Norah Clark, Editor of Boyd Hampers! Norah is a food writer with over a decade of experience in hospitality as a pastry chef, sous chef, and barista; former chef at the Savoy Hotel, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Plaza Hotel.
You can overcook pulled pork if you boil your pulled pork for too long or at too high a temperature, it won’t shred easily and will likely become dry and tough. As a result, it may not be as tasty, moist, and tender as you’d like it to be.
To achieve tender and flavorful pulled pork, it’s best to cook it slowly for a long time until it’s easy to shred. This makes it a great dish to prepare in advance and serve for dinner later.
However, if you want to avoid dry and crumbly pulled pork, it’s important to understand why it can get overcooked, what happens when it does, and how to prevent it. Keep reading to learn more.
Unlike the more lean tenderloin and chops, pork shoulder is an incredibly forgiving cut of meat. It becomes more tender as it cooks and benefits from a lengthy cook time, so even if it stays on the heat a few minutes too long, you won’t suddenly end up with something dry or rubbery.
Does Adding Liquid To Pulled Pork Help To Prevent Overcooking?
Adding liquid to pulled pork can help to prevent it from drying out, especially when using a slow cooker or crockpot.
Add approximately 1 cup of liquid, such as water or chicken stock, for each pound of pork. This, along with the natural moisture released from the meat, will help to keep it moist and juicy while it cooks.
It’s important to note that adding liquid alone won’t prevent overcooking if the pork is cooked at too high a temperature for too long.
If using barbecue sauce, it should only be added at the end of cooking to prevent the pork from becoming too dry.
Keep Watch As It Cooks
The best way to avoid overcooking pulled pork in addition to making sure it is cooked at the correct temperature, is to closely watch over it as it cooks.
At the end of the cooking time, look at the pork to determine how cooked it is. Put a knife in the pork and then twist it a bit. When this is completed with minimal resistance and the pork is cooked the meat, it’s an indication that it’s done.
If you see the pork breaking up easily into small pieces with no pressure, it is ready to be removed from the oven and ready to serve.
But make sure you make sure that the pork is cooked thoroughly and is not pink inside.
What Temperature Should I Cook My Pork Butt At
FAQ
How long does it take for pork shoulder to become tender?
Does pork get tougher the longer you cook it?
Does pork shoulder get tough when overcooked?
Can you slow cook pork shoulder too long?
Should pork shoulder be slow cooked?
Slow-cooking the pork shoulder at a low temperature allows the fat to render and flavors to develop, creating an incredibly flavorful dish. It is important to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of the pork reaches the recommended range.
Why is pork not recommended to eat?
This is not true, some cuts like sirloin and pork rump steak, for example, are very healthy, even healthier than beef and chicken. Only the fattest cuts like bacon and crackling should be avoided.
Can pork shoulder go bad?
Usually, when you buy a pork shoulder it comes in a vacuum-packed wrapper with an expiration date that should give you a week or two to use it before it goes bad. Refrigerate it according to that date. If you are not going to use it right away then by all means stick it in the freezer until you are ready to prepare it.
How to cook a pork shoulder?
There are several methods of cooking a pork shoulder that we will explain to you: Oven Roasted – I love to cook my pork shoulder in the oven because it’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. And if you get a piece with the fat cap on top, the fat gets crispy too.