The Best Pulled Pork May Start With Ditching Your Slow Cooker

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Whether pork is red or white meat isn't up for discussion, but the best way to turn your piggy into succulent pulled pork definitely is. While a slow cooker can make worthy pulled pork in a hands-off manner, you might get the finest results from putting your crockpot back in the pantry and pulling out your dutch oven instead.

Experts say that there are manifold benefits to cooking your pulled pork in a dutch oven after a nice, all-over sear. First of all, the method is almost as easy as your set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker, but the tiny bit of extra work pays dividends. The walls of your dutch oven get just as hot in the oven as does the bottom, meaning that more surface area of your pork roast gets caramelized and toasty. This not only amps up the flavor profile, but it creates browned pieces that provide a textural contrast when shredded. 

While crockpot pulled meat in general tends to have one consistency (that is to say, wet), giving your pork a sear and cooking it low and slow in the oven allows it to retain some nuance. You also don't need to use as much liquid in the cooking process, and can save saucing your meat for the end, which prevents muting of flavor. In fact, real pros know that you should keep BBQ sauce and protein separate as much as possible, mixing only when necessary before eating, to prevent sogginess.

Many seasoned home cooks already have a dutch oven in their kitchen arsenal, but don't be discouraged if you don't. Despite what kitchen influencers might seem to think, you don't need to dish out Le Creuset money for a serviceable — and even pretty! — roaster. Amazon Basics comes through once again with a 4.3-quart enameled specimen in a cheery shade of blue, and it will do whatever you need ... as its tens of thousands of glowing ratings confirm.

Pork shoulder, which is sometimes also called pork butt, is the right cut of meat for cooking in the oven. You may opt to cook the roast, trimmed of excess fat, in one piece, but you will maximize surface area for browning if you break it up into quarters. Give these a good sear in your dutch oven on the stovetop before putting the roaster in the oven.

We've seen liquids as diverse as apple juice, cola, stock, vinegar, or pineapple juice used as your fluid for cooking the pork. Bourbon is another underrated choice. You don't want too much liquid in your pot — keep in mind that you are not looking for the overly-sauced texture of crockpot pork. A bit of high-quality liquid smoke may also be poured in for nuance of flavor. If you don't have time to make BBQ sauce from scratch (with root beer), here's how Bobby Flay improves store-bought BBQ sauce.