Oven Pulled Pork from pork butt is cooked in the oven low and slow. Our best-pulled pork recipe is tender and moist with delicious bark. Super easy, with almost no work—you rub, bake at 250° for 8 to 9 hours, shred, and eat.
🐖Ingredients
Pork butt, AKA Boston butt—boneless or bone-in
Dry rub—brown sugar, kosher salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper
Liquid smoke—optional but suggested
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐖Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Cook Pulled Pork in the Oven with Pork Butt—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏰How long to cook pork butt in the oven
- 🌡️When is pork butt done?
- ✔️Tips and variation
- 🍽️Serving Pulled Pork
- ♨️Storing pulled pork butt
- Reheating pulled pork butt.
- ❓FAQs
- 🐖What is pork butt and why use it?
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment by Lisa B :
"I was beyond amazed at the end product of this recipe. The cooking method is foolproof. People thought the pork was cooked on a smoker or grill. It was perfectly moist but with the crunchy texture of the bark mixed in. So easy! Outstanding results."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Everybody deserves great pulled pork, but most of us don't have smokers. You can make perfect moist and tender pulled pork with fantastic bark in your oven.
We make this recipe almost monthly. With only 10 minutes of prep, you can make perfect pulled pork by simulating a smoker's or grill's cooking environment using 250°F oven temperature, dry rub, and liquid smoke.
For other pork butt recipes, see Smoked Pork Butt on a Gas Grill and Crock Pot Pulled Pork. Or for pork butt carnitas, see Oven Baked Carnitas and Crock Pot Pork Carnitas.
👨🍳How to Cook Pulled Pork in the Oven with Pork Butt—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Use a bone-in or boneless pork butt, AKA Boston butt.
2. Pat dry and coat with liquid smoke (optional) and dry rub.
3. Place on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast in a 250° oven until an internal temp of 200° to 205°—about 8-9 hours.
5. Wrap with aluminum foil, and then wrap with several towels.
6. You can shred in as little as 15 minutes, but better in 1-2 hours.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to cook pork butt in the oven
In a 250° oven, a 4-pound pork butt will take 8 to 9 hours. Bone-in will take a bit longer. Two hours per pound at 250° is a good starting point for timing. This time will vary from 1 ½ hours to 2 ½ hours per pound by the weight and thickness of the meat.
The best oven temperature is 250°, but you can use oven temperatures of 225° to 275° and adjust the cooking time. I do not suggest 300° or above since the outside will dry more before the collagen in the center is fully melted. I also do not recommend using convection for the same reason.
Much bigger pork butts will take much longer into the 12+ hour range. I suggest cutting huge pork butts into smaller pieces to speed up cooking and help predict timing better.
A quick warning: Many ovens will shut off at 8 to 12 hours for safety if people leave the stove on accidentally. So, watch for that problem with your oven.
🌡️When is pork butt done?
Pork butt is done at an internal temperature of 200° to 205°, which will produce the most tender results. The collagen connective tissue will start melting in the 175° range but is not complete until about 200°.
The only way to tell if your pork butt is done is by checking the internal temperature of the thickest part with a meat thermometer. You can not cook by time or color of the meat.
✔️Tips and variation
Use a dry rub: There are many dry rubs available, and if you have one you like, use it. I have provided the dry rub I use for pork butt recipes. It is simple and uses common pantry ingredients. It is a version of BBQ Dry Rub or use Memphis Dry Rub. A touch of cayenne pepper can be added if you want a bit of heat.
Elevate the Pork Butt: Use a rack or crumbled-up foil to elevate the pork out of the fatty drainage. You don't have to do this, but the results will be nicer.
Liquid Smoke: A good-quality liquid smoke will add a nice smokiness, but you can skip it if you want. You can rub the pork roast with a light coat of yellow mustard before adding the dry rub.
🍽️Serving Pulled Pork
We prefer pulled pork sandwiches on a great bun or bread and topped with Memphis BBQ Sauce, but others like to pile on coleslaw or other condiments on their pork sandwich.
You can never go wrong with a nice pile of pulled pork with sauce and sides on your plate. But you can use pulled pork to make great nachos, pork tacos, or quesadillas.
Suggested side dishes
The standards are cold side dishes like coleslaw, potato salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, or Macaroni Salad. Cornbread and cheesy potato casserole, French Fries, or Mac and Cheese are also great sides.
♨️Storing pulled pork butt
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 days, but I prefer two days since the texture suffers.
Pulled pork will freeze well for 3 to 4 months. Many will freeze pulled pork in reheatable sealed bags which can be reheated in boiling water.
Reheating pulled pork butt.
Reheat on a sheet pan sprinkled with a bit of water with your hand (don't overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250°-300° until hot.
The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. Usually, I take about 45 minutes or so in the oven. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea.
You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crock pot on low to keep warm.
Never reheat or store with sauce applied -the acid will destroy the texture of pulled pork.
❓FAQs
No, but it will add some smoky taste.
There are many "bad" versions of liquid smoke on the market. And the chemical-filled versions will ruin your pork.
I stick to Wright's brand only. If not available to you, the ingredient list on the bottle should only have smoke and water—nothing else.
Bone-in pork butt will take a bit longer to cook, but not much. Some will argue a taste difference one way or the other. Nope, no difference to me (or most people) in the taste. So use what you have.
Absolutely. The rest before the shred could be as short as 15 minutes, but longer is better. Shred just before serving. It will stay warm with my method for up to 4 hours, giving you ample time to serve freshly shredded pork.
Special tools are made for shredding, but you don't need them—just a couple of good forks work well.
Any bone will pull out easily and then attack with the forks. There may be some non-eatable parts that should be discarded.
No. Please keep it open to the dry oven environment to develop the fantastic bark of pulled pork.
The moistness of pulled pork butt comes from the melting of connective tissue, and the bark firming up blocks most moisture loss. Smokers and grillers don't need foil, and we don't.
🐖What is pork butt and why use it?
The best cut of meat to use for pulled pork is pork butt which has a large amount of connective tissue that, when melted, makes for the absolute best pull pork that is moist, tender, and flavorful.
Like many cuts of meat, there are several names for the same thing. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same cut. It is behind the neck and is part of a larger (primal) cut called the pork shoulder. The pork shoulder is divided into two smaller cuts, the pork butt (Boston butt) and the picnic shoulder.
The picnic shoulder is a thinner area below the pork butt. The picnic is frequently smoked to make the picnic ham. Large restaurants and BBQ experts will low and slow-cook the whole pork shoulder primal cut for masses of pulled pork.
📖 Recipe
Oven Pulled Pork Butt—Low and Slow
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Ingredients
- about 4 pounds Pork Butt - aka Boston Butt
- rub of your choice - good quality
- 2 tablespoons Wright's Liquid Smoke - optional but recommended
Suggested dry rub if you don't have one
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - 2 tablespoons if using Morton
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Use a rub of your choice. If using my rub, mix ½ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Place a 4-pound (give or take a little) bone-in (or boneless) pork butt on a large piece of plastic wrap if wrapping for later. Rub with about 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke (optional).
- Use about one cup of rub and coat the meat on all sides of the pork butt with a heavy coat. If you have time, wrap the meat with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours, but overnight is fine. If you don't have time, apply the rub and pop it in the oven—which I usually do.
- When ready to cook, prepare a large-rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and a rack. Give it a heavy spray of PAM.
- Place meat on the rack and place it in a 250 ° oven (not convection). Don't bother to preheat. Fat cap up or down does not matter. You can shorten the time by increasing the oven's temperature to 275°, but I suggest 250°.
- Bake until internal temp of 200°-205°—about 8-9 hours. This will vary with the meat's thickness, bone-in vs. boneless, and the oven. You have some flex time to get your timing right in the next step.
- Remove from the oven directly onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap tight with the foil, then wrap with several towels. Place wrapped meat in a small cooler if available and rest for 1-2 hours until needed. It can stay warm for up to 4 hours if well-wrapped in a cooler. This can help you get your timing right for serving.
- Shred with forks. It will fall apart.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cooking time can vary, but you can use the wrap time at the end to adjust the shredding time by a few hours.
- If you don't have a rack, you can elevate the meat on balls of rolled-up foil. Please do not leave it to cook in the muck.
- The liquid smoke is nice, but some will object, so skip it if you wish. If you use it, quality matters a lot. I use only Wright's™.
- My rub is provided for you, but use the rub of your choice.
- If you use my rub, the salt is calculated on Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- I find my rub still is good with half the salt if that is a concern for you.
- 195° is the absolute minimum internal temperature, but I much prefer 200° to 205° and 210° max.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days, but I prefer 2 days since the texture suffers. It will freeze well for 4 months.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. But bone-in may take a bit longer.
- Fat pad up or down does not matter.
- I frequently just wet it with the liquid smoke and apply the rub. And then directly into the oven. It is still great. Or use yellow mustard and then rub.
- DO NOT cover with anything like foil or a lid in the oven.
- Nutrition is hard to calculate. The fat drains, the rub forms bark, and also drains some. So many things are included in the nutrition numbers that may not be there.
Reheating
I like to reheat it on a sheet pan. I sprinkle with a bit of water on my hand (don't overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250°-300° until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. Usually, I take about 45 minutes or so in the oven. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crockpot on low to keep warm if serving. Never reheat or store with sauce applied -the acid will destroy the texture.Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's note: Originally Published November 2, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Karen says
I first discovered this recipe about 7 years ago, and I make it regularly - I keep single servings in the freezer. Super tasty and very easy. Thanks for posting it!
Althea says
No comment just a question. Where in the oven do I want to place my oven rack? Lowest near bottom heat element or in the middle of the oven?
Thanks for the recipe and looking forward to making this.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Althea,
Welcome to the blog.
Middle. In general, all oven recipes should have the dish in the middle. Somethings, like a whole chicken or turkey, should be lowered a bit to get the bird in the middle.
Hope that helps. Enjoy your pork.
Dan
Dawn says
So if we cut an 11 lb pork butt in half and cook both pieces at the same time just spread a bit apart, the time would be closer to 10-11 hours at 250?
Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Dawn,
Welcome to the blog and good question.
The cooking time is dependent on the distance from the outside to the center of the pork butt. So cutting in half will shorten that distance and the time. When placing them on the tray, get them as far apart as reasonable on your tray. This will decrease the "envelope" of cold area. The cooking time will be more close to 5-6 pound but you should monitor it. So your guess is reasonable but be sure to check a few hours early. If you find you are "running over time" and need to speed it up, go up by 25° or a bit more (300° max).
Also pay attention to my warning about many ovens turning off after 8-10 hours for safety if left on accidentally. You don't want that happening to you without being able to correct it.
Dan
SuperDave says
My 11.27# butt took 15hrs-50min, had to foil-wrap after a 3hr stall, @198° turned oven off and coasted 2hrs.
The reason I am commenting is I was shocked, even my racked/braised elk shoulder was only 12hrs @250°.
You are correct Sir, this is the only way to "grill" indoors. I roasted on the bare oven rack, sheet pan below filled with water (possible extended cook time), with excellent bark.
Truth be known, I have laid oak wood pieces on my oven element with the stove vent plugged, fan and window open to smoke meats indoors ; )
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi SuperDave,
Thanks for the note. I enjoyed it and I'm sure other readers will also. I'm not recommending wood on the oven elements or interfering with venting. Some definite safety issues. Use liquid smoke next time.
Dan
SE says
The FAQs are not opening.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi and welcome to the blog.
I can not reproduce this in three browsers.
I had the auto close turned on until about a month ago but they are now open by default. The plugin that closed them was still installed but turned off. I just took it off the site and cleared all caches.
So, check it now and if it still does not work, you may have an old version "caught" in the browser cache, so you may need to clear that.
If it still does not work, let me know the OS and browser you are seeing this in.
Thanks for the heads up.
