This maple mustard pulled pork is a great flavour twist on the traditional pulled pork. The unique brined and oven-roasted method needs an overnight brining, so plan ahead, but the extra time produces a nice bit of bark and burnt-ends, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Boneless pork shoulder roast – Opt for a boneless pork shoulder roast around 1 1/2 kg (3 1/4 lbs). These roasts are usually tied with butcher twine and have a bit of fat layering on one side. Leave the twine on to cook it, for even cooking.
Maple syrup – Real maple syrup is obviously the way to go here. I like Grade B or dark amber maple syrup, for the strongest maple flavour.
Whole-grain mustard – Maille makes a great grainy mustard called Old Style or á l’Ancienne that I highly recommend. Any whole-grain, Dijon-style mustard will work here.
Mustard powder – I love Keen’s mustard powder, the one in the bright yellow tin with red lettering.
How to make mustard maple pulled pork
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always follow the complete instructions in the recipe card below when making the recipe.
- After brining the pork shoulder overnight, rinse the pork well and then pat dry. Mix up the sauce and brush liberally all over the pork shoulder. Place into the oven for 3-3 1/2 hours, basting with more sauce about every hour.
- When done, the pork roast will be lovely and browned. (The pan was a bear to clean, so I strongly suggest lining it with heavy-duty aluminum foil!)
- Remove and discard the butcher string holding the roast together.
- Use two forks to pull the pork apart into bite-sized pieces. Serve drizzled or tossed with a bit of the remaining glaze.
Recipe tips!
- While many pulled pork recipes cook in a closed environment like a covered Dutch oven or a slow-cooker, this pulled pork roasts uncovered in the oven. As such, the brining is absolutely necessary. to keep the pork from drying out. So plan ahead and be sure to do the rub the night before. It only takes a few minutes!
- For easier clean-up, line your roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- I like to pour a bit of water into the pan a couple of times to avoid too much scorching on the bottom of the pan and introducing burnt smells to my house instead of the lovely sauce smells.
- This pulled pork is nice served on a bun, with cabbage or coleslaw. I also enjoy it on its own with mashed potatoes. Try some braised red cabbage for a nice side!
- Any leftover pulled pork can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Mustard and Maple Pulled Pork
Ingredients
For the brining:
- 1/4 cup (50 g) fine salt
- 1/4 cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 – 3 1/2 lb (1.5 kg) skinless boneless pork shoulder, *see Note 1 below
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 7 Tablespoons (100 ml) pure maple syrup
- 7 Tablespoons (100 g) wholegrain mustard, grainy mustard, such as Maille's a l'Ancienne
- 2 Tablespoons mustard powder, such as Keen's
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Note that the pork shoulder needs to be brined overnight, so plan ahead. It takes only a few minutes to rub the pork and pop it into the fridge the night before. The brining is necessary to keep the pork moist as it roasts, so don't skip it!
- The night before cooking: Mix the salt and white sugar together in a small bowl. Rub the salt mixture evenly over the pork shoulder. You may not need all of the salt mixture. Place the rubbed pork shoulder into a large plastic food bag or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator to brine overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day or after brining, preheat the oven to 325F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Line a roasting pan completely with heavy-duty aluminum foil and set aside.
- Remove the pork and rinse well with cold water. Pat the roast dry with paper towel and place it into the prepared roasting pan. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then brush the roast generously with the sauce.
- Tip! I like to pour some water (a cup-ish) into the pan a couple of times to keep the sauce from scorching in the pan and smelling. It's just enough water to keep the dripping loose and won't affect the cooking of the roast.
- Place the roast in the oven and roast for about 3-3 1/2 hours, basting with additional sauce every hour. Test the doneness of the roast by pulling the meat with a fork. Even though it is tied together, you should see that it easily separates with minimal force. If it doesn't, cook a little longer. You should have some of the sauce left at the end for drizzling, but if not, you can mix up a bit more for this purpose.
- Transfer the roast to a rimmed baking sheet and allow it to rest loosely covered with foil for 15-20 minutes. To serve, remove and discard the butcher twine around the roast (if any) and use two forks to "pull" the pork into shreds and serve tossed or drizzled with the remaining unused maple mustard sauce.
- This pulled pork is nice served on a bun, with cabbage or coleslaw. I also enjoy it on its own with mashed potatoes. Try some braised red cabbage for a nice side!
Notes
Adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe
More pulled pork recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Jennifer, I like making different pulled pork recipes and this one is unique with it’s maple notes, perfect for the season. To be certain, you are not using the pan drippings at the end. You are referring to the remaining basting sauce when you drizzle the sandwich, is that correct? I am assuming the pan drippings are too strong or dried out/burnt tasting to be used. Thank you for consistently posting terrific recipes, all of your pork recipes are particularly outstanding.
Thanks so much, Den, and yes, I did mean the unused maple and mustard sauce (I’ll edit the recipe to clarify). The stuff on the bottom of the pan is unfortunately too scorched to be of any use. So glad you are enjoying the pork recipes. I like pork. It’s a nice change from all the chicken :)