The Very Best Pulled Pork

An easy way to make a crowd of 50 plus (or just your family) very happy!

You really have to try this pulled pork recipe. It’s one of those recipes that you’ll turn to over and over.  And every time you serve it, your family and friends will love it.  (Be prepared for recipe requests.)   It’s really flavorful, very moist and melt in your mouth tender.  It freezes incredibly well, and it re-heats beautifully…  Once you try it, you’ll be hooked.   It will quickly join your list of favorite recipes.

It’s easy.  Here’s how.

I like to get a roast with a bone in it and a fat layer on one side – but that’s not necessary.   A boneless roast is just fine too.  They will both cook in the same amount of time.  The cooking time is simply based on the size of the roast. It should look like this…

Fresh Pork Shoulder Blade Boston Butt Roast

In addition to your roast, you’ll also find these items helpful – although certainly not mandatory:

1 or 2 Gallon Freezer Bags to hold the roasts while they brine.

If your roasts are larger (7-8 pounds) or you’re buying one or more large cuts of meat and cutting them into several 7-8 pound pieces, then go with the 2 Gallon Freezer Bags.

Aluminum Roasting Pan

OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Fat Separator

Heat Resistant BBQ, Smoker, Grill, Oven and Cooking Gloves

Weber iGrill 2 Thermometer

At its most basic, a brine is simply salt water.  The salt in the brine forces the liquid out of the brine solution and into the meat, making the meat juicier. The salted liquid also breaks down the connective tissue in the meat making it more tender. If you stopped there, you would be ahead of most people.  But why stop now?  Let’s use that fluid moving from the salt solution into the meat to carry flavor, such as apple cider.  We’ll even include a couple tablespoons of the dry rub seasonings to flavor it further!

You’ll mix all your brine ingredients, put the roast in a freezer bag and pour in the brine.  Then refrigerate the roast at least 12 hours and preferably 24.  NOTE:  This recipe makes a lot of brine just in case you’re cooking a lot of roasts.  You will very likely have some extra.  You can simply discard any you do not use.  Just as long as the roast is covered in the brine, you’re fine.  No need to replenish the brine and you don’t need to use all of it.

Here’s what it looks like before putting multiple roasts in the fridge to brine overnight.

In case you’ve ever wondered how much pulled pork is required to serve 230, this is it.  (And if you have, you’re MY kind of cook!)  But unless you’re fixing it for 230 (and if you are, it’s actually very easy – just see my Pulled Pork for a Crowd instructions at the end of this post), you’ll only have 1 of these roasts (to serve your family) in 1 bag in 1 roasting pan.  Just refrigerate your roast while it’s brining for at least 12 hours and, if possible, 24 hours.  Situate the bag in the refrigerator so that the shoulder is completely covered in the brine while it rests.

Step #2 – Flavorful Dry Rub

All great recipes are built on layers of flavor.  It’s one of the main differences between a good recipe and a great recipe.   You’ve added the first layer of flavor with your brine.   Your next step is a dry rub which will add your next layer of fabulous flavor.

While you’re at it, you really might want to consider fixing 2 or 3 roasts.  It will hardly take any more time, the pork freezes beautifully and you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pulling out a packet of this delicious shredded goodness for quick, delicious meals later on!   (Jeff is strongly lobbying for Pulled Pork Nachos as we speak.) (He’ll probably get them.)

Once your roast is done brining, remove it from the brine solution and place in your roasting pan.  Pat it dry and spread your dry rub over the entire surface of your roast, covering thoroughly.   See how much I have on the 2 roasts in the image below?  That’s not enough.  You want to cover the entire surface with no meat showing if possible.

Step # 3 – Cook Low & Slow

Your pork shoulder is laced with both flavorful fat and connective collagen tissue. When cooked low and slow, the fat and collagens melt, and the muscle fibers are made tender, making your meat moist, and succulent. This process takes 8 to 12 hours or more.  You’ll do this in a 225 degree F oven.  (Yep, 225 degrees).

