Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Make easy, oven-cooked, tender and juicy homemade BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce without the hassle of cooking the pork on the grill!
For the dry rub, mix together ½ cup brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, Kosher salt, and pepper. Store in an airtight container.
For the brine, mix together water, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup Kosher salt and 3 Tablespoons of the dry rub. Pour over the pork in a plastic container or 2-gallon Ziploc bag making sure the pork is completely covered. Add the bay leaves. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but up to 24-36 hours.
Remove the pork from the brine; rinse well. Pat dry with paper towels.
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
Place pork in a disposable aluminum pan. Sprinkle on dry rub and massage it into the pork, making sure that the pork is covered on all sides. Insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the pork, ensuring that you don't hit the bone.
Place in the oven and roast for 1-½ to 2 hours per pound of pork, or until the meat thermometer registers 200 degrees.
When pork is done, turn off the oven. Leave pork in the oven for at least 30 minutes but up to 3 hours. If it looks like your pork is drying out, cover it with aluminum foil.
Remove from oven. Pull pork apart with two forks and discard any fat or connective tissue.
Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by about ⅓, or 15-20 minutes. Yield 1-½ cups.
Notes
If you have any leftover pulled pork, try using it to make pulled pork tacos or I even saw a recipe for pulled pork nachos. Yum![nutrition-label]