Dutch Oven or Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Dutch Oven Pulled Pork....so yummy!

I think dutch oven cooking is fun okay? It is a LOT of work when you are camping, but it is simply fun to watch the pots covered with coals do their thing. And kids love dutch oven stuff. It's a great family "making memories" time. I would do it in the backyard on a cookie sheet if I don't like to camp.
But if you don't like outdoor cooking, try some pulled pork from the crock pot. Either one is really so delicious.

Tools for Dutch Oven Cooking.....

Pork Ribs we bought from Costco....So we didn't have to pull apart the meat....they are cut already so they just fall apart in the cooking process....

Just dry rub and season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders and some brown sugar....

Here are 3 recipes for dry rub. Take your pick. Each makes about a cup of dry rub. . 

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup paprika

Dutch ovens come in all sizes. I have 2 of the  12 inch sizes which are most popular. 

OR

• 1/3 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

Lid Lifter for the dutch ovens...you will really NEED one of these.....

OR

You can see the fire ring has the coals in a big pot to use for the ovens.....

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne

Here is My recipe. It tastes sweet more than spicy ...it makes about 1/2 cup of rub which is enough for my family. You can double it. 

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoon Seasoning Salt (Lawry's or Johnny's)

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon  Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

11/2 teaspoons paprika

Rub it all over dry ribs and let them sit 1/2 hour before cooking. Add a little bit more brown sugar ( 1/3 cup) and the rest of the dry rub an hour before you want to serve them by pouring it on top of the cooked pulled pork. I love Cattlemen's BBQ sauce over my ribs and Famous Daves Sweet and Sassy Sauce too. I would choose one of those to have on hand when the pulled pork is done.

Lodge Dutch Ovens are a very good brand. Check out my KITCHEN STORE at the top of my blog if you want some  Dutch Oven tools and cooking products. They are ones that I have in my kitchen and home. 

Dutch oven OR crock pot....pulled pork can be done either way. 

Pour a 1/4 cup of oil into your pot to start and then add the pork in 1 layer. Add dry rub if you haven't already. Then put the top on and add your coals to the top and bottom. I think most cooks will do dutch oven meats for around 3 hours.  It is like cooking them in a slow cooker crock pot. You can also DO this in a crock pot for more like 5 hours.  Either way they fall off the bone. 

We had dessert in one, potatoes with bacon and cheese in another and  pulled pork in another. The top one was just for looks. So cute, right? Dutch oven dinners are fun to do. The holder to the left is another way to put coals down for the first dutch oven. But they are really expensive.  Another way is to use a dutch oven stand. 

These are expensive and not as necessary unless you plan on doing it a lot. But they do keep the wind out of your dutch oven and the ashes out of your food! 

Use a charcoal tower to light up the coals. When they are just gray on each of the 4 edges they are ready to go. Layer about 12 underneath and 10 on top depending on your size of pot. I like the 12 inch pots. Lodge is a great brand if you want to buy one.

You can also do dutch oven in the oven with one of these  9.5 quart Dutch Ovens. But they are VERY expensive.

SEASONING YOUR NEW DUTCH OVEN 
Be sure to "season" it before using a new one. It will come with wax in the bottom of the pan. Scrape it out and wipe with a paper towel. Rub just a tiny bit of Wesson oil on the inside and outside surfaces with a rag or paper towel. Then put the lid on one rack and the pan on the other. Let it bake for an hour and a half on 450.  It will smoke your kitchen up so be prepared and open windows or your smoke alarm will go off!!  When the smoking is all gone, it is seasoned and should look more black than grey. It will continue to get seasoned as you cook with it.  Don't ever wash dutch ovens with soaps! Just rub it out with warm water and reoil it a tiny bit before you put it away or it may rust. Always let it air dry or oven dry before storing.

A close up of our finished pulled pork from a Dutch Oven.  Boy I wish I had some right NOW!! 

When they are done, pull the pork out of the pan and leave some of the sauce in the pan so you don't douse your rolls with too much liquid. Add the bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce to the pork. Then serve in a foil pan or large casserole dish and keep covered. Here are our finished pans of pulled pork from a Dutch Oven. 

Don't you want a bit of delicious Dutch Oven Pulled Pork? Buy some soft sub rolls or sandwich type rolls and add pulled pork and maybe some extra bottles of BBQ sauce on the side. So decadently Yummy either from a crock pot or dutch oven, they are both wonderful!