And you will only have 1 pan with 1 roast (or 2-3 if you go with my earlier suggestion to make some extra and freeze it – which you’ll totally thank me for!)  Your shoulder should take between 1.5 to 2 hours per pound to cook.   If you are cooking multiple roasts, it will probably take closer to the 2 hour range.  Let me give you an example:  I’ve cooked this recipe multiple times with anywhere between 4 – 6 (7.5 – 8 pound) roasts in a large disposable aluminum roasting pan and 2 of these ‘full’ pans in 1 oven.  Since each of the roasts were large and I had a ‘full’ oven, it took about 2 hours per pound, or about 16 hours total cook time (8 pound roast x 2 hours/pound = 16 hours cook time) for all the roasts to be fall apart tender.  This is probably about the maximum you’d do in 1 (30″ non-convection) oven.

Your Pulled Pork Game Plan

Here’s the best way to do it.

Two nights before you want to finish

Make the dry rub and the brine solution.  Brine the roast(s) overnight and all the next day in the refrigerator.

One night before you want to finish

Remove the roast from the brine, pat dry, cover with dry rub and cook overnight for approximately 10 – 16 hours depending on the size and number of roasts you’re cooking.  Set a digital thermometer for 200 degrees and once the internal temperature of the roast reaches that point, you’re done.  If you don’t have a digital thermometer, you’re done when the pulled pork is fall-apart tender when shredded with a fork.   NOTE: It’s also a good idea to set an alarm to alert you at the 12 hour mark in case your oven is designed to turn off after 12 hours.

When the thermometer alarm goes off

At this point your shoulder has reached 200 degrees.  Turn off the oven and leave in the thermometer.  Your pan should have plenty of wonderful cooking juices in the bottom.  If not, add 1 cup of water and cover the pan to retain the moisture while your roast is resting.   Let your roast rest in the oven for about 2 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. When it hits 170 you can remove the roast from the oven.  All we’re doing with this step is letting it cool down to make it easier to shred.

      Shred, add in some of the cooking juice (reserving the rest for re-heating and holding) and you’re done!

This picture should really be titled “Yet another reason why I LOVE my husband.”  Once your pork shoulder has hit the 170 degree internal temperature mark, it’s ready to shred.  If you don’t have heat resistant gloves, you may want to let it cool a little bit more before shredding.

Final Secret!

Now here’s the final secret to fabulous pulled pork.  See that wonderful, flavorful cooking juice in the roasting pan with the pork?

That comes from the fat on and in the pork shoulder.  When your pork comes out of the oven you’ll have plenty of that of juicy goodness. You’ll want to pour that juice into a fat separator, pour off the juice and KEEP EVERY BIT OF IT.  If you’re freezing your pork for later use you’ll mix some of the juice in with each portion and freeze the remainder to add as you’re re-heating and holding your pork for serving.  If you’re serving all your pork immediately after making it, mix in enough juice so your pork is juicy and moist.

My suggestions to help your recipes turn out right every time…

(I’ve included these affiliate links for your convenience.  Click here for my full disclosure policy.)

It will only take you seconds to get this sleek Bluetooth thermometer up and running.  It reports accurate readings on your smart phone up to 100 - 150 feet from its base.   From the moment your meat is placed in the oven (or grill) to the second it reaches the perfect temperature, the iGrill has your back.  Insert the temperature probe(s) into your meat and track the doneness of your food from your smart phone on the Weber iGrill app, without having to lift the lid.   It comes with 2 probes and you can order 2 more, for a total of 4!  And you can use it for everything including chicken, steak, burgers, pork roasts.  You'll love it for baking chicken because you'll know exactly when the chicken is done so it doesn’t get dried out.  It's the reason my dishes come out at just the right degree of done-ness time after time!

Heat Resistant BBQ, Smoker, Grill, Oven and Cooking Gloves

Alright, granted these look a lot like Dr. Nefario’s creepy lab gloves…

…but….these gloves really are THE BOMB!  They do a great job protecting your hands while you’re shredding hot pulled pork or chicken.  They’re even better when you’re working with hot meat on your smoker or barbecue!   You will feel like a real pit master with these gloves.   A soft jersey cotton liner double coated in neoprene with a full 14″ length protects your forearms from battle scars.  They utilize a waterproof design that is resistant to staining, grease and flames.  These gloves can easily manage messy BBQ sessions, grabbing or preparing hot food in the kitchen or on the BBQ all while keeping your hands safe and dry.  They’re easy to clean too.  You’ll love these gloves so much you’ll want to give them as Christmas presents to all your grilling friends and relatives!

