15 Pulled Pork Recipes, From Sliders to Casseroles

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Cooked and shredded, pulled pork fits almost any dinner recipe that calls for cooked meat, from 20-minute tacos to casseroles that bake for 40 minutes or more. A shoulder takes hours in a slow cooker or about an hour of pressure cooking, so one batch usually has to cover several meals, and the way you cook it decides how juicy each leftover dinner turns out.

1 What Cut and Method Make the Best Pulled Pork?

Pork shoulder, sold as Boston butt or pork butt, is the cut that shreds. It is laced with fat and connective tissue, which stay tough for the first hours of cooking and then soften into the moist strands you want. Lean loin has little of either, so it dries out and turns stringy long before it falls apart.

Pulled pork has two temperatures to know. The safe minimum for fresh pork is 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and a shoulder passes that hours before it is tender. Texas A&M's meat science program notes that Boston butts for barbecue are allowed to reach internal temperatures approaching 200°F before they are shredded, so you keep cooking until a fork twists in and pulls the meat apart, which for most shoulders happens near that mark.

Four methods get a shoulder to that point, and they differ mainly in how long you wait. Oven and smoker times depend on the cut and the setting, so go by the fork test for those two.

Method	How the pork goes in	Time	Best for
Slow cooker	3 lb boneless butt or shoulder	8 to 10 hours on low	A day you are away, very soft pork
Instant Pot	Boneless shoulder in large chunks	60 minutes at high pressure, then 15 minutes natural release	Same-day dinners
Oven	Whole shoulder in a covered Dutch oven or pan in a moderate oven	Several hours, until a fork twists in	Big batches with no extra appliance
Smoker	Whole butt over wood smoke at low heat	The longest, most of a day	Smoky flavor and a dark outer crust

Cut into large chunks, a 3-pound boneless shoulder is ready for you to shred after 60 minutes at high pressure and a 15-minute natural release, which turns it into Instant Pot pulled pork the same afternoon.

2 How Do You Keep Pulled Pork Juicy?

Shred the pork while it is still warm, because the strands separate easily then and stiffen as the fat cools. Pull out the bone, which slides out clean from a done bone-in butt, discard the large pockets of fat, and moisten the strands with a few spoonfuls of the cooking juices after you skim them.

Barbecue sauce goes on after shredding, since the sugar in a tomato-based sauce scorches over hours of heat. You can pick a vinegar-based sauce, which is thinner and sharper and suits pork piled on buns with slaw, or a sweet tomato sauce, which suits the cheesy bakes. A slow cooker needs little added liquid because the shoulder releases its own juices, and too much liquid boils the pork and thins its flavor.

Two failures come up most. When your fork still meets resistance, the collagen has not softened yet, so the shoulder needs more time, not less, and you check it again later. When the finished pork tastes dry, it was usually cooked past tender at too high a heat or came from a lean cut, and warm broth or cooking juices stirred in a few tablespoons at a time bring the strands back to moist. Leftover pork reheats best covered in a pan with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle.

3 How Do You Choose Among These Pulled Pork Recipes?

Three things settle your night: how long you want to stand at the stove, whether you will turn the oven on, and how many people are eating. All 15 recipes start from pork that is already cooked and shredded, and cold pork has to reach 165°F in the middle, so the quick recipes warm the pork until it steams before it goes in, and the long bakes heat it through in the dish.

Recipe	Heat	Prep and cook
Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa	Skillet	10 min + 10 min
Pulled Pork Quesadillas	Skillet	10 min + 12 to 16 min for four
Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese	Skillet	5 min + 9 to 11 min
Pulled Pork Sliders with Slaw	Oven	10 min + 10 to 12 min
BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese	Stovetop	15 min + 15 min
Pulled Pork Breakfast Hash	Skillet	10 min + 20 min
Pulled Pork Chili	Pot	15 min + 30 to 45 min
Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes	Oven	10 min + 40 to 50 min
Pulled Pork Baked Ziti	Oven	15 min + 25 to 30 min
Pulled Pork Enchiladas	Oven	20 min + 25 to 30 min
Pulled Pork Shepherd's Pie	Oven	20 min + 25 to 30 min
Pulled Pork Tater Tot Casserole	Oven	15 min + 40 to 45 min
Loaded Pulled Pork Nachos	Oven	10 min + 8 to 10 min
Pulled Pork Loaded Fries	Oven	10 min + bake time + 5 min
Pulled Pork Pizza	Oven	15 min + 12 to 15 min

4 Which Pulled Pork Recipes Are Ready in About 20 Minutes?

A skillet or one short bake does the work, and the pork is the only part cooked ahead. Tacos, grilled cheese and sliders are on the table in about 20 minutes, and four quesadillas take about 25 because they cook two at a time.

Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Smoky, sauced pork wants something sharp beside it, and diced pineapple with red onion, cilantro and lime juice brings sweetness and acid in one bowl. You can use diced mango or peach for the same sweetness when pineapple is out of season.

Tacos take crisped pork well too. Spread unsauced shredded pork on a sheet pan and broil it for 5 to 7 minutes for crackly edges; Instant Pot carnitas crisp the same way.

• 2 cups pulled pork
• 6 small tortillas
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• ¼ red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime

1. Mix the salsa. Stir the pineapple, red onion, cilantro and lime juice together and set the bowl aside so the onion softens in the lime.
2. Warm the tortillas. Heat them in a skillet until they bend without cracking.
3. Heat the pork. Warm it in the same skillet until it is steaming hot, which means 165°F in the middle.
4. Fill and serve. Spoon pork into each tortilla, top with salsa and serve with extra lime wedges.

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Melted cheese holds shredded pork inside the tortilla, which makes a quesadilla the quickest way to turn leftover pork into dinner. Cook it over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side so the cheese melts before the outside darkens, and use only a light spoonful of barbecue sauce, because more soaks the tortilla and keeps it from crisping. Cook two at a time, one per skillet, so four quesadillas take two rounds of 6 to 8 minutes.

If you have leftover BBQ pulled chicken, it melts into the same quesadilla, but chicken is leaner than shoulder and needs a little extra sauce for moisture.

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• Butter or oil for the pan
• Optional: salsa, sour cream or green onions

1. Warm the pork. Heat it in a skillet with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle, then move it to a bowl.
2. Fill and fold. Warm the skillet (or two) over medium heat, lightly butter one side of each tortilla, put the cheese and pork on half of each tortilla and fold it over.
3. Crisp both sides. Cook two at a time, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the tortilla is golden and the cheese has melted.
4. Slice and serve. Cut into wedges and serve hot with salsa or sour cream.

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese

Butter on the outside of the bread browns it, and cheese on both sides of the pork glues the sandwich shut so the filling stays put when you bite. Choose a melting cheese such as cheddar or provolone and give it 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium heat. If the bread darkens before the cheese softens, your pan is too hot, so lower the heat and cover the pan for a minute.

• 4 slices sandwich bread
• 1 ½ cups pulled pork
• 4 slices cheese, cheddar or provolone
• 2 tablespoon butter

1. Warm the pork. Heat it in the skillet with a splash of broth for about 3 minutes, until it is steaming hot and 165°F in the middle, then move it to a plate.
2. Build the sandwich. Butter one side of each slice, put a slice of cheese on the inside of each, add the pork between them, and keep the buttered sides facing out.
3. Toast it. Cook in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
4. Slice and serve. Cut in half while it is still warm.

Pulled Pork Sliders with Slaw

Soft buns and soft pork need something crisp, and a cabbage slaw supplies the crunch and the tang. A store-bought coleslaw works, and a vinegar-dressed slaw stays crisper on a bun than a creamy one.

A tray of sliders is mostly bread, so add a side that is not, such as baked beans and similar sides.

• 2 cups pulled pork, with or without BBQ sauce
• 12 slider buns or dinner rolls
• 1 cup prepared coleslaw
• 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• Optional: pickles or sliced cheese

1. Heat the oven and the pork. Preheat to 350°F and slice the slider buns in half horizontally. Warm the pork in a pan with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle.
2. Stack the sliders. Layer pork and slaw on the bottom halves and add cheese or pickles if you like.
3. Top and brush. Set the top buns on and brush them with the melted butter.
4. Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until warm and lightly toasted, then slice and serve.

5 Which Pulled Pork Recipes Cook in One Skillet or Pot?

Mac and cheese, hash and chili need no oven, only one skillet or pot to wash.

BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

A sauce of 2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup milk and 1 ½ cups cheddar coats the pasta and carries the barbecue sauce, so stir in the pork only once the cheese has melted smooth. You get a deeper flavor from smoked gouda in place of the cheddar. Cheese you shred yourself melts smoother than bagged cheese, which carries a coating that resists melting, and a sauce that turns grainy has usually boiled, so keep the heat low once the cheese goes in.

To bake it instead, 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes uncovered browns the top, and a bacon-topped mac and cheese bake is the one to try when you want a meaty, crunchy topping.

• 2 cups cooked pasta
• 1 cup shredded pulled pork
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup BBQ sauce

1. Cook the pasta. Boil it until al dente, then drain and set aside.
2. Make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk and cheese, and stir until smooth.
3. Add the pork and pasta. Stir both in and heat until the pork is steaming hot.
4. Finish with sauce. Drizzle the barbecue sauce over the top and serve hot.

Pulled Pork Breakfast Hash

Potatoes need the longest, so they go into the hot oil first, and 10 to 12 minutes without much stirring lets them form a brown crust before you add the onion and pork. The eggs you set in wells in the hash cook through in the steam under a lid. A crowded skillet steams the potatoes instead of browning them, so use a 12-inch pan for this amount or cook the potatoes in two batches.

• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 1 ½ cups pulled pork
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 to 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoon oil
• Salt, pepper and paprika

1. Crisp the potatoes. Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the potatoes for 10 to 12 minutes until crisp.
2. Add the pork and onion. Stir them in and cook for another 5 minutes, until the pork is steaming hot.
3. Set the eggs. Make wells, crack an egg into each, cover the pan and cook until the whites and yolks are firm.
4. Season and serve. Finish with salt, pepper and paprika and serve hot.

Pulled Pork Chili

The pork already brings the smoke, so beans, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of cumin are enough to make it taste like chili. Left uncovered, the pot thickens in 30 to 45 minutes of simmering, and pork that came with barbecue sauce makes it sweeter, so taste before adding barbecue sauce or sugar.

• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cups beef or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper

1. Soften the onion. Cook it in the oil in a pot until soft.
2. Add everything else. Stir in the pork, beans, tomatoes, broth and spices.
3. Simmer. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Adjust the seasoning. Taste, add salt and pepper, and serve hot.

6 Which Pulled Pork Dinners Bake in the Oven?

Sweet potatoes, ziti, enchiladas, shepherd's pie and the tater tot casserole bake at 375°F to 400°F for 25 minutes or more, which leaves time to set the table while the dish is in.

Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato sugar balances smoky pork and a drizzle of barbecue sauce or chipotle crema. Pierce the skins so steam can escape, and call the potatoes done when a fork slides in with no resistance.

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 cups pulled pork
• ¼ cup BBQ sauce or chipotle crema
• Optional: green onions, cilantro, sour cream

1. Prep the potatoes. Heat the oven to 400°F, then scrub the sweet potatoes and pierce them with a fork.
2. Bake. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes until soft.
3. Warm the pork. Heat it in a pan until it is steaming hot while the potatoes finish.
4. Fill and top. Slice each potato open, fluff the center with a fork, add the pork and drizzle with sauce.

Pulled Pork Baked Ziti

Ziti keeps soaking up sauce in the oven, so cook it a minute short of done. Shredded pork adds savory depth to the marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan, the job sausage usually does.

If the top browns too fast in your oven, cover the dish with foil for the first 20 to 25 minutes and uncover it for the last 10 to 15, which adds about 10 minutes to the 25 to 30 and keeps the pasta from drying out. Dollops of ricotta make it creamier, as in a baked ziti with ricotta.

• 12 oz ziti, cooked
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Mix. Combine the pasta, pork, marinara and Italian seasoning in a large bowl.
3. Layer the cheese. Pour the mixture into the dish and top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
4. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Tortillas soften in the sauce as they bake, which is why you can assemble enchiladas ahead and bake them later. Warm the tortillas for a few seconds first so they roll without cracking, and roll them seam-side down to keep them closed. A 10-ounce can of red enchilada sauce covers 8 small tortillas. The same 10 ounces of taco sauce or salsa works as an enchilada sauce swap and still coats the tortillas.

