How To Cook and Shred a Pork Shoulder for Pulled Pork. Pork shoulder is one of my secret weapons in the kitchen. A pork shoulder, slow cooked and pulled into succulent little shreds, can become a thousand different meals. I can mix in some barbecue sauce and make pulled pork sandwiches, scatter the pork over pizza, or toss it into a sauce for pasta. And thats just to start Today I want my secret weapon to become your secret weapon. Im showing you how to cook a pork shoulder from choosing the meat to transforming it into a fork tender meal that can last all week. How To Make Pulled Pork Watch the Video What to Buy Look for pork shoulder or pork butt. Even though its called a butt, its actually part of the shoulder meat. The actual rear end is called the ham Go for bone in or boneless, whichever you prefer. Here is a basic recipe for cooking pork shoulder also known as pork butt and a number of other supermarket meat cuts detailed here in your electric pressure cooker. Pork Shoulder Tacos' title='Pork Shoulder Tacos' />This is what a 8lb pork shoulder looks like. There is a beauty to this that only few can appreciate. Fortunately for my family, I am one of those and there will be. Cooking Channel serves up this Shredded Pork and Pineapple Tacos recipe from Kelsey Nixon plus many other recipes at CookingChannelTV. Loved this Im afraid this might have ruined our super quick weeknight tacos. We served lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and avocados on a plate on the side. Top these pulledpork tacos with chopped red onion, sliced jalapeos, and fresh cilantro for a spicy southoftheborder taco dinner. Serve with. Bone in shoulders take a little longer to cook, but can make the meat more flavorful and succulent. Boneless cuts can be sliced into smaller chunks for easier handling and quicker cooking. Ive done both many times and find bone in and boneless fairly interchangeable. You can use this method to cook any size cut you want, but I usually go for four to six pounds boneless or four to seven pounds bone in. This will give you roughly 1. Cooking a pork shoulder takes an afternoon of your time, so I tend to roast as much as I can at once and freeze what I dont think Ill use right away for future meals. Slow Cooking the Pork. Cooking a pork shoulder into heavenly succulence is practically fool proof, but it does require time. The shoulder is a hard working muscle and the meat is pretty darn tough. Tender, juicy pulled pork tacos that are just bursting with flavor. Made with sweet and spicy pulled pork and crisp, sweetened tropical slaw. At a low, steady temperature, however, the gelatin in that tough shoulder melts and bastes the meat as it cooks. You cant rush it. Put the meat in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, pour in just enough liquid broth, beer, or anything else so the meat is partially submerged, then cover it and let the pork cook slowly in a low oven for a few hours. This is entirely hands off time. The pork is done when its so tender that it literally flakes apart when you poke it with a fork and falls off the bone. What to Do with Pork Shoulder. I said this was my secret weapon and I meant it. A few hours of labor upfront means some pretty darn incredible pork that will make almost any quick weeknight dish taste like it took hours to make. Depending on how you spice the pork, one single batch can be used in countless ways. Besides making straight up pulled pork sandwiches, I add it to pasta sauces, frittatas, casseroles, and pizzas. Dont forget about making tacos or enchiladas, steamed pork buns, or stir fried rice almost every cuisine has its own uses for shredded pork I also freeze the pork in one cup batches so I can easily thaw it for easy dinners down the road. Ive listed a few other ideas below and some different spice blends at the end of the recipe. Do you regularly cook pork shoulder What do you like to do with itMore Ideas for Pork Shoulder. Ways to Use Pork Shoulder. How To Cook and Shred a Pork Shoulder. Makes approximately 1. What You Need. Ingredients. Recipe Notes1yellow onion optional1medium carrot, roughly chopped optional3 stalkscelery, roughly chopped optional4clovesgarlic, smashed optional1 12cupsliquid chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, light or amber beer, white or red wine, orange juice, or a mix of several liquids. Equipment. Cutting board. Chefs knife. Measuring cups and spoons. Dutch oven. Large mixing bowl. Dinner forks optionalInstructions. Heat the oven to 3. F Heat the oven to 3. F. Place an oven rack in the lower middle of the oven. Trim the pork Trim off any large pieces of fat from the outside, but leave small pieces and the interior fat. If using boneless pork, cut the pork into several large fist sized pieces. If using bone in, leave the pork as is, on the bone. Season the pork Sprinkle the pork with salt, pepper, and spices. Rub the seasoning into the pork with your fingers so the meat is evenly coated on all sides. Sear the pork optional If you have time, searing will deepen the final flavor of your pork and give it some textural contrast. Warm the oil in the Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the pork on all sides, working in batches as necessary so as not to crowd the pan. For more detailed step by step instructions, see. How To Sear Meat. Add the vegetables if using Onions, garlic, and other vegetables also deepen the final flavor of the pork, but are optional. If using, nestle them around the pork in the Dutch oven. Add the liquid Pour the liquid and liquid smoke if using over the top of the pork. The pork should be only partially submerged, with some of the pork remaining above the surface of the liquid. Bring to a simmer Set the Dutch oven with the pork over medium high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven Once simmering, cover the Dutch oven and transfer the whole pot to the oven. Cook for 2 to 4 hours, until fork tender Let the pork cook undisturbed for 2 hours, then begin checking it every half hour. Total cooking time will be 2 to 4 hours, depending on the amount of pork and whether its bone in which takes longer to cook. The pork is done when it is fork tender when the meat can be easily pierced with a fork without resistance and easily falls apart with a little pressure. If youre cooking pork on the bone, the meat should be falling off the bone. If in doubt, cook the meat another half hour its almost impossible to overcook meat with this method. Transfer the pork to a large bowl Lift the pieces of pork out of the liquid and transfer to a large mixing bowl. When cool enough to handle, use two forks or your fingers to shred the meat into pieces. Remove any large pieces of fat or bones. Strain the cooking liquid Strain the cooking liquid into a measuring cup. Yams Vs Sweet Potatoes there. The vegetables can be chopped and mixed in with the pork, if desired. Skim the fat off the top of the cooking liquid. Moisten the pork with cooking liquid or barbecue sauce optional For more moist and flavorful pulled pork, you can mix some of the cooking liquid back into the pork. Start with a little, mix, then add more until the pork is as wet or dry as you like. Alternatively, for barbecue pulled pork, you can mix in barbecue sauce. Serve or freeze the pork Pulled pork will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Recipe Notes. Slow cooker variation In a 5 quart or larger slow cooker, combine the meat, any vegetables, and liquid. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 1. Spice combinations Plain pork most versatile, season after cooking for use in any dish bay leaf used whole with no other spices Barbecue spiced pork good for pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, and pizza cumin, paprika, brown sugar, dry mustard Herbed pork good for pasta sauces, ravioli, and casseroles fresh or dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, bay leaf used whole Mexican spiced pork good for enchiladas, burritos, tacos and tamales cumin, chile powder, dried oregano, dried chipotle or ancho chiles used whole, garlic powder Asian spiced pork good for tacos, steamed dumplings, and stir fried rice star anise, cloves, fennel, coriander, cinnamon or Chinese 5 spice blend.