Easy Pulled Pork

---

SERVES 4 TO 6 • TO PREP 4 HOURS • STORE UP TO 3 DAYS • TO FINISH 25 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Barbecued pulled pork has a lot of appeal—when made well, it features moist, tender, shreddable meat infused with deep smoky flavor. But getting that fall-apart-tender texture requires slow, gentle cooking whether you use the oven, your slow cooker, or your grill. The good news is that it is a relatively hands-off process, and because the flavor of the pork only deepens if it sits for a day or two in the sauce, it’s a great recipe to make ahead. For our make-ahead version, we turned to the oven and chose to use boneless pork butt because of its generous marbling. We bloomed the spices in oil to give our simple homemade sauce depth of flavor. Cutting the meat into 2-inch pieces shortened the cooking time while still giving us the tenderness and hearty shredded texture we were after. Shredding the meat on day one and combining it with the sauce for storage kept the meat moist. Adding cider vinegar during the reheat brightened the sauce. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket.

1	tablespoon vegetable oil
1	onion, chopped
3	tablespoons paprika
4	garlic cloves, minced
1	tablespoon ground cumin
¼	teaspoon cayenne pepper
1	cup water
1	cup ketchup
3	tablespoons molasses
1½	tablespoons packed brown sugar
1½	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
	Salt and pepper
3	pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

TO FINISH AND SERVE
1	tablespoon cider vinegar
4–6	hamburger buns

TO PREP

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, ketchup, molasses, sugar, Worcestershire, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

2. Nestle pork into sauce and bring to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook pork until tender and fork slips easily in and out of meat, about 3 hours.

3. Remove pot from oven. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl and let cool slightly. Shred pork into bite-size pieces using potato masher or 2 forks. Let sauce cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

TO STORE

4. Transfer 1 cup sauce to small storage container. Stir shredded pork into remaining sauce in pot. Leave pork mixture in pot or transfer to separate storage container. Cover and refrigerate pork mixture and reserved sauce for up to 3 days.

TO FINISH AND SERVE

5. Skim excess fat from surface of pork mixture and reserved sauce. Transfer pork mixture to Dutch oven, if necessary. Stir in vinegar, bring to simmer over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Adjust consistency with hot water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, bring reserved sauce to brief simmer in small saucepan, stirring often. Serve shredded pork on buns with reserved sauce.