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Pulled pork is one of those dishes which gets people really excited and I totally understand why. It’s sweet, salty, and tender, and there are many ways to serve it. It also doesn’t take long to make enough for two people or for a big group.
I’m going to show you how to make pulled pork in a steam oven using a simple Southern spice rub today.
There may not be the traditional wood-smoked notes of “real” barbecue pulled pork in this, but the good news is that it takes a lot less time and effort than barbecue. If you like slow cooker pulled pork, you’ll love this even more because it’s made in a way that’s similar but takes only half as long to cook. Plus, it has a better crust than any slow cooker version I’ve tried.
It will only take a few minutes to make this dish. Then, leave it in the oven until dinnertime. When that time comes, everyone will be rushing to the table.
Pulled pork is a classic American barbecue dish that is tender, juicy and full of flavor. While it’s traditionally slow-smoked over indirect heat for hours, you can easily make delicious pulled pork right in your convection oven in much less time.
A convection oven uses a fan to circulate hot air around the food. This allows for quick even cooking and crisping of the pork’s exterior. Follow this simple convection oven method for juicy, fall-apart pulled pork with a perfectly caramelized outer crust in under 2 hours.
Benefits of Using a Convection Oven for Pulled Pork
There are several advantages to using a convection oven rather than a traditional oven or smoker when making pulled pork:
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Speed – Pulled pork can cook in 1-2 hours in a convection oven, versus 4+ hours in a regular oven or 8+ hours when smoked. The circulating fan allows the pork to cook faster.
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Even cooking – Hot air flows around the pork from all sides, preventing cold or hot spots This results in evenly cooked meat
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Crisp exterior – The circulating fan promotes browning and crisping of the pork’s exterior. This adds texture and rich flavor.
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Moist interior – Quick cooking times mean less moisture is lost from the pork. The end result is very juicy and tender pulled meat.
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Convenience – No need to monitor a smoker for hours outdoors. You can cook pulled pork indoors in your convection oven with minimal effort.
Tips for Choosing a Pork Shoulder
To make great pulled pork in the oven, start with a good quality pork shoulder:
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Choose a bone-in shoulder. The bone adds moisture and flavor as the meat cooks.
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Go for a well-marbled shoulder with visible fat streaks. This keeps the pork tender and flavorful.
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Pick a 5-7 pound pork shoulder. This size works well for cooking in a home oven.
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Use fresh (not frozen) pork for the best texture and flavor.
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Look for the words “Boston Butt” or “Picnic Ham”. These refer to the upper parts of a pork shoulder ideal for pulling.
Simple Brine for Enhanced Flavor
For extra juicy and seasoned pulled pork, soak the raw pork in a saltwater brine before cooking. This helps the meat retain moisture while infusing flavor all the way through:
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In a pot, stir together 4 quarts of water, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup brown sugar until dissolved.
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Submerge the raw pork shoulder in the brine. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.
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Remove the pork from the brine and pat the surface dry with paper towels. Discard the leftover brine.
If short on time, you can skip the brining step. Just make sure to generously rub the pork shoulder with salt before cooking.
How to Prepare the Pork Shoulder
After brining (or simply salting), the pork shoulder needs just a little prep before oven roasting:
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Trim excess hard fat from the surface of the meat. Leave about 1/4 inch of the fat cap intact for moisture.
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Score the fat cap by slicing light criss-crosses across it with a sharp knife. This allows the seasoning rub to penetrate deeper.
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Season all over with a spice rub. A classic barbecue rub of brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powders, salt, and pepper is perfect. Massage it into the meat.
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Insert a meat thermometer deep into the thickest part of the shoulder, but don’t let it touch the bone. This will allow you to monitor the internal temperature.
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Set the prepared pork shoulder on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. The rack elevates the meat over any drippings.
How to Cook Pulled Pork in a Convection Oven
With the pork prepped and ready, it’s time for the oven roasting. Follow these easy steps for convection oven pulled pork success:
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Turn the oven on by selecting the Convection Roast mode and set the temperature to 275°F.
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Place the roasting pan with the seasoned pork shoulder on the center rack.
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Cook for approximately 1.5 hours. After this time, check the temperature reading on the thermometer.
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Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of 195°-205°F, it’s ready. The meat should be very tender and shred easily.
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If the pork is not yet fully cooked, continue roasting and checking the temperature every 20-30 minutes until it reaches 205°F.
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When ready, remove the pan from the oven and let the pork rest for 20-30 minutes before pulling/shredding.
The convection fan circulates hot air around the pork shoulder as it cooks, browning the surface, rendering the fat, and speeding up the cooking time. Just 1.5-2 hours in a convection oven yields incredibly moist, fall-apart pulled pork.
How to Tell When the Pork is Done
Rather than relying on cook time alone, use these visual and temperature cues to know when pork shoulder is ready for shredding:
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The internal temperature hits 195°-205°F on a meat thermometer.
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The meat has shrunk back from the ends of any bones.
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The surface is browned and crispy.
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A fork inserted into the meat meets little resistance as it slides in easily.
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When poked, the meat should be completely tender and starting to fall apart.
Once the pork hits these markers, remove it from the oven and let rest before pulling.
Step-by-Step Method for Shredding the Pork
After cooking, here’s how to pull and shred the tender pork by hand:
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Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board or work surface.
