Making tender, juicy pulled pork at home is easier than you think. This simple oven-baked recipe uses boneless western ribs and a rich Memphis BBQ sauce for a meal that’s mostly hands-off. In just a few hours, you’ll have flavorful shredded pork ready for sandwiches, tacos, or salads.
What You Will Need:
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless western ribs
- 2 teaspoons of crushed black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of sea salt
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 cups (or so) of Memphis BBQ sauce or a BBQ sauce of your choice
Slow-Bake the Pork in Foil
Place a large piece of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet. Then place your western ribs on the large piece of aluminum foil. Season well with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place another piece of aluminum foil on top and fold the sides up to form a tight seal. This is the beginning of the pulled pork in the oven! Bake the pork for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 325 degrees F. (Bake for 4 hours if you are using a pork loin.)Check the pork after about an hour and a half or so. Be careful the steam inside the foil packet is very hot. You want to check to see if the pork is tender enough to be shredded. Once it is, you are ready to move on.
Shred and Sauce the Pork
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Shred the pork in a 9 x 13 baking pan. I use two forks and pull and shred the pork with forks. Then mix the barbeque sauce with the shredded pork. Spread the pork mixture out evenly in the baking pan.
Caramelize for Extra Flavor
Bake the pork uncovered until you start to see the ends of the pork darken and caramelize. The caramelization will come from the sugar in the barbecue sauce. The caramelization really brings out so much flavor from the sauce and pork.
The pork would go great with the Cuban bread recipe! I do hope you enjoy this pulled pork in the oven recipe!
For another great pork recipe try my city chicken recipe!
FAQ’s
Yes! Pork loin works great but requires a longer cooking time—around 3.5-4 hours at 325°F.
The pork should pull apart easily with forks. Start checking around the 1.5-hour mark for ribs, or after 3.5 hours for loin.
Absolutely! You can bake, shred, and mix the pork with BBQ sauce, then refrigerate and finish baking before serving.
Absolutely! To adapt this for a slow cooker, sear the pork after applying the rub, then place it in the slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce over it and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until it shreds easily.
Not at all! Feel free to use your favorite BBQ sauce. A Kansas City-style sauce would be sweeter, while a Carolina-style sauce would add a more vinegar-based tang. The choice is yours.
Easy Oven-Baked Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds of boneless western ribs
- 2 teaspoons of crushed black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of sea salt
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 cups memphis barbecue sauce
Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place western ribs on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and season both sides of western ribs with black pepper, sea salt, and garlic powder.
- Place another piece of foil on top of the seasoned pork and crimp the edges to make a very tight seal and bake for 2 hours.
- Check the pork after 1 hour and 45 minutes. It should be almost tender enough to shred with a fork. If the pork is not tender enough, put it in for another 15 minutes.
- Once pork is done, place pork in an 8 x 8 baking pan or a 9 x 13 baking pan and turn the oven up to 400 degrees F. Shred pork.
- Mix shredded pork with the BBQ sauce and place back in the oven, uncovered, for about ten minutes. Keep an eye on it so the pork does not burn. What you are looking for is the BBQ sauce to start to caramelize.
- Serve on a bun with cole slaw or in a wrap with cheese and our everything sauce!
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