The Melt-in-Your-Mouth Oven Pulled Pork Hack That Leaves Expensive BBQ Joints in the Dust
Your sign to stop buying overpriced takeout.
If you think you need an expensive backyard smoker or professional catering gear to achieve genuinely tender, fall-apart meat, this foolproof oven dish is about to completely change your mind. The absolute secret to mastering iconic pulled pork at home starts at the butcher counter: skip the tiny portions and aim straight for a hefty, boneless 2.5 to 3-pound cut.
Ingredients: 1.2 kg of boneless pork.
For the marinade: 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika (dried), 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Additionally: 2–3 sweet-and-sour apples, 1 bay leaf.
Prepare the spice mixture for the marinade. To do this, simply mix the spices with salt, add vegetable oil, and stir until a paste forms.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and rub it with the spice mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. If you’re in a hurry, let the pork marinate at room temperature for 3–4 hours.
Once the meat has marinated, place it in a greased ovenproof dish. If the meat was marinated in the fridge, let it come to room temperature first. Place sliced tart apples and crumbled bay leaves on the bottom of the dish, then top with the pork.
Cover the meat in the dish with foil, pressing the edges tightly. Place the dish with the meat in an oven preheated to 120–130°C for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, remove the foil from the pan, baste the meat with the fat that has accumulated in the pan, increase the oven temperature to 180°C, and continue baking for another 15–20 minutes.
While still in the pan, use a fork to pull the cooked meat into separate strands. Mix the pulled pork with the fat and juices released during cooking. This will make the pork even more flavorful.
