Table of contents

  1. Ingredients
  2. Steps
    1. Dry rub (evening before)
    2. Preparation
    3. Resting and pulling
  3. References

Pulled pork in dutch oven

01-02-2026

Use pork shoulder ‘pork butt’ or pork neck ‘Boston butt’. Per 1 kg of meat, add about 1.3 to 1.7 h of oven-time.

Definition: Dutch oven

A Dutch oven, Dutch pot (US English), or casserole dish (international) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron.

Ingredients

  • 3–4 kg pork shoulder
  • Rub for marinating, e.g., ‘Ankerkraut’ beef or ‘Gewürzmühle Texas Tender Beef Rub’
  • 3–6 large onions
  • 250 mL incubation liquid for the roasting pan: 100 mL water, 150 mL apple juice, 2 tbsp Worcester sauce, 2 tbsp cane sugar, 1 tsp salt
  • Dutch oven
  • Oven (with automatic roasting function and core temperature thermometer), or external thermometer.

Steps

Dry rub (evening before)

Marinate in the refrigerator: Wash the meat and dry with paper towels. Trim off any thick edges of fat. Rub the rub into the meat on a baking sheet. Wrap the meat airtight in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 6-12 hours.

Preparation

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Cut the onions into 1-2 cm thick slices and cover the bottom of the dutch oven. Place the meat on top of the onion slices. Where the meat touches the edge of the cast-iron, place onion slices in between. Pour in 1-2 cm of liquid. Do not let the liquid touch the meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the pork shoulder. Place the dutch oven in the middle of the oven. Connect the meat thermometer to the oven. Set the oven to automatic roasting, 130°C convection, stop at 95°C core temperature. After approx. 4.5-5 hours, the core temperature will be reached and the meat will be cooked. Remove from the oven (oven gloves!) and set aside for 1 hour. Using two hands, 2 forks, and black catering gloves, pull the meat into pulled pork pieces.

Resting and pulling

When the core temperature is reached, let the meat rest for approx. 30 minutes. Remove from dutch oven and place in pan/casserole. Add BBQ sauce and a few scoopes of residual liquid from the dutch oven. Then pull with hands.

Figure 1: Pulled pork (not pulled yet)

References

For a visual demonstration see: Pulled pork in dutch oven.