If you’ve enjoyed pulled pork in the past, you’re likely eager to try our recipe for pulled pork with honey mustard sauce.
It’s made with sweet and tangy honey mustard sauce, a hint of rosemary, and a hint of spicy jalapeo. You can serve this pork recipe anytime it’s convenient for you.
So, how do you keep pulled pork moist? Pulled pork is great.
However, if you don’t cook it right, it can be dry and tough. Thankfully, it’s easy to make pulled pork moist and delicious.
First, when you’re cooking the pork, make sure to cook it slowly. Slow cooking keeps the meat juicy because it prevents the meat from drying out.
It’s also important to cook the pork long enough. If you cook it for too long, it will turn into leather.
Finally, even when cooking it slowly, it’s a good idea to use a thermometer. The temperature should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the temperature is too low, the pork will dry out; too high, and it will be tough. If you follow these tips, your pulled pork will be moist and delicious every time.
Contents
What Causes Pulled Pork to Dry Out?
The inherent moisture in the flesh slowly evaporates as the juices leak out during the long cooking time.
As the heat from the long cooking times breaks down the collagen and tightens the muscle fibers, the temperature inside the pork rises a lot. When this happens, the inside of the pork becomes dry.
If the temperature is permitted to rise above 160 degrees F while the slow cooker is operating on low or medium heat, then the internal temperature will rise to well over 200 degrees F and will dry out the meat and make it tough and chewy.
This gives the meat a gritty, unpleasant texture that most people find unpalatable.
How to Keep Pulled Pork Moist
If your pulled pork is coming out dry or not cooked long enough in the slow cooker.
Keep the meat warm in a slow cooker, covered while preparing the glaze and BBQ sauce that flavor the meat while it cooks in the slow cooker on the “warm” setting.
Consume any leftovers within 3 days for the best flavor.
Make use of a Crock Pot and Chicken Stock.
A crock pot, also known as a slow cooker, is a kitchen appliance that is used for preparing food by placing ingredients in it and cooking the food at low temperatures for a long time.
Before you begin, make sure your crock pot has an accurate internal temperature gauge so that you can adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Spraying some chicken stock in your crock pot before placing the raw meat in it and then pouring in more stock after adding the ingredients for the barbecue sauce or glaze will help keep the meat moist.
Adding chicken stock not only reduces the amount of fat that seeps into the meat and causes it to become dry, but also adds flavor to the finished dish as well as keeps the meat moist and tender.
If you can’t find chicken or vegetable stock, then just add water, but don’t use beef stock as this will make the meat taste bitter and the fat content will increase further instead of reducing as it’s the case with chicken stock.
Cooling with a Foil Towel
Begin by taking the pig meat from the equipment you’re working with and placing it in a large plastic bowl with ice cubes in it to keep it cool while you prepare the other ingredients for the sauce.
It is advised that you baste the hog roast with a wet paper towel before placing it in the cooker so that the moisture is trapped between the aluminum foil and the roast to keep the meat moist as it cooks.
Before putting the butt in the cooker, wrap it in a foil towel and cover it with aluminum foil to make sure no steam gets out while it’s cooking.
Then, for at least an hour, leave the pork to cool before slicing it into chunks and removing it from the aluminum foil.
I would suggest extending this cooling period to overnight if it is possible for you to do so.
This will help the connective tissues break down and soften, making the pork more tender and easier to cut.
How to Keep Pulled Pork Moist for the Next Day?
Thawing Method
According to the USDA, cooked pork can be safely eaten if the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
Thaw the meat in the fridge for approximately 24 hours and then reheat it in a pan for serving the next day.
The Wozniak Method
Wrap your pig meat in aluminum foil and place it in a water-filled cooler or swimming pool for 4–8 hours.
How Long Should You Cook Your Pork and at What Temperature?
The internal temperature of the pork should be between 160 and 165 degrees F to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked without causing it to dry out.
How to Keep Pulled Pork Moist While Smoking?
In rare circumstances, you may decide to smoke your pulled pork rather than cook it in a slow cooker.
If you’re using a smoker to cook your pulled pork, make sure that you use a foil pan that will prevent the meat from drying out as it cooks.
The liquid in the pan will turn into steam, which will keep the pork moist while it’s cooking and keep the drippings from burning and giving the dish a bitter taste.
Smoking meat, or cooking pig and other foods over indirect heat, is a slow process, and it’s almost impossible to cook large pieces of food like whole pigs using this technique.
How to Keep Pulled Pork Moist While Reheating?
The most prevalent problem with reheating pulled or smoked meats is that the moisture dries out after cooking and leaves you with dry, tough slices of meat.
However, there is a simple technique that you can use to prevent this from occurring when you reheat your leftovers: wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes before serving them.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reheat leftover pulled pork is to put it in the microwave and heat it on medium-high power for about a minute and a half to two minutes, depending on how powerful your microwave is.
Most pitmasters drizzle apple juice over the reheated meat and allow it to cook for another minute or so before eating.
Another common method for keeping your pulled pork moist is to smother it in barbecue sauce and then heat it for a couple of minutes before serving.
Other frequent liquids used to keep the pork moist include cider vinegar, honey, beer, beef stock, and even apple cider.
How to Keep Pulled Pork Moist After Cooking?
To keep pulled pork wet after cooking, put it in an airtight container and cover it with a thick layer of barbecue sauce.
As previously said, the liquid for pulled barbecue should be low-sugar and not too sweet.
Cover the ovenproof dish with a second layer of foil before placing it in the oven to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out too much during the cooking process.
Does Pulled Pork Need to be Covered in Liquid to Keep it Moist?
Yes, pulled pork should be cooked in a slow cooker with a lot of liquid to keep it from drying out and to keep it moist and tender while it cooks.
Use a combination of water, apple juice or cider vinegar, beer, or water with herbs and spices, or stock to provide flavor to the pork as it cooks.
If you try to rehydrate pulled pork in a slow cooker without adding more liquid, you will end up with a texture that is hard and dry.
Also Read: Why is My Pork Shoulder Stuck at 190?
Final Words
Pork and chicken are the most common meats used to make pulled pork.
However, pork and chicken tend to dry out quickly when cooked. That’s why it’s important to keep the pulled pork moist.
You can do this by cooking the meat low and slow with flavorful ingredients such as onions, garlic, and barbecue sauce. However, it’s important to cook the meat low and slow to prevent the meat from drying out.
If you cook the meat too fast, it will stay dry and chewy, which can ruin the delicious flavor of the pulled pork.
