How do you make pulled pork not mushy?

Why is meat still tough in the slow cooker? It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.

Pork shoulderWhat is the best cut of meat for pulled pork? Pork shoulder is ideal for pulling purposes. It has an optimum fat content that yields to create tender, melty meat, but it's essential you cook it slowly to allow the protein to break down properly..

I cooked at about 235 degrees spraying with apple juice every hour until they were 165. I pulled them off, wrapped in towels and set in a cooler to rest for 2 hours.

For pulled pork, the standard rule of thumb is one-third to one-half pound of meat per person. When cooked and shredded, a bone-in pork shoulder will lose around 40 percent of its weight. For example, a raw 10-pound pork shoulder (or two 5-pounders) will yield about 6 pounds of finished meat, serving 12 to 18 people.

3. Add about 1/4 Cup Liquid Per Pound of Pork. ... Your liquid should not cover your pork in the slow cooker: it should only come up about a quarter of the way up the sides. The pork will make more liquid as it cooks, and you need to leave room for that.

It's pretty much just 4 to 1 ratio of pork juice to BBQ sauce. Sometimes Ill throw some beer in there, or even soda pop (only a little bit though). I let that boil down some, then add a little slurry of cornstarch to thicken it up. Usually one pork butt lets me make about 4 cups of this stuff, so I freeze half of it.