This easy pulled pork recipe is the one we make when there are a lot of mouths to feed and not much time to stand at the cooker. A Boneless Pork Shoulder 1.5kg gets a quick smoky rub, goes into a low oven on a bed of onions and comes out hours later soft enough to pull apart with two forks. Toss it in a quick homemade BBQ sauce, pile it into toasted baps and top it with crunchy apple slaw. Buy the joint from our pork shoulder range, butcher-cut and delivered to your door.
Skip the middle man and skip the takeaway. Hands-on time is only about 30 minutes; the oven does the rest. One 1.5kg shoulder fills 8 baps for a party, a match day or a Saturday tea, and the leftovers are even better the next day. Below you will find the ingredients, a numbered method, the slaw and sauce, make-ahead advice and a short FAQ. If you want every cooking method side by side (oven, slow cooker and BBQ), our guide How to Cook Pulled Pork Shoulder has the full timings table. This page is about turning it into a proper meal.
Quick answer: easy pulled pork baps
- Prep: 30 minutes, plus at least 1 hour for the rub (overnight is best)
- Cook: 5–6 hours in the oven, plus 20 minutes resting
- Serves: 8 in baps
- Oven: 150°C / fan 130°C / gas 2, covered
- Meat: 1.5kg boneless pork shoulder
- Done when: a fork twists easily in the meat and it falls apart; about 90–95°C in the centre
Ingredients (serves 8)
For the pork and rub
- 1.5kg boneless pork shoulder (one Boneless Pork Shoulder 1.5kg)
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 onions, thickly sliced
- 200ml apple juice (or dry cider)
For the quick BBQ sauce
- 150ml skimmed cooking juices from the tin
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp English mustard
For the apple slaw and to serve
- ¼ white cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 crisp eating apple, such as Cox or Braeburn, cut into matchsticks
- ½ small red onion, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 8 brioche buns or soft white baps
- Pickles or sliced gherkins
Method
- Rub the pork. Mix the sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic granules and cumin in a bowl. Pat the shoulder dry with kitchen paper and rub the mix all over, pushing it into any folds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the deepest flavour.
- Set it going. Heat the oven to 150°C (fan 130°C, gas 2). Spread the sliced onions over the base of a roasting tin or casserole dish, sit the pork on top and pour the apple juice around it, not over it, so the rub stays put. Cover tightly with a double layer of foil or a lid.
- Slow-roast. Cook for 5–6 hours, checking once after 4 hours and adding a splash of water if the tin looks dry. It is ready when a fork twists easily in the thickest part and the meat falls apart. For a darker, sticky crust, remove the foil for the last 30–45 minutes and turn the oven up to 180°C (fan 160°C).
- Make the sauce. Lift the pork onto a board and rest it for 20 minutes. Tip the juices into a jug and spoon off the fat. Put 150ml of the juices in a small pan with the ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and English mustard, then simmer for 5 minutes until glossy.
- Make the slaw. While the pork rests, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt and wholegrain mustard with a pinch of salt. Toss through the cabbage, carrot, apple and red onion. Make it no more than an hour ahead so it stays crunchy.
- Pull the pork. Shred the shoulder with two forks, discarding any lumps of fat. Stir through the BBQ sauce and a few spoonfuls of the soft onions from the tin.
- Build the baps. Split and lightly toast the buns. Pile in the hot pulled pork, add a heap of apple slaw and a few pickles, and serve straight away.
Shop Boneless Pork Shoulder 1.5kg
Butcher’s tips for easy pulled pork
Shoulder is the right cut because it is well marbled and full of connective tissue. Over a long, low cook that tissue melts into the meat, which is why it pulls apart and stays juicy. Keep the oven low and the foil tight; turning the heat up to save time just makes the meat tough and stringy. If it is not pulling easily, it is not ready, so give it another 30 minutes.
Save every drop of the juices. They carry the flavour of the rub and the onions, and a spoonful stirred back through the meat keeps it moist on the plate. Short on oven time? The same rubbed shoulder can go in a slow cooker on low for 8–10 hours; see How to Cook Boneless Pork Shoulder in the Slow Cooker. For more on safe pork temperatures, read Pork Internal Temperature: When Is Pork Cooked?.
Make ahead, leftovers and freezing
Pulled pork is perfect for cooking a day ahead. Shred it, mix it with some of the juices, cool it quickly and get it into the fridge within 2 hours. It keeps, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze it in portions with a little juice for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat it in a covered pan or dish with a splash of stock until it is steaming hot all the way through, then stir in the sauce. Only reheat it once.
Leftovers make a cracking second dinner: pile them onto oven chips with cheese and spring onions for loaded fries, roll them into wraps with the last of the slaw, or stir them through macaroni cheese. Pair them with our Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs for a proper butcher’s BBQ spread, or browse the full pork range.
Why this easy pulled pork recipe works
There is no searing, no smoker and no fiddly marinade. A dry rub seasons the outside, the onions and apple juice keep the tin moist, and a tight cover traps the steam so the shoulder braises gently in its own juices. The quick BBQ sauce uses those same juices, so it tastes of the pork rather than a bottle, and the sharp apple slaw cuts through the richness. One joint, a few cupboard staples and a low oven are all it takes to feed eight people from your online butcher.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to make pulled pork?
Rub a boneless pork shoulder with a simple spice mix, sit it on sliced onions with a splash of apple juice, cover it tightly and leave it in a low oven (150°C, fan 130°C) for 5–6 hours. There is no searing, no smoker and very little washing up.
How much pulled pork do I need per person?
A 1.5kg boneless shoulder loses weight as it cooks and feeds about 6–8 people in baps. Allow roughly 200–250g of raw shoulder per person if it is the main event.
Can I make pulled pork the day before?
Yes, and it often tastes better. Cool the shredded pork with some of its juices, refrigerate it within 2 hours, and keep it covered for up to 3 days. Reheat it covered with a splash of stock until piping hot all the way through.
Is pulled pork safe if it looks pink?
Slow-cooked pork shoulder can have a pinkish tinge near the crust from the spices, but the meat should be falling apart and steaming hot throughout. At 90–95°C in the centre it is well past the point where pork is safely cooked.
What goes with pulled pork baps?
Crunchy apple slaw, pickles and potato wedges are our favourites. Corn on the cob, a green salad or a pot of baked beans all work too.
