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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.
We cook this all the time. I mean, ALL THE TIME. More than we probably should. It’s hands down the absolute best pulled pork we’ve ever had, made by us or anyone else. It’s spoiled us for getting it at restaurants (with the possible exception of, say, food trucks in Austin, TX), because we always know it’s not going to be as good as ours–er, yours.
We made it again yesterday for a graduation party, and out of a 7-pound shoulder, we had enough leftover for a single sandwich the next day (which our 10th-grader turned into an awesome quesadilla for lunch today).
Anyway, just had to log on to say thanks. We’ve shared this recipe (and the fruits of it) with so many people, and everyone agrees this is tremendous.
Harley, What an amazing compliment!! Thank you so much and hooray for a teenage chef! Even a quesadilla deserves praise for sure, cheese and meat with carbs? Total win!!
Thank you again!
Hi! I would like to make this but my pork shoulder doesn’t have a bone. Is that going to be an issue?
Hi Laura,
I would watch the cooking time as boneless takes less time to cook and you may find that it isn’t as tender and flavorful as bone in but it will still work. 🙂
Wahhhhhhhh my 4th time making it and I totally bought a boneless pork butt! Ugh i hope it’s as amazing as the other times. I love how the others have been so juicy and and tender. How did yours turn out?
Oh dear!! It was still pretty good boneless but we definitely prefer bone in.
Ok, so it turned out ok but totally will make sure to have bone in next time. I have been stalking my stove and finally took it out to try. I had to snag a bite before I let it sit for 2 hours. Lol! I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow!
Haha, that’s just like us! And yes, bone in is definitely our favorite but so glad you left a review of boneless in case anyone else wants to know. It really is so helpful. 🙂
Hi! I am wanting to make this recipe this weekend only with a smaller 3 lb pork butt, I was wondering if you would know how long I would have to cook that?
Hi Shelby,
To use a 3 lb pork butt you’ll want to decrease the time to 10-12 hours, but more important than time is the internal temperature, so make sure you snag a meat thermometer and pull it out at 200 degrees.
thank you so much!
I wish I had read these comments before I made my brine. I too used apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider. Knew I made a mistake right after I added it to the brine, so I tossed it and started over. Sounds like I didn’t need to! Oh well. Can’t wait to try it!
Oh dear!! I’ll go make it more obvious, though I’m tempted to leave it as it appears to be so good either way, haha!
I am making this on Friday, but the smallest shoulder I found was 9 pounds. Do I just double the ingredients for the brine & dry rub (& obviously cook longer)? Thanks in advance!
Hi Robyn,
This recipe works for up to 8 pounds and that extra pound wont need much more. I would leave the brine and allow the pork to cook closer to the 14 hours mark and it will turn out perfect.
My pork is currently in the oven. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I wanted to know if I could use this brine for chicken. I have a bit left over and wanted to maybe make some barbecue chicken in the same fashion. Thank you for any advice!
Hi Yolanda,
If the brine is unused it’s wonderful for chicken! Enjoy!
Please tell me what is apple cider. I’m in South Africa and not sure if it’s the alcoholic version Apple
Cider….
Thanks
S
Hi Simone, apple cider is basically apple juice. No alcohol at all. 🙂
If I added 4 cups apple cider vinegar. Instead of apple cider have I really messed up or can my brine be fixed?
Hi Peggy, unfortunately you do need to use cider and not vinegar. You could add a tablespoon of vinegar with water instead, or skip all of the vinegar
Oh wow! Lol! I made this recipe and assumed it was apple cider vinegar in the recipe…. Guess what? BEST PULLED PORK EVER! Hands down! My hard to please FIL wasn’t even going to stop eating it!!
No way!! Ok, we are definitely trying that next time!
Oh my stars… I did the same thing too ROFL I didn’t even realize I messed up until I came back to the site to leave you a comment to tell how great this recipe was! I used a 10-lb shoulder and it was the most tender BBQ I’ve ever eaten. I’m guessing the acidity from the vinegar must have helped? Anyhoo-lol…. Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. My daughter, who swore that she did not like BBQ, has already asked if I would make this again for her birthday.
