Easy Pulled Pork Cooked in Dutch Oven
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 lbs pork (i get pork siroin tip roast from costco)
- 6 oz molasses
- 8 oz salt
- 1 bottle beer
- Carbohydrate 61.4839036390113 g
- Cholesterol 154.22145 mg
- Fat 140.437471948148 g
- Fiber 15.8468963367026 g
- Protein 27.1717219099896 g
- Saturated Fat 51.3423529778917 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (669g)
- Sodium 18074.9712741579 mg
- Sugar 45.6370073023087 g
- Trans Fat 6.8328846355511 g
- Calories 1607 calories
Step-by-step
- Brine Pork: Mix molasses, salt and water then add pork. make sure it is completely submerged and refrigerate over night.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine brownsugar and spices. Put pork in dutch oven (or roasting pan) and rub with spice mix.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Bake for 3 hours, flipping pork every hour.
- It will shred easily when done.
- Take out and shred. You can mix bbq sauce with it if you want but it should be pretty flavorful and tender.
- Sliders: put a little bbq sauce on roll add meat then put on coleslaw.
Why does a cut of meat require an overnight bath in a heavy salt and molasses solution before entering the oven? Submerging tough cuts like a three-pound pork roast in a liquid brine alters the muscle proteins, allowing them to retain moisture more effectively during long cooking periods. Brined meats react differently to dry heat than fresh, un-salted cuts, absorbing aromatics from the surrounding braising liquid while maintaining structural integrity.
Dry spices like smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne create a barrier against the moisture inside the Dutch oven, blending with the rendered fats to build a concentrated exterior crust. Turning the meat every sixty minutes ensures even heat distribution throughout the three-hour baking window, preventing the top exposed surface from drying out while the interior connective tissues break down into gelatin.
Fresh garlic and raw onion powder behave differently under sustained thermal energy than preserved flavorings, releasing volatile compounds that infuse the simmering apple cider and beer braise. As the alcohol in the bottled beer cooks down, it acts as a solvent for fat-soluble spice compounds, distributing flavors uniformly across the roast without overpowering the pork.
Shredded remnants kept in sealed containers will redistribute their internal juices overnight, yielding a denser texture suitable for cold-meat sandwiches or reheating in a skillet with additional sauce.
