This dish takes a little pre-planning because the meat marinates for a day or so and then you braise it in the oven for approximately 8 hours. Slowly braising a big ass pork butt in your oven overnight will make your house smell like pork heaven in the morning – provided that you don’t burn down your house. But this dish is so tasty and easy, it’s worth that small risk.

Time to make Oven-Braised Shredded Pork!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast
3-4 tablespoons of your favorite pork rub (I used Spice Hound’s Fajita and Taco Seasoning)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 onions thinly sliced
3 bacon strips, diced
¼ cup apple juice

Equipment:

All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

A couple days before you plan to serve this dish, you need to liberally season your pork butt with your favorite pork rub, Kosher salt, and pepper. Don’t be afraid to be heavy-handed with the seasonings or your pork will be bland.

A pork butt seasoned with dry rub, salt, and pepper.

Once it’s seasoned, place it in a Ziploc bag (with all the air forced out) or vacuum seal it and let the roast marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hour and up to 72 hours.

On the day you’re roasting the pork, preheat the oven to 250 F. Toss the chopped onions and bacon with some salt and pepper in the bottom of a large Dutch oven.

Take the roast out of the bag…

…and put it on top of the onions.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven and pop it in the oven for around 8 hours or when the meat is super tender. Now is a good time to get some shut eye.

When you wake up in the morning, the roast should be finished. Don’t be surprised to find a lot of liquid in the bottom of your pot.

Remove the roast from the pot and place on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the roast under the broiler for around 5-10 minutes to get some color and flip it and broil the other side for 5-10 minutes.

Shred the meat with two forks and set aside.

Remove the onions and bacon from the pot liquor and bring it to a boil. Add the apple juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. The sauce will be really cloudy and fatty so strain it and place it in a fat separator.

I know that fat is flavor but if you’re serving this dish to squeamish guests, you’ll probably want to skim off the fat ‘cause it’ll congeal pretty quickly as the dish sits. It will look like someone poured candle wax all over pork and no one wants to eat that.

Pour the strained sauce over the shredded pork and nuke the covered dish in the microwave for a couple minutes to heat through. Serve on lettuce leaves…

…and your guests can top their “tacos” with their favorite condiments (e.g. salsa and/or guacamole).

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).

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Overnight Oven-Braised Shredded Pork Tacos

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Prep Time1

Cook Time8 20

Total Time1 8 20

Servings

Overnight oven-braised shredded pork in a paleo and whole30 lettuce taco.

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This dish takes a little pre-planning because the meat marinates for a day or so and then you braise it in the oven for approximately 8 hours. It's worth the time!

Ingredients

▢ 5 pounds bone-in pork shoulder roast
▢ 4 tablespoons your favorite pork rub I used Spice Hound’s Fajita and Taco Seasoning
▢ Diamond Crystal kosher salt
▢ Freshly ground black pepper
▢ 3 onions thinly sliced
▢ 3 bacon slices diced
▢ ¼ cup apple juice

Instructions

A couple days before you plan to serve this dish, you need to liberally season your pork butt with your favorite pork rub, Kosher salt, and black pepper. Don’t be afraid to be heavy-handed with the seasonings or your pork will be bland.
Once it’s seasoned, place it in a zipped plastic bag (with all the air forced out) or vacuum seal it and let the roast marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hour and up to 72 hours.
On the day you’re roasting the pork, preheat the oven to 250°F. Toss the chopped onions and bacon with some salt and pepper in the bottom of a large Dutch oven.
Take the roast out of the bag and put it on top of the onions and bacon mixture.
Place the lid on the Dutch oven and pop it in the oven for around 8 hours or when the meat is super tender. Don’t be surprised to find a lot of liquid in the bottom of your pot!
Turn your oven to broil. Remove the roast from the pot and place on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the roast under the broiler for around 5-10 minutes to get some color and flip it and broil the other side for 5-10 minutes. Shred the meat with two forks and set aside.
Remove the onions and bacon from the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the apple juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. The sauce will be really cloudy and fatty so strain it and place it in a fat separator.
Pour the strained sauce over the shredded pork and nuke the covered dish in the microwave for a couple minutes to heat through. Serve on lettuce leaves and your guests can top their “tacos” with their favorite condiments!