Cast iron dutch oven pulled pork recipe: 59 photos
FAQ
By the way, just as it's possible to overcook beef in a beef stew, it's quite possible to overcook pulled pork. You want your pork to be pull-apart tender—an indication that the connective tissue has broken down—but not so cooked that the muscle fibers themselves start to lose structure and turn to mush.
Transfer everything to a large slow cooker and add a splash of liquid — water is great, but so is broth, apple juice, or beer if you have them handy. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily.
Lift up the pork and sit the onion, carrots, apples, sage leaves and whole unpeeled garlic bulb underneath the meat. Roast for 2 hours, then reduce the heat to 150ºC and cook for another 3 hours, or until the meat effortlessly pulls apart, adding splashes of water occasionally to prevent it from drying out, if needed.
Cook no higher than 325*F. For best texture you want to cook pork low and slow to break down the collagen and fat. Good rule of thumb is cook 1 hour per pound of pork. In this case I have a three pound pork shoulder, so I cooked it for 3 hours.
Temperature and timings. The cookery team recommend cooking your meat for two hours per kilogram on a super-low heat, around 140C, or gas mark 2-3. Barney says it's ready to be taken out when it can be easily pulled apart using a fork.