I tried pulled-pork recipes from Rachael Ray, Ree Drummond, and Robert Irvine, and my favorite was the best I've ever had

Pascale MondesirJan 12, 2024, 18:16 IST

I decided to compare pulled-pork recipes from three celebrity chefs.Pascale Mondesir

I tried pulled-pork recipes from Rachael Ray, Robert Irvine, and Ree Drummond to see which was best.
Drummond's recipe was delicious even without barbecue sauce, but Ray's dish was unmemorable.

I've never been a big fan of pulled pork — the recipes I've tried before were way too sweet for me.

But I decided to test recipes from celebrity chefs Rachael Ray, Ree Drummond, and Robert Irvine to see if any of them could change my mind.

Here's how the recipes stacked up.

Ray's recipe for pulled pork only had four steps.

Rachael Ray's recipe was short and quick.Pascale Mondesir

First I combined the seasonings together for Ray's dry rub.

Rachael Ray's recipe skipped a brine and went straight to the dry rub.Pascale Mondesir

The smell was powerful and made me eager to try the end result.

The smell of the dry rub was smoky and strong.Pascale Mondesir

I let the pork get some color before putting it in my oven.

I used a Dutch oven to cook the pork.Pascale Mondesir

While the meat cooked, I made Ray's barbecue sauce.

I built and cooked the sauce while the meat cooked.Pascale Mondesir

The pork was tender and came apart so beautifully.

After only three hours, the meat was tender.Pascale Mondesir

Although the pork tasted great before adding any sauce, I couldn't really taste all of the dry rub's ingredients.

Rachael Ray's pork was flavorful, but the flavor of the dry rub wasn't strong.Pascale Mondesir

I began mixing the completed barbecue sauce with the pulled pork.

Even after adding the sauce, the flavor wasn't strong.Pascale Mondesir

Drummond's recipe was also easy, but it required an overnight marinade.

I liked how simple Ree Drummond's recipe was.Pascale Mondesir

I created the dry rub before handling the meat.

The dry rub included strong spices like chili powder and cayenne pepper.Pascale Mondesir

The next morning, I prepared the meat for my oven.

I placed the pork on top of the onion halves in a foil pan.Pascale Mondesir

After taking the meat out, I put the onions and marinade aside for my sauce.

I removed the onions from the foil pan while the meat settled.Pascale Mondesir

The barbecue sauce was pretty easy to make.

I combined the marinade with a barbecue sauce.Pascale Mondesir

I shredded and tasted the pork while it was still in the pan.

The pork was extremely easy to shred and tasted good on its own.Pascale Mondesir

I liked the pork on its own, but the spicy sauce added a nice layer of heat.

I added the barbecue sauce but preferred Ree Drummond's pork without it.Pascale Mondesir

Irvine's recipe also featured an easy approach to a tasty dish.

Robert Irvine's recipe was also very straightforward.Pascale Mondesir

I added the pumpkin-spice blend to the meat first, then rubbed the rest of the spices in.

Before adding the dry rub, I added the pumpkin spice.Pascale Mondesir

I couldn't get over how amazing the rub smelled.

The rub smelled savory and sweet, and I was excited to try it.Pascale Mondesir

I placed the coated pork shoulder in my slow cooker.

The recipe said to cook the pork for nine hours.Pascale Mondesir

After the pork was done, I removed the fat, shredded the meat, and cooked it again with barbecue sauce.

After nine hours, shredding the pork was a breeze.Pascale Mondesir

This was the best pulled pork I've ever had.

Using a slow cooker was the right move.Pascale Mondesir

Irvine's recipe was easily my favorite, but I'd make Drummond's again with some improvements.

I'll definitely make Robert Irvine's pulled-pork recipe again.Pascale Mondesir

I went to Arby's for the first time. I paid $38 for a delicious, meat-filled feast that easily could've fed 3 people.

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