LOL!! That is hilarious! So glad it works!
Did you do the entire 14 hours ?
Hi Chris,
Ours is usually around 13 hours because we buy a smaller cut since we are such a little family, but otherwise, yes we do.
Lol! Omg i made this for my sons party and i thought i read apple cider vinegar! I made 2 huge porks! Nobody said anything. It came out really really good. Lol! If i didnt read this comment i would never had caught it. Lol!
Haha, you both are awesome. SOOOOO thrilled no one noticed. And now I can’t help but want to try it just to see how it turns out… xoxo!
I would love to hear how it compares!?
Um its way way more flavorful! You can taste it in the cooked pork a little but it gives it a good zing! I made it correct the second time around and felt i needed bbq sauce on the side. Maybe it was due to cheap apple cider my husband picked up. Im on a hunt for a good apple cider . I’ll try it again but if it doeant have a strong flavor like the apple cider vinegar im going back to it! Lol
I can’t wait to hear which one you stick with. And yes, good apple cider changes everything!
So we are having a party again and i chose to use the apple cider vinegar. It sticks but I know it will have so much flavor and i wont need any extra sauce. I can’t wait to cook it and smell and taste it. I am making 16 lbs of it! Lol… wish me luck!
Holy 16 pounds!! Haha, good luck!!
How long would you cook 16lbs for? I too am making about this much for a party.
Whoa, that’s a big one you got your hands on! Is it the one from Costco? Usually there ends up being two butts in there. I might cut it in half and stick to the normal baking time or you could up it to 16-18 hours, but I think your best bet is going to be to use a thermometer and check the internal temperature around 14 hours.
Absolutely the recipe and so excited to try it.. Question: Can I make this in an electric roaster? I will need my oven for other things.
Hi Mary,
We have never made it in an electric roaster, so I can’t say for certain how it will go. Is it big enough to hold it and does it hold a low temperature? Those are the most important questions. Also, make sure it doesn’t have an automatic shut off after a few hours.
The only roasting pan I own is the black and white speckled one. Do I cook it with the lid on?
You just leave the lid off and it’s going to get very dark on top, but that’s exactly as it should be. 🙂
Hi I’m wanting to make this pork in my smoker, would I follow the same temp? I’m making this the day before for a tailgate so is it ok to reheat in a roaster any hints or tricks to keeping it moist while I reheat it. I’m so excited to try this recipe!!
Carlett, you just tell us when and where and we are in! 😉 Just kidding, we wont crash the party. When we smoke a pork butt we do about 225-250 degrees and let it cook for 2-3 hours and then begin basting it every hour until it hits about hour 5. Resting is key to really allow those juices to redistribute. When we reheat it in a roasting pan we wrap the whole thing tight with foil to lock in moisture at like 350. I don’t want to go hotter as we aren’t looking to actually cook it but too low and you’ll be reheating for hours. Good luck!
Thank you and your always welcome to come if your ever in Montana during football season!!? I’ll be smoking 5 smaller roasts because the butcher I went to only had small ones so each are about 4 pounds. Thanks for your advise!!
Ok the football is over with a W for my favorite team!! I made 6 small 4 pound shoulders in a smoker and that took a little longer then I thought. Smoker was set at 250 degrees (for some reason my smoker would not hold temp maybe do to the wind) but after the first three hours of fluctuating temp if finally held steady at 250. I took it off the smoker at 170 degrees and covered it till morning (6 hours). It was not fall off the bone ready at that point but I need to serve 60 people in a few hours. I pulled the pork and added some of the left over juices, a few tablespoons of the rub and put it in my roaster and covered tightly with foil. When the pulled pork was served a few hours later it was the best pulled pork I have had!! Thanks for sharing your recipe and I’m for sure making it again!!
Hi Carlett! We’ve been waiting to hear how it when and cannot thank you enough for leaving such a well written comment. You never know who might want that information for their own party so it’s a wonderful resource! Our smoker does exactly what your smoker did, lowers the temperature in breezes and the wind. I’m not sure if we just need a new smoker or if that’s normal, but we often have to increase our times on windy days. We are so thrilled you enjoyed it! Thanks!