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How To Finish Pulled Pork in the Oven

By: Author William Thomas

William Thomas

Editor-in-Chief & Pitmaster

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.
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How To Finish Pulled Pork in the Oven

Smoking meat is one popular way to cook meat. When you are smoking meat, you are cooking it over firewood.

Depending on the firewood you use, the meat will end up infused with the wood’s natural flavor—whatever that may be—along with a smoky taste to the meat.

One type of meat people smoke is pulled pork. Also, just because you start smoking meat does not mean you can’t finish it in the oven.

In this article, we will go over if you can finish pulled pork in the oven, whether it’s worth it, and finally, how you can do it!

What Is Pulled Pork?

When you are making pulled pork, you often are getting a certain cut of meat from the pig. For pulled pork, the shoulder from the pig is usually what is used. Keep in mind this also includes the front leg due to how pigs are built.

There are two different cuts you can get. The first one is the Boston Butt or Roast or picnic roast. If you are wondering what the difference between the two is, don’t worry because we have got you covered.

Boston butt cut has less bone, and its shape makes it just easier to handle.

This isn’t to say you can’t go with the picnic cut over the Boston butt cut, but if you are new to smoking pulled pork, go with what is easier.

Can You Finish the Pulled Pork in the Oven?

The answer is pretty simple. Yes, you can finish pulled pork in the oven. If you do not have a grill, smoker, etc., to begin with, then you will have to go straight to the oven.

Not to say that it can’t be done, but you won’t get that smoky taste that comes when you smoke meat over a grill.

If you do have a smoker, then you are in luck, folks. You can indeed finish them up in the oven and might even prefer to do this than finishing them on the grill or smoker.

Why, might you ask? Well, we’ll touch on those reasons in the next part. There are a few of them, some you may not have even thought of before.

Is It Good To Finish Pulled Pork in the Oven?

So, you know how to finish the pulled pork in the oven, but we never did tell you why the heck it is good to do this. There are several reasons for cooking pulled pork in the oven is a good idea. It includes the below:

  • When you are grilling or smoking, it requires you to be outside unless you want to cause a serious fire hazard. Should there be some weather issues, like rain or something, it helps if you can pop it in the oven at any moment. Always important to be prepared for the weather!
  • Another reason is that it frees up room on your smoker or grill. If you are making a lot of food for a party, event, etc., then you will want to move it to the oven so you can get it out of the way temporarily. No way your guests will ever have to fear going hungry.
  • If the smoker isn’t getting as hot as you want it, then the oven can help get your pulled pork nice and hot. There are many reasons your smoker might not be getting hot. It could be on the fritz, or there could be something wrong with it. Whatever the reason, it helps to have the option of popping it into the oven, so the problem doesn’t cut into the cooking time.

Well, those are the top three reasons we believe it’s a good idea to finish cooking your pulled pork in the oven. Now onto the steps to take to complete this process!

How To Finish Pulled Pork in the Oven

Now, if you are cooking your meat right in the oven, this section isn’t for you. It’s for those who have smoked it first and then want to move it to the oven to finish up. To do this, you must do the following steps:

  • Before taking your pulled pork off the smoker, preheat your oven to about 225 Fahrenheit.
  • Once the oven is preheated, make sure the pork is wrapped in foil. Put it on a try to then put it inside.
  • The final temperature for the pulled pork should read about 195 on a meat thermometer. However, anything up to 202 degrees Fahrenheit is also acceptable. This process could take up to 2 hours or more.
  • Once it is finished and it reads the right temp on the thermometer, you need to let it cool for about 30 minutes so the meat gets to rest. Hey, it’s gone from the butcher to your kitchen, a grill, and finally to the oven. If anything deserves to rest, it’s the cut of pulled pork!

Now, all there is left to do is to serve it! Do this with whatever sides, condiments, etc., that you prefer.

Your guests will truly be impressed with how good the pulled pork comes out after being put on the smoker and then finished in the oven.

Don’t worry, the meat will still taste good if you only use the oven for cooking it. Remember, the only thing is you won’t get that smoky taste.

Final Thoughts

And this is a wrap for all you barbeque lovers out there! This is exactly how you finish up pulled pork in the oven. You even learned more than that!

We explained what the heck a pulled pork cut was, if you can finish it in the oven, and why it’s good to do this rather than just leaving it on the smoker the entire time.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a cut of pulled pork and get to cooking! The result will be to die for… not literally, of course.

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