What Is Italian Pulled Pork Vs The BBQ Version?

Pork is a beloved protein in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, each with plenty of diverse preparations for swine-centric dishes. When it comes to pulled pork, there are many overlaps in terms of low and slow cooking methods; smokers, dutch ovens, crock-pots, and braises are all used interchangeably across multiple culinary cultures to reap the most tender and juicy results.

Of course, the most well-known style of pulled pork in the U.S. is our native BBQ version, which encompasses regional variations of its own. However, Italian pulled pork is a tasty alternative that differs from all regional barbecue styles. While both BBQ and Italian pulled pork are slow-cooked, tender, shredded pork dishes, they take two completely different culinary directions when it comes to seasoning, serving, and even the cut of pork used. Let's go into the flavor profiles and ways to eat both of these classic pulled pork styles. Their differences eliminate them from competition and instead provide two different ways to enjoy pulled pork.

Barbecue pulled pork epitomizes the marriage of sweet and savory, a longstanding tradition linked to the Carolinas, which is often deemed the birthplace of barbecue. Pulled pork is a specialty in the Carolinas and in Memphis-style barbecue as well as Hawaiian barbecue traditions. Despite regional variations, pulled pork comes from the pork butt, the cut of pork shoulder that's higher on the foreleg and closer to the neck and shoulder blade. This cut of pork is fattier and more tender than the main pork shoulder but still tough and fibrous enough to require a slow-cooking method.

BBQ-style pulled pork is rubbed with a spice blend that usually includes brown sugar, smoked paprika, mustard powder, cayenne, and often aromatics. Some varieties rub the pork with mustard or ketchup before applying the rub. The pork butt is either slow smoked over wood or charcoal and mopped with barbecue sauce or cooked in a slow cooker, crock pot, or dutch oven using a blend of barbecue sauce and broth or beer as the cooking liquid. We offer many pulled pork recipes that include this apple cider smoked pulled pork, this easy slow cooker pulled pork, and this Hawaiian pulled pork made in a dutch-oven. Pulled pork is saucy, succulent, and usually served on a sandwich with coleslaw, onions, and pickles. Over the past few decades, pulled pork has also become part of the fusion food craze, incorporated into other famous dishes like pizza, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos.

Unlike the saucy, sweet, and tangy BBQ version, Italian pulled pork is a sauce-free, savory, and aromatic dish that uses a different cut of pork and an entirely different set of seasoning ingredients. Italian pulled pork can be smoked or slow-cooked using a wet method, but it starts with the pork shoulder, a much tougher and leaner cut of pork than the butt that's traditionally used to make the BBQ version. Pork shoulder gets coated in olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest and rubbed with Italian herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley, toasted fennel seeds — a common ingredient in Italian sausage — smashed garlic, and crushed red pepper. As the pork smokes, some recipes recommend spraying it with vinegar and lemon juice instead of the saucy mopping involved in BBQ smoked pork.

With a citric, herbal, and aromatic flavor profile, Italian roast pork tastes completely different then BBQ pulled pork. Consequently, it's served with completely different condiments and garnishes. Italian pulled pork is popular in Italian American neighborhoods in the Northeastern U.S., served in sandwich shops as Italian roast pork sandwiches. The pulled pork is stuffed into ciabatta or hoagie rolls accompanied by grilled or sauteed greens like broccoli rabe or fennel, pickled peppers or a spicier giardiniera from a brand like Marconi, mozzarella, and a slathering of spicy, dijon mustard.