Aluminum Roasting Pan, 10-3/4″ x 15-3/16″ x 2-1/8″ (Pack of 12)

These aluminum roasting pans are convenient and great for baking, serving and transporting foods.  Use them once for easy no mess clean up, or with a little care you can use them multiple times. They come in a case of 12. I always keep a stack of these in my pantry.

OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Fat Separator

Pour your liquid into the separator and watch the fat rise to the top while everything else settles to the bottom.  Once the gravy has settled, remove the strainer and the stopper and pour out perfect gravy; a shield prevents the gravy from spilling over the top of the separator instead of through the spout.  This heat-resistant fat separator has measurement markings for increased convenience and a non-slip handle for a comfortable, firm grip.  You’ll love it.

Pin for Later.

Or Make Now.

Is your mouth watering yet ??

Me too.  Let’s get started!

Here’s the recipe for Pulled Pork for 50.  You can also scroll down below this to see the family-sized version.  Below that is information on pulled pork for even larger crowds.

5 from 35 votes

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Best Ever Pulled Pork for 50

This is adapted from a dynamite recipe on the blog KevinandAmanda.com

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 50 servings

Author: Betsy Edwards

Ingredients

• 20 pounds Boston Butt or pork shoulder (bone-in preferred with a layer of fat on it) Boneless is ok too.

For the Pulled Pork Dry Rub

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/2 cup garlic powder
• 2 cups brown sugar

For the Pulled Pork Brine

• 2 cups table salt
• 5 quarts water
• 1 quart cider vinegar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 8 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup garlic rough chopped (Buy in the jar!)

Instructions

Two nights before serving (Or up to 2 months earlier if you’re going to freeze it)

1. Make the dry rub and the brine solution.

For the Dry Rub

1. In a medium container with a lid, combine all ingredients for the rub. Mix well, cover and set aside.

For the Brine Solution

1. In a large bowl, add the salt, water and cider vinegar, stirring thoroughly until most all of the salt is dissolved. When the salt is completely, or mostly dissolved, add the brown sugar, bay leaves (don't crush the bay leaves), garlic and 1/2 cup of the dry rub mix (we'll use the rest later). Stir well to combine.

2. Place the pork roast in a 1 gallon freezer bags. Pour the brine solution into the bag until the shoulder is completely covered. Close the bags and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 24 (preferred).

The next night

1. Pre-heat the oven to 225 F degrees.

2. Remove the pork roasts from brine solution, pat dry with paper towels, place in several large roasting pans, leaving 1 inch clearance on all sides of the roast to accommodate the cooking juices which will accumulate. Press the dry rub onto the surface of the roasts, pressing it so it will adhere to the surface. Generously coat all sides and under any flaps with the rub.

3. When done make sure the fat layer on the pork roasts is on the TOP.  Insert a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the shoulders, but not touching the bone. Place the roasting pans, uncovered, in the 225 F degree oven on the middle rack if possible.

4. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking. Do not remove roasts from the oven until the center of the pork roasts reaches 200 F degrees. The internal temperature should reach at least 200 F degrees to get that tender, falling apart shredded meat. Don’t worry about the long cooking time. They will still be juicy and flavorful because of the brining. Cooking at 225 F degrees, your shoulders will take between 1.5 to 2 hours per pound to cook. An 8 lb. pork roast will take about 13 hours.

5. When the pork roasts' internal temperature reaches 200 F degrees, turn off the oven, leaving the roasts in the oven and the thermometer in the roast. Your pan should have plenty of wonderful cooking juices in the bottom. If not, add 1 cup of water and cover the pan to retain the moisture while your roast is resting.

6. Let the roasts cool (for approximately 2 hours) to an internal temperature of 170 F degrees before removing from the oven.

7. When the temperature drops to 170 degrees, remove the roasts from the oven. Place the roasts on a large, clean work surface and remove any remaining fat from the top. Pour the juices from the roasting pans into a fat separator cup to strain and reserve the juices.

8. Shred the roasts with two forks, it will pull apart very easily. Discard the bone. Add back in some of the defatted pan juices. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT to taste and sprinkle with kosher salt as you go.

