I know what you all are thinking…isn't pulled pork BBQ???!! WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. Okay…I do appreciate a good Carolina BBQ pulled pork…but I didn’t grow up on it. I grew up on my Dad’s Italian pulled pork. I know you all are still skeptical, but hear me out…did I mention that this is SUPER EASY and FLAVORFUL? Hopefully, I have your attention now.
We usually get the dual pork shoulder pack (also known as picnic ham) at Costco, but you can also just use 1 pork shoulder! We like to make two and then freeze one for another dinner or bring two to one of our large family parties (I know I don't look it...but I am Italian).
Did I mention that this dish feeds sooooooo many people?!?! Well...I am mentioning it again. We either make sandwiches with some sharp provolone, serve it with salad or you can serve it over noodles. I paired this dish once with a homemade gluten-free pasta dough I learned how to make! I would really recommend checking out making the homemade gluten-free pasta with it :)
Finished product served over gluten-free pasta
A naked BEAUTIFUL shot of the pork with peppers and onions
Dad pulling the pork!! This is how you do it the right way :)
Recipe:
Serves: 10-12 people per pork shoulder
Ingredients (if using the dual pack from Costco):
2 - 8-9lb pork shoulders with the bone in
6 yellow onions, peeled, cut into quarters
1 bag of mini sweet peppers
Montreal steak seasoning
Garlic powder
1 bottle of Briannas Real French dressing
4 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 deep-dish aluminum party casserole dishes or 2 deep regular casserole dishes
Ingredients (if using just 1 pork shoulder):
1 - 8-9lb pork shoulder with bone in
3 yellow onions, peeled, cut into quarters
1/2 bag of mini sweet peppers
Montreal steak seasoning
Garlic powder
3/4 bottle of Briannas Real French dressing
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1 deep-dish aluminum party casserole dishes or 1 deep regular casserole dishes
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
2. Place the one or two pork shoulders in the casserole dishes. Evenly place the onions and peppers around the pork.
3. Pour the dressing over the pork. Generously season the outside of the pork with Montreal steak seasoning and garlic powder. Evenly sprinkle 2 tbsp of the chopped fresh rosemary on each pork roast (if using 2).
4. When heated, place the meat in the oven, uncovered. Remember to baste the meat occasionally throughout the cooking process. Cook for 5 hours at 225 and then turn the temperature up to 235 and cook for an additional 5 hours.
5. Remove the meat when the 10 hours are complete, check the meat with a fork to see if it pulls away effortlessly. If so, then let and let rest for 5 min. If not, let the meat cook for an additional 20-30 min.
6. When the meat is done resting, using heat proof gloves or large forks, transfer the meat to a very large bowl so you can pull it (video above to show how my Dad does it). It should be very easy to pull apart!
7. Before transferring the meat back to the casserole dish, skim off a little of the fat that formed when cooking and discard.
8. Add the pulled pork back to the casserole dish and uniformly mix it with the onions, peppers and sauce.
9. Serve this immediately with good-quality Italian rolls and some sharp provolone cheese, alongside a yummy salad, over egg noodles, or over a recipe I have found for gluten-free noodles. The last time we served this, we served it over the gluten-free noodles...they were such a great combination!!
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