Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Recipe | Butter Your Biscuit (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to pulled pork? ›

Pulled pork is made with pork shoulder, also called pork butt for whatever reason, and has lots of collagen which when cooked low and slow melts into gelatin which makes for tons of flavor and moist meat. Best to cook at about 200–225°F and get the internal temperature up to 190°F.

Cheddar: Sharp, tangy, and full-flavoured, cheddar complements the smoky, sweet taste of barbecue sauce. Monterey Jack: Mild and melty, Monterey Jack adds creaminess without overpowering the other flavours. Pepper Jack: A spicy variation of Monterey Jack, this cheese adds a kick of heat to the sandwich.

Shoulder Cut

The pork shoulder is the most popular cut used to make pulled pork. The entire hog's front leg and shoulder make up the pork shoulder. This is often separated into two pieces at your local grocery store: the picnic roast and the Boston butt (also known as the Boston roast).

Adding pulled pork sandwich toppings like coleslaw, cheese, or even international options like kimchi is a great way to make a simple dish a memorable one to share with family and friends.

Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot. To add a strong flavor during the process, white wine can also be sprayed. You can shred the pork during smoking or in the crockpot.

After you've pulled your pork butt, drizzle over the meat and combine. The vinegar adds contrast to the smoky flavor and cuts through the fat in the meat. It also helps mellow out the darker, gamier-tasting parts of the butt. This makes enough for a 8 pound pork butt/shoulder.

Mix equal parts of low sodium chicken and beef broth together along with a little of your rub and mix it in with your pork. The combinations of broth, will not alter the flavor of the pork, while moistening it.

Pour sauce over meat and toss well. Spread buns with Hellmann's® Real Mayonnaise and fill with pulled pork.

The ideal method for achieving a hand-pulled look to your shreds is by shredding hot. A hand-pulled look is achieved when the connective tissue of the protein is broken down during the cook cycles and the muscle fibers are pulled apart from one another.

By the way, just as it's possible to overcook beef in a beef stew, it's quite possible to overcook pulled pork. You want your pork to be pull-apart tender—an indication that the connective tissue has broken down—but not so cooked that the muscle fibers themselves start to lose structure and turn to mush.

Is pork butt the same as pork shoulder? ›

Both come from the shoulder of the pig, but pork butt is higher on the foreleg, while pork shoulder is farther down. As relatively tough and fatty cuts, both benefit from long, slow cooking methods such as roasting, stewing, and braising. But the cuts are different enough that we generally prefer pork butt.

Shred it and top with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and a spicy habanero vinegar for the perfect sandwich.

The kind of meat you're smoking will influence the texture of your shreds. Pork shoulder and butt contain tons of fat that keeps the meat juicy and soft when cooking. Your meat could not shred properly if you attempted to smoke a leaner cut, such as tenderloin. The issue of the meat bark is another issue.

Add a stick of butter to the top of the meat. Note: I was short on butter while taking these pictures so I had to use a half stick on each pan to make it work. That was enough but in my opinion, a whole stick is best. During the reheating process, the butter will melt and juice up the meat.

Pro Tip: If you don't drain the pan juices, they will mix with and dilute the BBQ sauce and make it watery instead of thick and sticky. Remove The Fat Cap. Remove the fat cap so that there is not too much fat mixed in. Pull and Add BBQ Sauce.