MAKE AHEAD NOTE: Can be made to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days prior or frozen for up to 3 months.

1. Transfer shredded pork to 2-gallon freezer bags and refrigerate or freeze. Freeze remaining pan juice separately. You'll use it later when you re-warm the pork.
2. To re-warm pork

3. If frozen, thaw pork and juice over night in refrigerator.  Then re-warm in a 350 degree oven for about 15 -30 minutes. Add in reserved pan juices as necessary to achieve desired level of moisture.

For Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter for every 2 buns and baste the cut side of buns with the butter. Sauté the buns on a griddle over medium temperature until golden brown. Set aside, covered.
2. Mix pulled pork with your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve on toasted buns with cole slaw.

Pulled Pork with Hawaiian Coleslaw

My Hawaiian coleslaw will take your pulled pork sandwich to a whole new level.  You’ll love it!

Loaded Barbecue Pulled Pork Potato Casserole – Coming Soon!

This Loaded Barbeque Pulled Pork Potato Casserole is a guaranteed huge hit at your next barbecue or family dinner! It’s a wonderful, easy to make, crowd-pleasing recipe. Comfort food doesn’t get much better!

Pulled Pork Nachos – Coming Soon!

These Pulled Pork Nachos will become your new game day or weekend favorite.  So easy and so good.

So you’ve said “Yes!”   “I’ll be happy to be in charge of the main dish for the family reunion / church activity / party / company picnic / girl’s camp / fill-in-the-blank”.   Good for you!!!   Now what??  You need an easy, no-fail recipe that can be made in advance, re-heat well that every one will love.  You want a proven winner.  Well I have your answer.

Pulled Pork sandwiches.

My pulled pork is a great make ahead, terrific tasting choice.  The pulled pork freezes beautifully up to 3 months.  (At 6 months, it’s definitely freezer burned.  Don’t ask me how I know.  Sigh.)  It reheats wonderfully and holds very well.  It’s also a VERY cost effective main dish because a little shredded pork goes a long way on a sandwich, as you’ll find out below.  In short, pulled pork sandwiches using this pulled pork recipe are my ALL TIME, GO-TO FAVORITE large group main dish choice.

Then I started second guessing myself and went out got 2 more 7 pound roasts.  And guess what?  (If you said I didn’t need the additional 2 roasts, reward yourself with a virtual vacation!)

After doing this more times than I can count, I now have a simple and proven formula:

How to Calculate the Amount of Raw Pork to Purchase

Here’s a safe and proven formula you’ll want to use to calculate how much RAW pork butt (also known as Boston Butt) you’ll need to buy. DISCLAIMER… I tend to calculate my pulled pork amounts slightly on the high side.  I would always rather have leftovers than run out of food.   BUT, you can never know for sure how people are going to eat, so don’t be surprised when your 30 Cub Scouts eat more than 30 high school football players.  Or if it’s a hot day, and they’ve had several large meals earlier, don’t be surprised if your 30 high school football players don’t pig out.

Rule #1 –  Plan for 1 pound of finished pulled pork feeding 4 people.

1/4 of a pound (4 ounces) is a nice size serving on a plate or bun.  (Actual consumption will likely be closer to 2.5 – 3 ounces, but 4 ounces is a safe number to use.)

Rule #2 – expect 65% yield when cooking pulled pork.

65% yield means that if you start with a 10 pound raw pork butt you will end up with 6.5 pounds of pulled pork.

Sample Calculation

Based on our two simple rules we can calculate how much pulled pork we’ll need for 100 people.

100 people/4 servings per lb = 25 lbs of finished pulled pork.

25 lbs of finished pulled pork / .65 (65% yield) = 38.5 pounds of raw pork required.

Adjustments to the Rules

Who are your Guests?

If you are feeding a group of kids or seniors adjust the equation to 5 people per pound (or 3.2 ounces each).  If you are feeding big eaters like athletes or fireman adjust to 3 people per pound (or 5.3 ounces each).

Are you are serving other meats?

If you are serving other main dishes in addition to the pulled pork you can reduce your amount to cook by 1/3.

Leftover Pulled Pork

My goal is to always have some leftover pulled pork.  That way we know everybody got as much to eat as they wanted.  You can keep the extra and freeze it.

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