Pulled Pork
Shoulder cooked well past safely done, until the collagen has fully rendered to gelatin.
Makes 8 servings · Prep 20 min · Bake 300 min
Ingredients
Rub
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Onion powder
Meat
- 5 lb Pork shoulder, bone-in
Braise
- 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, for serving
Instructions
Prep
- Combine the rub ingredients and pat all over the pork shoulder, pressing it in. Cover and refrigerate. (Tip: An overnight rest lets the salt penetrate deeper into the meat, seasoning it through rather than just on the surface.)
- Heat the oven to 135°C (275°F).
Cook
- Place the shoulder fat-side up in a roasting pan, pour the vinegar into the bottom, cover tightly with foil, and roast until the internal temperature reaches 93-96°C and a fork twists in with no resistance. (Tip: Expect a long stretch where the temperature seems to stall, often somewhere in the 65-75°C range — that's evaporative cooling from the surface, a normal and expected part of the process, not a sign to raise the heat.)
Rest
- Rest, still covered, before shredding.
Shred
- Remove any bone and large fat pockets, then shred the meat with two forks. Toss with some of the accumulated juices and BBQ sauce if using.
Tips
- Meat is safe but still tough at 63°C: That's the food-safety minimum, not the target here. This cut needs to go much further, into the low-to-mid 90s°C, before the collagen has actually converted to gelatin and the meat pulls apart easily.
- Don't panic during the stall: A long plateau in the middle of the cook is expected and can last a couple of hours. Wrapping the meat in foil at this point (a 'Texas crutch') can help push through it faster if you're short on time, but patience works just as well.