• 8 small tortillas
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
• Optional: ½ cup sour cream

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Fill and roll. Divide the pork and 1 cup of the cheese among the tortillas, roll it up and lay it seam-side down.
3. Sauce and cheese. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top and add the remaining cheese.
4. Bake and rest. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and golden, then let the dish cool slightly before serving.

Pulled Pork Shepherd's Pie

Barbecue pork takes the place of ground meat, so your filling is already tender and you only need to heat it through while the mashed potatoes brown. About ½ cup of barbecue sauce moistens 2 cups of pork.

Spread the mashed potatoes all the way to the edges of the dish so they seal in the filling and it does not bubble up around them.

• 2 cups pulled pork
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
• ½ cup BBQ sauce
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and grease a small casserole dish.
2. Mix the filling. Stir the pork, barbecue sauce and vegetables together and spread the mixture in the bottom of the dish.
3. Top with potatoes. Smooth the mashed potatoes over the filling with a spoon.
4. Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Pulled Pork Tater Tot Casserole

Soup, milk and half the cheese bind the pork into a creamy base, and the tots crisp on top in a single layer. Add the rest of the cheese for the last 5 minutes so it melts without burning during the 35 to 40 minutes the tots need at 400°F. You should drain any pool of sauce from the pork before it goes in, because a watery base keeps the underside of the tots pale and soft.

• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom or chicken soup
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 bag frozen tater tots
• ½ cup milk

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 400°F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
2. Mix the base. Stir the pork, soup, milk and half the cheese together and spread it in the dish.
3. Add the tots. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on top.
4. Bake. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the tots are golden, sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bake 5 minutes more.

7 Which Pulled Pork Recipes Suit Game Day and Pizza Night?

Nachos, loaded fries and pizza come straight from the oven to the table, and each feeds a group from one pan.

Loaded Pulled Pork Nachos

Two layers of chips, pork, beans and cheese keep your toppings from collecting in the middle of the pan while the edge chips stay bare. Add the onion, sour cream and cilantro after baking so they stay cool against the hot cheese. A rimmed sheet pan gives the chips more contact with the heat than a deep dish does, and a deep dish leaves the bottom chips soft.

• 1 large bag tortilla chips
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheese, cheddar or a Mexican blend
• ½ cup black beans (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• Sour cream, salsa and cilantro

1. Heat the oven and the pork. Preheat to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Warm the pork in a pan with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle.
2. Layer. Spread chips, pork, beans and cheese, then repeat if you have enough.
3. Bake. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
4. Top and serve. Add the onion, sour cream and other toppings and serve right away.

Pulled Pork Loaded Fries

Steak fries or crinkle-cut fries hold a heavy topping better than thin shoestrings, which go limp under the weight of pork and cheese. Bake them in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan, because a crowded pan or a deep baking dish traps steam and turns the bottom fries soggy. The pork and cheese go on for only the last 5 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt before the fries soften, so carry the pan straight to the table.

• 1 bag frozen French fries
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheese
• Optional: sliced jalapeños, sour cream, green onions

1. Bake the fries. Spread the frozen fries in one layer on a rimmed sheet pan and bake to the package directions until crisp.
2. Warm the pork. Heat it in a pan with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle.
3. Add pork and cheese. Pile on the pork and cheese and return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
4. Top. Add jalapeños, sour cream or green onions and serve immediately.

Pulled Pork Pizza

Spread ½ cup of barbecue sauce over a prepared crust, where it covers the crust without making it wet. Red onion cuts the sweetness, and a store-bought crust or dough keeps the whole thing close to 30 minutes. Pork that is wet with sauce makes a soggy middle, so you should squeeze or drain it before it goes on the crust.

• 1 prepared pizza crust or dough
• ½ cup BBQ sauce
• 1 ½ cups pulled pork
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
• ¼ cup sliced red onion

1. Heat the oven and the pork. Preheat to 450°F and roll the dough out on a sheet pan. Warm the pork in a pan with a splash of broth until it is steaming hot, 165°F in the middle.
2. Sauce and top. Spread the barbecue sauce over the crust and add the pork and onion.
3. Add cheese and bake. Cover with mozzarella and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.
4. Slice. Cut and serve hot.

Sources

• FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
• Texas A&M Meat Science: Pork Shoulder, Butt, Bone In
• Texas A&M Dinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
• USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety