Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork is all you’ve ever needed but didn’t know you were craving for dinner. It’s got oodles of depth, a beautiful crust, and all that tender fall apart protein you’ve been looking for. Whether you’re eating it fresh or the next day, you’ll be one happy camper.
Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork
This pork recipe is one of my favorites that I’ve created so far, who would have thought that balsamic vinegar and brown sugar would be a match made in heaven? Introduce a little pork to the relationship and you’ve got the entree to end all entrees. Pair this dish with a big scoop of my creamy mashed potatoes and your taste buds will thank you.
I made this dish a few days ago and I’ve been snacking away on the leftovers since. Stuffing them into sandwiches, rolling them up into burritos, spooning them over polenta – I just haven’t been able to get enough! If you’ve got pork lovers in your house they need to try this delicious dish – trust me.
New To The World Of Pulled Pork?
My pulled pork recipe is easy, so easy that you’ll want to make this dish once a week every week till the end of time. So no fears here! We’re not cutting corners when it comes to flavor, I created the best crust ever on this roast with lots of caramelized brown sugar and some tangy balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients
- Pork – Just a big cut of pork shoulder is what we’re using today, it comes from the front leg near the upper shoulder of the pig and is most commonly used for pulled pork.
- Butter – We want unsalted today to control the sodium content of our dish, this is what we will use to saute our garlic in.
- Sugar – Brown sugar to create a caramelized crust on the pork loin. This will add some great molasses notes to our protein.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Balsamic – Yes balsamic, you read that right! We want a tangy, face scrunching addition to act as a bit of a chemical tenderizer while adding tons of depth of flavor.
- Soy sauce – This ingredient is going to give us lots of umami flavor and color, be sure to use some of the good stuff!
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork
- Preheat your oven to 425 F degrees.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until the sugar has melted. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and bring to a boil; remove from heat.
- Sear pork: Cut the pork shoulder in 6 equal pieces. Season each piece with salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add 3 pieces of the pork at a time and sear on both sides for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining olive oil and pork pieces.
- Roast: Once all the pieces have been seared add all the pork to the Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the pork. Cover the pot with a lid or foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil and spoon some of the pan juices over the pork. Turn the heat down to 375 F degrees. Return the pork to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Shred and serve: Let the pork rest for 10 minutes then transfer it to a baking sheet and shred it with a couple forks. Skim some of the fat from the leftover sauce and pour over the pulled pork.
Pulled Pork In Under 2 Hours
You read that right, and not only is the pulled pork ready in under 2 hours but it is nicely caramelized and loaded with flavor. Your guests will think you’ve cooked this for hours. We’re cooking this covered under high heat for an hour which and then another 30 minutes to make sure the pork gets nicely roasted. This is what’s going to give us those burnt pieces, which to tell you the truth, are my favorites!
Let Your Pork Rest
Pork needs time to rest – just like us! Let it rest for about 10 minutes before shredding it, however don’t worry about it being dry. We will have some of that awesome sauce leftover which you can pour over the pulled pork.
If you want to use the leftover sauce/gravy, you will want to skim some of the fat from it. There will be lots of fat because pork shoulder has quite a bit of fat in it, so just skim and you’ll be left with the best sauce.
How Else Can I Make This Pulled Pork
Pressure Cooker
- Create the sauce just like described above but place the pork shoulder in the pressure cooker.
- Sear the pork roast pieces on all sides in olive oil on the saute setting once it has heated up according to manufacturer directions.
- Add all the meat to the instant pot then pour the prepared sauce over the meat and toss to make sure all the meat is coated in the sauce. There should be enough sauce to almost cover the meat then close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Meat/Stew setting and set the timer to 90 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release and remove the lid before removing the pork and shredding it.
Slow cooker
You can definitely make this dish in the slow cooker, just follow these steps:
- Create the sauce just like described above but place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker rather than in the oven. Spoon the sauce over the pork.
- Place the pork shoulder in your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and shred with 2 forks.
What To Serve With Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork
This entree pairs greatly with a lot of delicious side dishes, so if you’d like some mouth watering options, try out these:
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Veggies
- White Beans With Bacon And Herbs
- Creamy Polenta
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms And Veggies
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Old Fashion Green Beans
Leftovers
Fridge
To keep this pork fresh in the fridge, store it in a shallow airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and it will keep for 3 – 4 days.
Freezer
If you’d like to make this brown sugar balsamic pulled pork ahead, you can store it in an airtight container or in freezer bags with the air pressed out for 4 – 6 months. Allow the roast to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven at 350 F degrees till the pork is heated through.
More Must Try Pork Recipes:
- Pork Carnitas
- Pan Seared Pork Chops with Gravy
- Ranch Pork Chops And Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
- Mustard Balsamic Pork Chops with Rosemary
- Apple Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops
- Korean Style Pork Chops
- Easy Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Crockpot Pork Carnitas
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Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 lb pork shoulder
- 8 tbsp butter unsalted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F degrees.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic. Add the brown sugar and cook until the sugar has melted. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and bring to a boil; remove from heat.
- Sear pork: Cut the pork shoulder in 6 equal pieces. Season each piece with salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add 3 pieces of the pork at a time and sear on both sides for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining olive oil and pork pieces.
- Roast: Once all the pieces have been seared add all the pork to the Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the pork. Cover the pot with a lid or foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil and spoon some of the pan juices over the pork. Turn the heat down to 375 F degrees. Return the pork to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Shred and serve: Let the pork rest for 10 minutes then transfer it to a baking sheet and shred it with a couple forks. Skim some of the fat from the leftover sauce and pour over the pulled pork.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Store leftovers in fridge: To keep this pork fresh in the fridge, store it in a shallow airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and it will keep for 3 – 4 days.
- Freezer: If you’d like to make this pork ahead, you can store it in an airtight container or in freezer bags with the air pressed out for 4 – 6 months. Allow the roast to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven at 350 F degrees till the pork is heated through.
I don’t like to use pork shoulder, it is too fatty. I use pork tenderloin. Do you think that would still work with this recipe?
Hi Leslie,
While you could try the pork tenderloin for your recipe. We highly recommend using pork shoulder for the pulled pork recipe since the fat content is actually what helps the meat be tender and juicy, which is what we look for in this type of recipe. Don’t worry, you won’t feel the fatty parts since they will melt away in the cooking process.
I modified this a little bit – had to scale the recipe down to be suitable for one person and I didn’t use as much butter. I also used leftover steak and threw it in a quesadilla instead. It turned out delicious – might be one of my new favorites. 4-8-21
This was INSANE! This is the BEST pulled pork I have ever eaten, and one of the easiest to make. I used my slow cooker instead of stove, and the pork almost melted. It is so tender and delicious….I’ll NEVER make it any other way! (Unless “Jo Cooks” makes a better recipe!)
I made this last night and it was amazing!! I didn’t change a thing and it turned out perfect!! Thanks, I will be trying more of your recipes.
would this sauce work on beef ribs as well?
Yes!!
Could a pork tenderloin be used in place of the pork shoulder for this recipe? It sounds delicious!
Delicious
Do you ever smoke meat or sous vide it? That would add more options in one place. I especially appreciate you include sides to make with the mains. Very handy. I consider myself a ‘good’ cook and your recipes never disappoint.
Smoking would work for this recipe but the sous vide wouldn’t give you that nice caramelization or those delicious crispy bits on the outside.
I think you have a typo in the pressure cooker instructions:
1. Create the sauce just like described above but place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker rather than in the oven.
I think you mean “place the pork shoulder in the pressure cooker”
Fixed it thanks!