Mix salt, brown sugar, pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and rub over pork roast. This can be used right away or refrigerated covered in plastic for hours or overnight. If you are using a roast double the size of the roast in this recipe, double the amount of spices.
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven and quickly sear the roast all over. It will only take a few minutes as that sugar will burn fast. You can do that, or I found broiling works very well too. Alternatively, this step could be skipped entirely, if desired, but it does deepen the flavour. Remove to a plate.
Sautee onions until softened and begin to brown. Be careful not to burn. Set pork roast on top of the onions.
Note, you can skip sautéing the onions and set the pork on a bed of raw onions. However, when the pork comes out from the oven - the onions may not be caramelized enough. In that case, you'll be able to finish caramelizing the onions in a skillet.
Mix 6 TBSP of barbeque sauce, liquid smoke and about 1/3 cup chicken stock and pour gently over the onions (not over the pork as that will wash off the rub.) Please note, the goal with adding the liquid is not to submerge the pork. Having some liquid adds flavour, moisture and provides the assurance your onions and pork won't burn. A little amount of liquid goes a long way.
*If using a larger roast/larger Dutch oven, you may need a bit more chicken stock, just to gently coat the bottom of the pot.
Cover and place in the oven. Roasting time will take anywhere between 3.5 and 5 hours. For me, it was 4.5 hours. The pork should be fork tender and falling off the bone - literally, if you insert the fork, you should have no resistance and the meat should fall apart; if using bone-in - the meat should simply fall off the bone. There are many variables responsible for the exact cooking time, so if your meat is not fork tender at 4.5 hours - cook longer, checking every half an hour. The good thing is that it's nearly impossible to overcook the pork roasting it with this method at low heat and covered Dutch oven.
Please note, it will take longer for a larger roast. Roasting 2 3.5 lbs roasts in a large tightly sealed baking dish took me 5.5 - 6 hours.
Remove the pork and allow to cool slightly before shredding with a fork (shred to your liking, but resist shredding too finely.)
The onions and sauce left behind will be used to flavour your pork. Add more chicken stock, if needed, to deglaze the pan and turn the onion mixture into a nice sauce. Skim as much fat as possible off the top.
Although you can skim the fat, mix everything together and serve - it's ideal to wrap each componenet separatly and refrigerate for a couple of hours (onions, pork and sauce all separate.) The reason for that is that all the fat in the sauce will rise to the top and you will be able to remove it easily when it solidifies; plus this will give more time for the flavours to meld together even more. Otherwise, your dish will likely contain lots of fat.
Besides, make ahead dishes are great and make for an excellent no-stress dinner party dishes!
Fold the pork into the onions and sauce. Taste. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free fold in more barbeque sauce, according to taste. I folded another ½ cup.
Slice the buns in half, scoop out the flesh from the top portion of the bun (this will ensure much better more balanced ration between the amount of bread and pork,) and toast the buns. I toast them under the broiler until golden and very well toasted, making them slightly crunchy and sturdier to hold all the saucy pork and coleslaw.
Top each bun with some pulled pork, coleslaw and other fixings such as sliced jalapenos or pickles. Serve and enjoy!
If the onions are not as caramelized as desired - simply finish caramelizing them in a skillet, on the stove top, over medium-high heat stirring frequently.
If you added too much liquid and the sauce is too liquid - simply boil it in a pot on the stove top until reduced (after you have removed the pork.)
If you don't have enough liquid left - simply add chicken stock, barbeque sauce or the combination of both to moisten your pork.
If at any point during the cooking process there's not enough liquid in your pot (unlikely) - fee free to add a few more splashes of chicken stock.
For the make ahead option: reheat the pork together with the sauce and onions, covered, for about 30 minutes in 350° oven.
It's very easy to do. If you get a larger roast or two 3-pound roasts, simply double all the ingredients (except chicken stock - you may need a bit more, but not necessary twice the amount) Expect the cooking time to be a bit longer - closer to 5.5-6 hours.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix salt, brown sugar, pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and rub over pork roast. This can be used right away or refrigerated covered in plastic for hours or overnight. If you are using a roast double the size of the roast in this recipe, double the amount of spices.