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Use a knife or fork to remove the crisp outer crust from the meat. It can be discarded or chopped and added back to the pulled pork for texture.
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Using heat-resistant gloves or a large fork, pull and shred the hot pork with your fingers or two forks. Break it into smaller pieces as you work across the shoulder.
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Remove and discard any bones or excess fat.
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Use your fingers or forks to continue shredding and pulling the pork into fine, thin strands.
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Chop or tear any larger chunks into bite-sized pieces.
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Combine all the shredded meat together and use forks to fluff and mix.
Be sure to wear heat-protective gloves when handling the hot pork. Pulling it by hand results in tender, separated meat strands ready to serve.
Flavorful Finishing Touches
Freshly shredded pulled pork tastes great on its own. For even more flavor, try one of these easy finishing touches:
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Toss or drizzle the hot pork with barbecue sauce. Sweet and tangy flavors coat each strand.
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Stir in a splash of apple cider vinegar for bright acidity.
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Mix in diced onions that were caramelized in the pork drippings.
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Sprinkle on extra barbecue seasoning or dry rub.
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Add a dash of hot sauce for heat.
Garnish with sliced scallions and an extra drizzle of sauce. The pulled pork can be served right away or refrigerated until ready to use in sandwiches, tacos, casseroles and more.
Serving Suggestions for Pulled Pork
Juicy, fork-tender pulled pork has amazing versatility. Pile it onto buns, tortillas or plates for easy meal ideas:
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Pulled Pork Sandwiches – Serve on soft buns with barbecue sauce and coleslaw.
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Pulled Pork Tacos – Fill tortillas with pork, salsa, avocado, cotija cheese.
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Pulled Pork Pizza – Top pizza dough with pork, red onion, cilantro.
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Pulled Pork Baked Potatoes – Load baked potatoes with barbecue pulled pork and fixings.
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Pulled Pork Omelettes – Add shredded pork to omelette fillings along with cheese.
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Pulled Pork Salad – Toss pork with mixed greens, corn, beans, ranch dressing.
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Pulled Pork Casserole – Combine pork with mac and cheese, corn, beans, top with biscuits.
The possibilities are endless! Leftover pulled pork also freezes well for future meals.
By using your convection oven and following the steps above, you can make amazingly moist, fall-apart tender pulled pork in much less time than traditional methods. No smoker or all-day cooking required!
The circulating hot air cooks the
How long should I cook pulled pork in my steam oven?
There you go. I told you that steam oven pulled pork takes about half as long as slow cooker pulled pork. I cook the meat in my slow cooker for up to eight hours, but only four hours at most in my steam oven. That’s not really fast, but you don’t have to plan it out for a whole day like you would for slow cooker pulled pork. This can be made after lunch and still have dinner ready for the kids at a time that works for us (very important!).
Exactly how long you should cook the meat for will depend on a couple of things. First, it’s about the meat itself. Some will naturally be easier to tenderize and cook down until they are soft enough to shred. It depends on what kind of animal the meat came from.
When you use the combination steam setting, the amount of humidity (steam) and dry heat in your oven can also change the time it takes to cook. Food cooks faster with steam than with dry heat, which is great for getting things done faster. But if you use too much steam or cook for too long, meats that are slowly cooked will turn out stringy and dry instead of soft and melting.
But if you don’t give it enough time, the meat won’t shred easily. If you give it too much time, it will shred into small, chewy pieces instead of big, soft ones. There is a good chance that the sweet spot will last for at least 30 minutes, so you don’t have to catch it in the exact five-minute window to make pulled pork that tastes great. If you stick a fork into the meat and it comes out easily in soft, moist pieces, you’re good to go. In my steam oven, for the quantity of meat below, this takes anywhere from three to four hours. It could be different for you, but it probably won’t be more than 30 minutes before or after that.
August 7, 2018: I added that some readers told me that their meat came out a little stringy and dry after I first posted this. I want to stress that it IS possible to overcook slow-cooked meat when you use steam, so check the meat for doneness after three hours. I have now retested the recipe and lowered the temperature and humidity from 2050 to 2030 and from 20140C to 20120C, as I originally suggested. The times are pretty much the same, but it’s easier to get it right now that the temperature and humidity are lower. The updated details have been edited into the recipe below.
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Seasonings for pulled pork
I don’t think I’m an expert or purist when it comes to traditional American barbecue, but I have been on a pilgrimage to some of the best barbecue joints in North Carolina (and one in Dallas that stands out only because of the sky-high taxi fare we paid to get there from a hotel miles away).
My husband is a barbecue fiend, you see. It’s okay for me to go along for the ride. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the “right” way to cook barbecue is as subjective as the “right” way to make a pizza. There are strong opinions on how to season meat (salt, spices, wet or dry rubs), smoke it (what kind of wood to use?), dress it after cooking (if so, what to use), and serve it. It’s a delicious minefield.
Thankfully, at home, no one’s judging how we do it. Before I cook, I use a strong dry rub that gives the meat great flavor and a beautiful, browned crust on the outside.
Sometimes we dress our pulled pork with a vinegar sauce. It’s easy to make and pretty great if you’re keen to give it a try. Only dress the meat you’re eating that day, though, because the vinegar will alter the texture of any leftovers, making the meat mushy.
PULLED PORK SHOULDER | in the oven recipe
FAQ
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