Dan
Patrick says
Seems straight forward but there’s no mention of a stall. Wouldn’t that really affect the cook time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Patrick,
Welcome to the blog.
You are right that I don't discuss the stall with the oven or crockpot based recipes. Most people using those techniques don't monitor the temperature curve as closely as grillers and smokers must. It would probably add some needless confusion for those users.
I do discuss the stall and the Texas crunch wrap in the grill-based brisket and pork butt recipes. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/pulled-pork-on-gas-grill-not-that-hard/ (discussed stall but not the Texas crunch due to the size of the butts won't usually need it.)
And https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cook-brisket-gas-grill/ with a much longer discussion on cause and treatment.
As to affecting the oven cooking time of butt, it probably does a bit but if you are under 5-6 pounds, not much.
Dan
Nicole says
Just wondering if it is totally necessary to let it rest for so long or is that optional? I only ask so I know how to get my timing right to accommodate for the cooking time. What would your recommended minimum resting time be if not the 1-2 hours? SO excited to try this out.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Nicole,o
Welcome to the blog. It is in the post under FAQs https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-pulled-pork-from-pork-butt/#❓faqs . As little as 15 minutes will work fairly well. It gives time for the moisture to reabsorb back into the cells. I frequently only do 15 minutes because that is the limit of my wife's patience.
"The rest before the shred could be as short as 15 minutes, but longer is better. Shred just before serving. It will stay warm with my method for about 4 hours, giving you an ample time window to hit to serve freshly shredded pork."
Dan
Jennifer Matthews says
Can I mix the rub with the liquid smoke and coat the pork with it or will the consistency not work with sticking to the pork?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jennifer,
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Welcome to the blog.
Can you, possibly, but there is not that much liquid smoke, and you might make a clumpy mess. I would just lightly wet the surface with the liquid smoke and dry rub.
Dan
Meg says
Absolutely delicious! Really does taste like it’s been in a smoker.
Grace Hawkins says
This is in the over right now! Cannot wait - I had to make it a day ahead of time for our party tomorrow night. Would you wait to shred it? OR would you shred and then reheat?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Grace,
Welcome to the blog.
You shred it now and refrigerated it, or it will become very hard to shred. Reheating instructions are in both the post and recipe card.
Dan
Brandon says
‘Simply’ amazing! Cooked exactly to recipe andEVERYONE raved about it… 5 lbs/ 9 hours …. Rest wrapped 3-4 hours and it was the perfect temp and consistency to then shred…. Liquid smoke awesome! Thanks so much …
Celesti says
This was a delicious and easy recipe that received several compliments from the folks on my dart league. I used the Wright's Liquid Smoke in hickory and some of my friends (who own smoker grills) asked me if I smoked the meat ! Served the pulled pork with slider rolls and a side of cole slaw.
Thanks !!
Myra says
Of the 3 Wright’s Liquid smoke flavors, which is your favorite? (Hickory,Mesquite, Applewood). I am looking forward to trying this recipe for Labor Day and would like your suggestions before I order from Amazon. Thanks.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Myra,
Welcome to the blog. I'm a traditional hickory guy and can always find it at most of my local stores. It will be around the sauces like tobacco. It is a small bottle that will only be one or two rows and is easy to miss.
Dan
Gary Atkinson says
DrDan,
I've been eating pork barbeque for 60 years and have come to prefer the eastern North Carolina style. I've traveled out of my way to reach several of the vaunted barbeque restaurants in North and South Carolina, and there's no doubt in my mind that your recipe is the absolute best in terms of flavor and texture. I've found that the best way to reheat the meat is to steam it in a steamer basket. This method resuscitated even year-old frozen barbeque that I was going to throw away after originally drying it out when I tried to reheat a large batch in a slow cooker. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Wendi Dys says
I wanted to thank you for your recipe. I made it for my daughter's and her best friend graduation party in 2015. I made 2 butt roast we had nothing left. It was my first time making pulled pork. I'm going to use this recipe again tomorrow.
Thank you,
Wendi Dys