make the perfect Carolina pulled pork with this easy and delicious recipe. Impress your friends and family with this mouth-watering dish, complete with a step-by-step video tutorial.
Want to make the best pulled pork from your own kitchen? The key to making this Carolina pulled pork recipe is the brine. You’re actually going to start this recipe two days ahead of time with the brine, and it takes time to make tender, juicy pulled pork in the oven. So plan your schedule accordingly, and get ready for the best pulled pork of your life!
Make a batch of our very best macaroni salad and toss together a fresh fruit salad, and it’s party time!!
Table of Contents
- Watch How This Pulled Pork Recipe is Made…
- Creating the Best Pulled Pork Recipe
- Carolina Pulled Pork Ingredients
- What’s the Best Pork for Pulled Pork?
- How to Make Pulled Pork in the Oven
- How Long to Cook Pulled Pork
- Can I Make Pulled Pork on a Smoker?
- Can I Make This Pulled Pork Recipe in the Slow Cooker?
- How to Prep Carolina Pulled Pork in Advance
- Tips to Making the Best Pulled Pork
- What to Serve with Carolina Pulled Pork
- Storing and Reheating
- More PORK DINNER RECIPES You Must Try:
- World’s Best Carolina Pulled Pork Recipe
Watch How This Pulled Pork Recipe is Made…
Creating the Best Pulled Pork Recipe
When I think of BBQ, I can’t help but think of slow and low style, the Carolina way. In order to cook the best pulled pork, it’s essential that you plan ahead and spend some time prepping and cooking that delicious meat at those lower temperatures. This helps bring out all those flavors that melt in your mouth and allows that pork to literally fall apart. I know, we are all lazy and don’t want to, but trust me, this Carolina pulled pork recipe is so easy your dog could do it.
This recipe may seem like a process, but here’s the deal: you really just plop the pork in the fridge to marinate, and then transfer it to the oven. Although it takes a long time, you’re just going about your everyday life so it’s really not extra work on your part.
These idea for this pulled pork recipe come from watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Shout out to Guy, who gets to eat for a living! We occasionally watch his show on Netflix at night, and first of all, it makes us so hungry, but we also feel like we can totally guess when he doesn’t really enjoy something. We wish we could find out what he really thinks are the best and the worst of the places he has tried.
Anyway, I got a little off topic. Here are the secrets to the world’s best Carolina pulled pork.
Carolina Pulled Pork Ingredients
There are three main components to this pulled pork recipe: the brine, pulled pork rub, and the homemade BBQ sauce. Here is what you will need for each component:
- 5-8 Pound Pork Shoulder (or Butt)
Pulled Pork Brine
- Water
- Apple Cider
- Note that you’ll be using apple cider, NOT cider vinegar, in the pork shoulder brine. But many of our readers have missed that and added pure vinegar and so we had no choice but to try it since so many of you loved the results. Sure enough, it was great! So we prefer the juice but hey, vinegar is fun too! Apple cider adds a little more flavor without ever tasting like apple, and all you have to do is dump it in.
- Kosher Salt
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Dry Rub (see below)
- Bay Leaves
- Red Pepper Flakes
Pulled Pork Dry Rub
- Onion Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Chili Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dry Mustard
- Cumin
- Brown Sugar
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Of course, you’re welcome to use a store-bought sauce, but if you’re looking for the best pulled pork recipe ever, well, you need to use homemade barbecue sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Chili Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
What’s the Best Pork for Pulled Pork?
To make the best pulled pork, you’ve got to start with the best cut of meat. Most barbecue restaurants use whole bone-in pork shoulders, but they’re rarely available in grocery stores. If you find a whole shoulder, use it. Otherwise, we recommend a Boston butt, which is half of the shoulder, the other half being the picnic shoulder.
How to Make Pulled Pork in the Oven
This pulled pork recipe looks lengthy, but each step of this recipe is incredibly easy. Here’s a quick overview of how to make pulled pork in the oven:
- Mix all the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
- Stir together the pork shoulder brine and let the pork soak in it for 12 to 24 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine and place it in a large baking dish, then pat it dry with paper towels.
- Rub the pulled pork seasoning all over the meat, saving just a little of the dry rub for later.
- With the fat facing up, bake the pork at a low temperature until it registers 200ºF at the thickest part.
- Turn off the oven and let the pork rest for a couple hours.
- Take the pork out of the oven and remove the fat from the top. Then, shred the meat with two forks.
- Drain half the juices from the pork, then add the remaining dry rub and toss in the homemade bbq sauce.
- Serve with buns or hoagies to make pork sandwiches or just serve the meat plain with some coleslaw and all your favorite sides.
How Long to Cook Pulled Pork
If you’re southern, you know this isn’t just a secret but practically a law in the south — LOW AND SLOW. I always laugh when people tell me they can’t make bbq, “I let it cook for over an hour and it was dry and hard as a rock!”
BBQ is very relaxed, just like southerners. It wants to hang out all day, and while you may think you’re overcooking it, you’re not! Our pork cooks for at least 12 hours, sometimes more if it’s a bigger butt (I feel like there should be a joke in there). Do not rush it.
Can I Make Pulled Pork on a Smoker?
If you’d rather make smoked pulled pork instead of oven pulled pork, we recommend following our Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe. It gives step-by-step instructions on smoking pulled pork on a Traeger.
Can I Make This Pulled Pork Recipe in the Slow Cooker?
Yes this can be done in the slow cooker, but we’ve found that it doesn’t do it justice. It is also hard to fit the size of pork butt you need into a crock pot. If you decide to try it, it will cook for the same amount of time on low. Follow the brining instructions as written, and no need to add any liquid to the slow cooker. There’s enough juice in the pork to keep cooking properly.
How to Prep Carolina Pulled Pork in Advance
Reader Kate says:
“I’m heading up to my cabin and need a dinner for a large crowd a few hours after we arrive, wondering if I can cook the pork and then finish it off in the grill when we arrive? Or if it’s better to do all steps and then reheat it on arrival? Looks delish.”
Great question! We do this ALLLLLLL the time. Go ahead and make this pulled pork recipe, and then you have two choices. Pull it out of the oven and put it straight into the car and it will rest on the way to the cabin and be ready to eat two hours later.
Or make it, rest it, cool it and place in freezer bags, or to be honest, we use this Foodsaver and just suck the air out and freeze pork for use over the next three months. It’s super easy, and tastes perfectly fresh when we reheat. We just place it in the fridge to defrost and then reheat in a large pan with foil in a low oven or stove top with a little oil in the pan and a lid to keep the steam in so it’s juicy.
Tips to Making the Best Pulled Pork
The key thing to remember when making this pulled pork recipe is to let the meat rest after it’s finished cooking. I told you, it’s lazy. Letting it rest redistributes the juices, and because it’s big and cooked for a long time you’re going to want to let it rest longer — like an hour or even two — before shredding.
Perhaps the biggest secret of all, and one that I cannot claim as my own as this is where Triple D (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) comes in, is to sprinkle a little more of the rub onto the meat before serving. We noticed many bbq joints weren’t just slathering on the sauce, but actually sprinkling that dry rub all over the shredded meat and tossing to let it sink it. You won’t believe what a difference it makes!
You can also use another type of bbq sauce in this pulled pork recipe! Carrian likes a thick, sweet sauce or a Carolina vinegar bbq, and I love this Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce on my homemade pulled pork.
What to Serve with Carolina Pulled Pork
We recommend firing up the grill and making grilled corn to go with this Carolina pulled pork. It is so dang good every time! And just for pure comfort, add a side of Southern mac and cheese. A few other pulled pork sides we love are:
Storing and Reheating
Leftover pulled pork should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3-4 days. This meat also stores great in the freezer. Let it cool completely and then place in ziploc bags (or better yet, use a Food Saver!). It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Use leftovers in pulled pork pizza or pulled pork nachos! If you want to just reheat it, turn on your oven and set the temperature to 250°F. Then, cover your meat with foil and put it into the oven when it’s ready. After you put it into your oven, let it heat for 30 minutes or until reaching an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Get ready for the juiciest and most flavorful pulled pork you’ll ever try! This recipe for Carolina pulled pork is a crowd-pleaser!
More PORK DINNER RECIPES You Must Try:
- Pork Chop and Rice Casserole
- Classic Pork Carnitas
- Copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos
- Pineapple Braised Pork
- Classic Pork Roast (+ Pan Gravy)
- Grandpa’s BBQ Pulled Pork
- Pork Chops with Apple Chutney
- Country-Style Pork Ribs (in an Instant Pot)
- …All of our MAIN DISH recipes!
Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 5-8 Pound Pork Butt, bone in and fat pad on top
For the Dry Rub
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika, heaping
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Cayenne Powder
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
For the Brine
- 4 Cups Water
- 4 Cups Apple Cider, or eliminate the water and use 8 cups of apple cider
- ½ Cup Kosher Salt
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Dry Rub, heaping
- 1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Bay Leaves
For the BBQ Sauce (Optional)
- ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Cup White Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar, up to 1/3 Cup
- ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
- 2 Pinches Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- NOTE: This recipe should be started 2 days ahead of time as you need 24 hours in the fridge, 12-14 in the oven and 2 hours of resting.
Prepare the Dry Rub:
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a ziploc bag. Set aside.1 Tablespoon Onion Powder, 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder, 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 ½ Tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 Tablespoon Pepper, 2 teaspoons Cayenne Powder, 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard, 1 Tablespoon Cumin, ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
For the Brine
- In a large stock pot, add the water, apple cider, salt, sugar, 3 tablespoons dry rub, pepper flakes and bay leaves.4 Cups Water, 4 Cups Apple Cider, ½ Cup Kosher Salt, ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 3 Tablespoons Dry Rub, 2 Bay Leaves, 1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- Rinse off the pork and add to the pot making sure it is completely covered in the brine and add the lid.5-8 Pound Pork Butt
- Place in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
For the Sauce
- In a glass jar, add the ingredients and place the lid on then shake to combine. Set aside.½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, ½ Cup White Vinegar, ¼ Cup Brown Sugar, ½ teaspoon Chili Powder, 2 Pinches Red Pepper Flakes, Salt
To Cook
- Heat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Remove the pork from the brine and place in a roasting dish or 9×13" baking pan as long as the sides don't touch the pan.
- Pat very dry with paper towels.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of the dry rub to another ziploc and set aside for after it is cooked.
- Rub the remaining seasoning all over the pork and in any cracks or flaps.
- With the fat facing up, place the pork in the oven with a meat thermometer.
- Bake for 12-14 hours or until 200 degrees F registers on the thickest part of the pork with a meat thermometer. *Remember to watch your oven, ours turns off automatically at 12 hours so I have to turn it back on.
- At this point you can turn off the oven and leave the pork in there to rest for two hours or if you have more baking to do place foil over the meat and allow to rest on the stove.
- Once the meat has rested, remove the fat from the top and using two forks, shred the meat and remove the bone.
- Drain half of the juices out and add the remaining dry rub to taste, toss to coat and drizzle a little vinegar sauce over everything.
- Serve immediately as is or on buns.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking forward to making this but wondering if I can use a slowcooker vs the oven. If yes, do I just use some of the brine or just add water to the slow cooker? Any flavoring?
Hello! Yes this can be done in the slow cooker, but we’ve found that it doesn’t do it justice. It is also hard to fit the size of pork butt you need into a crock pot. If you decide to try it, it will cook for the same amount of time on low. Follow the brining instructions as written, and no need to add any liquid to the slow cooker. There’s enough juice in the pork to keep cooking properly. If you have a smoker, you should definitely try that. Then it’s outside and not heating up your house and it is absolutely heaven! (https://ohsweetbasil.com/smoke-pulled-pork-on-a-traeger/)
I had a last minute crisis and left the pork in the brine for 48 hours. Can it be saved?
Hi Terri! Oh no, I’m so sorry! It should be okay. The meat just might be a little tougher than it should be.
Thoughts on using this recipe for pulled pork tacos instead of BBQ?
It makes amazing pulled pork tacos! Just add the meat and use whatever toppings you want! It’s one of our favorite ways to use leftover pulled pork.
I bought a 5 lb Boston butt for this recipe a few months back when I saw it on sale and I froze it. I thawed it out yesterday and plopped it into the brine this morning straight out of the package. Just now tonight I took it out of the liquid and started patting it dry when I realized that it is not a whole piece of meat. It is sliced up in 5 long pieces. I put the dry rub on all the pieces and stacked them close together in the baking pan with the fat side up. Fingers crossed this still works.
