Discover the secret to tender and flavorful pulled pork with this easy sous vide recipe. Perfect for meal prep or a crowd-pleasing dinner, this sous vide pulled pork recipe will have you coming back for seconds.

Table of Contents

Sous Vide Pulled Pork Ingredients

It’s no secret, I have a new favorite toy. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my crock pots and instant pot, but the sous vide machine is being run at my house almost daily.

Now that I’ve mastered pull pork in sous vide, I don’t think there’s any turning back. You just need these 4 simple ingredients?

Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder Roast
Coarse salt, or sea salt (Celtic sea salt is my favorite)
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Using a sous vide for the pork results in a moist and juicy end result. Plus, it’s set and ready to be tossed on my smoker to get that classic smoke flavor. I have a Traeger Smoker/ Grill combination. I actually got mine well over ten years ago, and it is still rocking and rolling.

The combination of the sous vide precision cooker and the smoker gives the best of both worlds.

Making pulled pork made using the sous vide method results in a moist flavorful pulled pork.

How long do you cook pulled pork in a sous vide?

While there are many time and temperature variations for pulled pork in the sous vide, my favorite combination cooking time is 24 hours at 165 degrees F. This extended cooking time helps to achieve the desired tenderness of fall-apart, moist, juicy and flavorful pulled pork.

Do you remove fat cap and rind for sous vide pulled pork?

Personally, I do not recommend to remove the fat cap and rind from the pork butt or pork shoulder roast before cooking sous vide. The fat cap will render out the fat during cooking to help get a juicy end-product. Score the fat cap with a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern. Then after cooking, I keep the gelatinous goop from the cooking bag after the cooling stage to heat up and add back to the meat after it’s been shredded.

Sous vide pulled pork uses a cooking method that renders a flavorful, moist meat perfect served with barbecue sauce.

How to sous vide pulled pork?

Step by Step Instructions

In a small bowl, combine salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
Cut pork butt or pork shoulder roast into pieces that fit into your sous vide machine. If it fits in your plastic bag and the cooker, then leave it whole.
Take a sharp knife, and score the fat cap in a cross-hatched pattern.
Rub the seasoning blend all over the pork on all sides, massaging it as you go.
Place the seasoned meat into a freezer zip-lock bag or a vacuum bag.
Seal appropriately using either a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method.
Set sous vide cooker to 165 degrees F, and cook for 24 hours. Be sure to submerge the sous vide bag completely in the water. See notes for tips and tricks for this method.
Remove from the sous vide, and immediately place in an ice bath until cold.
At this point, either place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or finish immediately, as follows.
Cut the bag open, and save the gelatinous liquid for later in the refrigerator.
Place the meat in a smoker, and smoke around 200 degrees F for 2 – 3 hours.
Heat the juices from the bag until hot. Shred the pulled pork using shredding claws or two forks into bite-sized pieces. If desired, place the meat back into the hot juices to keep the pulled pork moist and hot.
Serve as is, on a bun, or topped with your favorite BBQ sauce.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for pulled pork in the sous vide, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs for Sous Vide Pulled Pork

Pork butt or pork shoulder roast work great for pulled pork.
I usually make a 8-9 pound pork shoulder or pork butt to feed my family for large family gatherings, and there’s usually not much leftover. This includes 14 adults and 6 kids.
I typically use a bone-in pork shoulder but boneless is fine too.
My favorite thing amount sous vide is the fact that I can cook the meat ahead in the sous vide, up to 5 days ahead, and then finish it on the smoker the day I want to use it.
I do not let the pork butt marinate in the dry rub, but you can if you really want to.
Submerge the whole bag of pork butt into ice water immediately after removing from the cooker. This helps the fat to reabsorb back into the meat fibers for a juicier pulled pork.
Also, between the dry rub at the beginning and tossing in the juices, I personally think it doesn’t’ need more seasoning; however, if your heart desires, add additional rub to the pork butt after the sous vide process and before the smoking process.
A large sheet pan covered in aluminum foil is the perfect vessel for shredding pulled pork. Plus, the aluminum foil makes for easy clean up.

Prepping your pork shoulder by cooking it with the sous vide method will result in a flavorful pulled pork.

Recipe Variations for Pulled Pork

Use onion powder instead of garlic powder if desired.
A dash or two of liquid smoke to the vacuum-sealed bag will add even more flavor.
Customize the spice rub to your liking. Some suggested ingredients include paprika, dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, etc. Here’s one of our favorite pulled pork rub recipes.
Use the pulled pork on buns topped with bbq sauce, on top of pork nachos or mac and cheese, or make easy tacos.
Don’t have sous vide equipment? Try this easy crock pot pulled pork recipe without BBQ sauce OR this crock pot pulled pork recipe with a sauce. We also love this recipe for pulled pork in the oven.

Shred your pulled pork made via sous vide and either add your favorite barbecue sauce or serve it on the side.

What is the water displacement method in sous vide cooking?

In sous vide cooking, the water displacement method is used to remove air from the vacuum-sealed bags before cooking. By submerging the bag in water, the pressure forces the air out of the bag, ensuring a tight seal and efficient heat transfer during the cooking process. Seal the zip-lock bag about three-fourths of the way. Submerge the bag into the water and as it presses out the last of the air, finish sealing it.

How do I keep my cooking bags submerged during sous vide cooking?

To keep your cooking bags submerged during sous vide cooking, you can use cooking weights, such as metal clips or specialized sous vide weights, to prevent the bags from floating to the surface. Alternatively, you can use heavy kitchen utensils like a spoon or even magnets to keep the bags fully immersed in the water bath. There are specialty racks and weights on Amazon made just for this reason.

Moist sous vide pulled pork is not a quick process but it's worth the effort.

What to serve with pulled pork sandwiches?

Preparing your pork shoulders via sous vide method shortens the time they need to go on the smoker when making pulled pork.

Kitchen Utensils and Pantry Staples

Print Recipe