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What Southerner does not love barbecue? This classic recipe for pulled pork is one of my “redone” favorites using healthier ingredients. It is oven-baked for convenience (who has a smoker in the backyard?), but the results turn out just as tender.
This dish is just perfect for a crowd or a chilly/rainy weekend at home. The delightful smell of slow-cooked pork wafting through the house all day is sure to get your mouth watering.
Homemade Pulled Pork
Most pulled pork recipes use brown sugar in the rub and simmer the pork butt in a bath of apple cider. This healthier version ditches the sugar and uses homemade chicken stock instead and not a (flavor) beat was missed!
Love pulled pork but wondering whether pork is healthy to eat? The in-depth linked article describes the preparation methods used by healthy ancestral cultures to put your mind at ease!
Enjoy!
Classic Southern Pulled Pork Recipe (sugar free)
Classic slow cooked recipe for Southern pulled pork that is mouthwatering and crowd pleasing as a main meal with plenty of leftovers for sandwiches and lunchboxes.
Ingredients
- 4-6 lb pork shoulder or butt preferably grassfed, bone in
- 1-2 Tbl lard
- 1-2 large onions sliced and separated into rings
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
For the Rub
- sea salt coarse
- black pepper freshly ground
- garlic powder ground
- paprika ground
- cayenne ground
- mustard ground, preferably organic
Instructions
Sprinkle the pork with the rub ingredients. Cover with natural beeswax food wrap and let sit for 2 to 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 275 F/ 135 C degrees.
Heat the lard over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet. Brown the pork on all sides.
Remove and place in large dutch oven or roaster.
Saute onions until soft and place on top of the pork roast. Pour the chicken stock into the roaster, cover and bake until falling apart tender. 5 - 7 hours.
Let meat set for at least 10-15 min after coming out of the oven, then shred w/ large fork discarding bone and surplus fat.
Serve with the juices from the pan or homemade barbecue sauce. I serve this with sauted purple cabbage and apples in the fall and winter and coleslaw in the summer.
Trim Healthy Mama: A Sort of Healthy Diet Plan (review)
Paula, I’m sure this is awesome, but the temp seems to be pretty high. My personal preference is to cook proteins low and slow. Shoulders cook at 210° or lower depending on serving time for 8 to 12 hrs. This way the fat and soft tissue melts into the meat adding flavor, reducing grissle and allowing the flesh to release from the bone. It does take longer however so planning ahead is necessary. Thanks for providing your recipes.
This recipe looks delicious, but what about the adverse effects shown in blood tests from people who consumed fresh pork? Sarah’s article on consuming fresh pork recommends soaking pork in vinegar or curing in salt. How should that be done with this recipe?
This recipe uses a dry marinade and slow cooking. This is acceptable as well.
To die for! Excellent recipe. I cooked a 4 1/2 lb. pork shoulder for 6 hours, let it sit for 15 min., then shredded it…delicious! For the rub, I used 2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp each of the ground mustard, paprika, and garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp cayenne…those ratios worked great! Thank you for this recipe…it was mmm mmm good and a huge hit!
This looks incredible, will definitely try making them
I’m not southern but I love barbecue and I love this recipe. I made this last weekend and it was a huge success.
I’m a bit late to the party here, but would this be adaptable to Crock-Pot cooking? It sounds delicious!
Sounds great! Do you recommend cooking this in a slow cooker & if so, are there any modifications? Thanks!
This is actually slow cooked in the oven if you take a peek at the recipe again. I haven’t made it in a slow cooker, so cannot suggest any modifications. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!