Hi Santana! It should have worked just fine. It probably just got done more quickly than the recipe says. I hope you enjoyed it!!
Oh, yes. it was definitely overcooked but it had an incredible flavor. We reheated it in the oven with all the rest of the vinegar sauce. It moistened it a little more and it was pretty tasty.
Oh good! I’m so glad it worked out! Thank you for the update!
I put my roast in the oven covered when I went to bed last night, but uncovered 8 hours later. Was the roast supposed to be uncovered the entire time?
Yes, it should have been uncovered the whole time, but you should be fine!
Hi there! So you don’t cover this while it is in the oven?
Thanks!
No, cook it uncovered.
I was second guessing myself, I have a total of 23.5 pounds of meat so I tripled everything, and I think I had to because I needed that extra brine to cover all the meat in the stockpot, any suggestions, or just go with my tripled recipe. I am really excited about this. I don’t see a problem with slow cooking in the oven, I have a smoker, but I don’t have the time to man, and my daughter doesn’t like the smoke flavor
You should be good to go with your tripled recipe! The cook time shouldn’t change too much. It will most likely be done at the same time listed in the instructions. Slow cooking it in the oven is a great way to go! Enjoy!!
Thank you, my issue is this with cooking so much meat I don’t know how I cannot have the meat touching the sides of the pan what will happen if it is touching the sides do I just made them keep them rotated
Just keep your eye on it throughout the cooking process. Usually if the meat is touch the side, it will get overcooked in that area. You could try cooking them in separate pans if you can fit multiple pans in your oven. You can even put pans on multiple racks and rotate the pans periodically.
This turned out soooo good, can’t wait to share it at the party tomorrow, 23 1/2 pounds in a huge roaster, after 8 hours when I got home I was going to switch the pan so that the sides weren’t touching, but they had already pulled away from shrinkage. Even with all that meat I had it only took 12 hours. I followed everything else to the tee, except tripling the Brine and the dry rub because of all the meat I had. Thank you so much for the recipe and your help
Yay!! This is the best news! I hope your party is wonderful!
Making the worlds best (again)! I did however have a question on the optional sauce, where both white and apple cider vinegars are used in equal parts (1/2 cup each). Is there an interaction where an enhanced or new flavor is created, or is this to change the acidity? How would the taste change if using just 1 cup of Apple Cider or just 1 cup of white on their own separately and without combining the 2 types at all?
Many thanks as always!!
Tony
Hey Tony! Great question! We like the combination of both. When we’ve tried all apple, we thought it was too overpowering. When we’ve tried all white, we miss the apple flavor. It’s all about the flavor. Feel free to experiment and see if you like one over the other! Thank you for the support!
I am super excited to use your recipe. I have already purchased pork loin roasts. Can I use these for your recipe? How would I adjust the cooking instructions?
Hi Michelle! A pork loin roast will work just fine for this recipe though it will not “pull” like a pork butt/shoulder would just because the fat content is so different. The time it takes to roast it will depend on it’s size. It will range from 2-4 hours for roasting time. I would keep the brining time and resting time the same.
Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing recipe. I made this 2 years ago, I waz going crazy looking for tbe recipe. I wrote in 1 of many notepads around my home. Anyway, DEE-LISH. I was wondering. Your sauce recipe for the Carolina recipe vs. The Traeger Smoked is a little different as far as ingredients? Just wondering. I only made the Carolina sauce, do you have a preference?
No preference! We love both! Thank you so much for the support!
I tried this recipe last week and we loved it. I do have a couple questions. First, do I need to add any water to the pan before I start baking it? Second, the recipe says to add half of the liquid into the pulled pork. It seemed to be mostly grease. Is that what I’m to add back in? Then I was wondering after I brine one could I use the same brine for another pork shoulder? Thanks
Hey Joette! No water needs to be added to the pan before you stick it in the oven. You can add some of the drippings back into the pork after it is shredded if you want, but it is optional. I definitely would not use the brine again. Cross contamination of different meats, even if they are the same size and type still breed bacteria. So glad you loved this recipe!