How To Shred Pork [4 Easy Methods]

Sometimes you have to make food into smaller pieces because the recipe calls for it, or you just like to eat smaller portions.

You can do this by cutting, slicing, or shredding. Shredding, in particular, is one popular way of doing this to food. It’s really easy to do too, which is why people love to use it.

There is a lot of food people will shred. One food you may do it with is pork, and in this article, we will go into what type of pork cut to use, how to prepare it, and how you can shred it in the first place!

Contents

What Pork Cut Should You Use?
Do You Need To Cook Pork Before Shredding It?
How Do You Shred Pork?
Final Thoughts

What Pork Cut Should You Use?

You can’t grab any piece of pork and expect it to shred well. Not all cuts are made equal. Some cuts of pork will shred well, while others won’t shred well at all.

Out of all the pork cuts out there, pork shoulder is the best type of cut to use for shredding. It’s very tender once you cook it, but always make sure and keep it in for the required amount of time.

The bone can either be in the pork cut or not. If you do have the bone in, it will give you something to grip onto while you are shredding, but also not having the bone in will make it easier to shred as well. We call this a double-edged sword!

Do You Need To Cook Pork Before Shredding It?

You may wonder if you need to cook pork before shredding it, and the answer is a resounding yes. Raw pork isn’t going to shred easily, if at all. Plus, imagine how messy it will be to get all that pork underneath your fingernails.

The pork must be cooked with whatever method you prefer. It doesn’t matter if it is in the oven, grill, pan, etc. As long as it is cooked and tender enough to shred, you are good to go!

How Do You Shred Pork?

When it comes to shredding pork, there are four total ways to do this. In this section, we will go into detail on how you can use all these methods to shred the pork, and by the end, you’ll be able to make an informed decision.

Fork Method

The fork method is one of the easiest and most classic methods out there to shred your pork. To do this, you must:

Put the pork on a cutting board or something similar. Take the forms and then press them down firmly.
You will hear a sound, but don’t let that stop you. Keep shredding and breaking up the pork into shreds. You need to pull it in separate directions so it can shred well.

This is all there is to the former method of shredding pork. It does take some time to shred all the pork with your fork, but as we said, it’s simple because all you need are two forks.

Potato Masher Method

You may think of a potato masher and think it only has one use, which is to mash potatoes. Little do you know, it can also mash meat! To do this, you must:

Put the masher in the freezer an hour before you start shredding. This makes it easier to mash the pork.
Now you can start breaking down the pork with the masher. If you don’t have the best arm strength or get tired easily, this option might not be for you.
Keep mashing until all the pork is thoroughly shredded.

Again, this isn’t the most common use for a potato masher, but it’s a great way to use it. It’s quicker than the fork method, and a lot of people do have a masher on hand, so it’s not like you are going to have to look far for one.

Electric Mixer Method

Let us preface that if you decide on using the electric mixer method, then you need to make sure there is no bone in it.

Can you imagine using an electric mixer, and then it hits the bone? Yes, it’s not going to be pretty.

To use the electric mixer method, you must:

Put the pork in a bowl with some butter in it to make sure it doesn’t stick.
Turn on the electric mixer and start shredding!
Keep on shredding until you are satisfied with the sizes of the pork shreds.

Out of all the methods on our list, the electric mixer method is by far the fastest one out there. Please keep an eye on the speed as you set your electric mixer.

If it’s too high, then you’re going to end up sending the shredded pork flying out of the bowl and all over you!

Shredding Claw Method

Some of you might wonder what the heck are shredding claws, and the answer is pretty simple. They are meat-shredding claws that help you easily shred meat. To shred pork with meat-shredding claws, you must:

Place one claw inside the meat and your hand on the outside of it. Start twisting and pulling to shred the meat.
Keep shredding until the meat is completely shredded apart.

This method might be hard for people to get the hang of because not everyone has meat claws on hand, but it’s still an option.

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all you pork lovers out there! We went into everything you need to know before shredding the pork (like that it has to be cooked) and the different methods that are involved in shredding it in the first place. Pork shoulder is the best type of pork to use if you are going to shred it.

It might take you a while to figure out what method you like to use to shred your pork. It does not hurt to try all of them and figure out which one fits your fancy. This is the only way to figure out what you like.

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William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.