Sous Vide Indoor Pulled Pork
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 10, 2018
Time
Sous vide: 20 to 24 hours; active cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Sous Vide Temperature
165°F/74°C
Ingredients
Pork
¼ cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons pepper 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ cup yellow mustard 1 tablespoon liquid smoke 1 5-pound boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and halvedLexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar ½ cup ketchup ½ cup water 1 tablespoon sugar ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes Salt and pepperBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Serve the pork on hamburger rolls with pickle chips and thinly sliced onion. Feel free to use 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce thinned with ¾ cup of the defatted pork cooking liquid in step 5. Be sure to double-bag the pork to protect against seam failure. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 165°F/74°C in 12-quart container.
- Whisk oil, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne together in medium bowl. Microwave until bubbling and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Stir in mustard and liquid smoke.
- Divide pork and spice mixture between two 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags and toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bags in second 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until pork is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Transfer pork to cutting board and reserve cooking liquid. Let pork cool slightly, and then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard excess fat.
- Pour cooking liquid into fat separator, let settle for 5 minutes, and then transfer ¾ cup defatted liquid to medium bowl; discard remaining liquid. Whisk in vinegar, ketchup, water, sugar, pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss pork with 1 cup sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
- Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 3 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 165°F/74°C for 1 hour and then proceed with step 4.
for the pork
for the barbecue sauce
to make ahead
Time
Sous vide: 20 to 24 hours; active cooking time: 50 minutesYield
Serves 6 to 8Sous Vide Temperature
165°F/74°CIngredients
Pork
Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
Pork
Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
Pork
Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
Why This Recipe Works
Pulled pork can often be a huge project—especially if you want to do it on the grill or in a smoker. But it is possible to streamline the process and make it a little more convenient. Unfortunately, recipes for this kind of indoor pulled pork often produce mushy, waterlogged meat that's swimming in sauce in order to mask all that blandness. But by cooking the pork sous vide, we can achieve proper texture at a lower, more stable temperature than in traditional methods—which means less moisture loss, and more succulent meat. And a long, 24-hour cooking time breaks down almost all fat and collagen, making the pork shreddable but not mushy. We coat the pork in an aggressively seasoned spice paste to ensure flavorful meat. To give this dish a boost, we make a tangy sauce from the cooking juices. Slap this stuff on pillowy potato rolls and you've got yourself some flavor-packed barbecue sandwiches—right at home, any time of year.
Before You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Serve the pork on hamburger rolls with pickle chips and thinly sliced onion. Feel free to use 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce thinned with ¾ cup of the defatted pork cooking liquid in step 5. Be sure to double-bag the pork to protect against seam failure. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 165°F/74°C in 12-quart container.
- Whisk oil, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne together in medium bowl. Microwave until bubbling and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Stir in mustard and liquid smoke.
- Divide pork and spice mixture between two 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags and toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bags in second 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until pork is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Transfer pork to cutting board and reserve cooking liquid. Let pork cool slightly, and then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard excess fat.
- Pour cooking liquid into fat separator, let settle for 5 minutes, and then transfer ¾ cup defatted liquid to medium bowl; discard remaining liquid. Whisk in vinegar, ketchup, water, sugar, pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss pork with 1 cup sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
- Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 3 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 165°F/74°C for 1 hour and then proceed with step 4.
for the pork
for the barbecue sauce
to make ahead
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