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven and quickly sear the roast all over. It will only take a few minutes as that sugar will burn fast. You can do that, or I found broiling works very well too. Alternatively, this step could be skipped entirely, if desired, but it does deepen the flavour. Remove to a plate.
Sautee onions until softened and begin to brown. Be careful not to burn. Set pork roast on top of the onions.
Note, you can skip sautéing the onions and set the pork on a bed of raw onions. However, when the pork comes out from the oven - the onions may not be caramelized enough. In that case, you'll be able to finish caramelizing the onions in a skillet.
Mix 6 TBSP of barbeque sauce, liquid smoke and about 1/3 cup chicken stock and pour gently over the onions (not over the pork as that will wash off the rub.) Please note, the goal with adding the liquid is not to submerge the pork. Having some liquid adds flavour, moisture and provides the assurance your onions and pork won't burn. A little amount of liquid goes a long way.
*If using a larger roast/larger Dutch oven, you may need a bit more chicken stock, just to gently coat the bottom of the pot.
Cover and place in the oven. Roasting time will take anywhere between 3.5 and 5 hours. For me, it was 4.5 hours. The pork should be fork tender and falling off the bone - literally, if you insert the fork, you should have no resistance and the meat should fall apart; if using bone-in - the meat should simply fall off the bone. There are many variables responsible for the exact cooking time, so if your meat is not fork tender at 4.5 hours - cook longer, checking every half an hour. The good thing is that it's nearly impossible to overcook the pork roasting it with this method at low heat and covered Dutch oven.
Please note, it will take longer for a larger roast. Roasting 2 3.5 lbs roasts in a large tightly sealed baking dish took me 5.5 - 6 hours.
Remove the pork and allow to cool slightly before shredding with a fork (shred to your liking, but resist shredding too finely.)
The onions and sauce left behind will be used to flavour your pork. Add more chicken stock, if needed, to deglaze the pan and turn the onion mixture into a nice sauce. Skim as much fat as possible off the top.
Although you can skim the fat, mix everything together and serve - it's ideal to wrap each componenet separatly and refrigerate for a couple of hours (onions, pork and sauce all separate.) The reason for that is that all the fat in the sauce will rise to the top and you will be able to remove it easily when it solidifies; plus this will give more time for the flavours to meld together even more. Otherwise, your dish will likely contain lots of fat.
Besides, make ahead dishes are great and make for an excellent no-stress dinner party dishes!
Fold the pork into the onions and sauce. Taste. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free fold in more barbeque sauce, according to taste. I folded another ½ cup.
Slice the buns in half, scoop out the flesh from the top portion of the bun (this will ensure much better more balanced ration between the amount of bread and pork,) and toast the buns. I toast them under the broiler until golden and very well toasted, making them slightly crunchy and sturdier to hold all the saucy pork and coleslaw.
Top each bun with some pulled pork, coleslaw and other fixings such as sliced jalapenos or pickles. Serve and enjoy!
If the onions are not as caramelized as desired - simply finish caramelizing them in a skillet, on the stove top, over medium-high heat stirring frequently.
If you added too much liquid and the sauce is too liquid - simply boil it in a pot on the stove top until reduced (after you have removed the pork.)
If you don't have enough liquid left - simply add chicken stock, barbeque sauce or the combination of both to moisten your pork.
If at any point during the cooking process there's not enough liquid in your pot (unlikely) - fee free to add a few more splashes of chicken stock.
For the make ahead option: reheat the pork together with the sauce and onions, covered, for about 30 minutes in 350° oven.
It's very easy to do. If you get a larger roast or two 3-pound roasts, simply double all the ingredients (except chicken stock - you may need a bit more, but not necessary twice the amount) Expect the cooking time to be a bit longer - closer to 5.5-6 hours.
