Healthier Pulled Pork

Lower Calorie Pulled Pork (Made with Tenderloin)

I've been making this lower calorie, leaner pulled pork for years.  This version keeps everything you love about pulled pork-- the smokiness, the tang, and the tender meat, but uses lean pork tenderloin instead of fatty pork shoulder.

Cooking it low and slow will maintain that tender meat you're used to, without the extra fat calories. One thing to note: it won't be as easy to pull, but as long as you take the meat off the heat right as it hits 145°, it won't be dry or chewy (as lean meat can often be).

The result: all the flavor, way fewer calories, and plenty of protein.

Ingredients

Serves 6–8

• 2 lb (900g) pork tenderloin, silver skin removed
• 75g BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)
• 45ml apple cider vinegar
• 75ml chicken broth (low sodium)
• 15g coconut sugar sugar
• 5g Dijon mustard
• 10ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp each chili powder, smoked paprika, dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 10g cornstarch + 10g water (for slurry)

Directions

1. Prep the pork by trimming any silver skin and pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, coconut sugar, Dijon, Worcestershire, chili powder, smoked paprika, thyme, and garlic.
3. Add the pork and sauce to a dutch oven, cover, and cook on a low simmer for 40-45 minutes or or until the internal temp is 145°.
   
4. Remove pork and shred with two forks. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens.
5. Add the shredded pork to the sauce and stir until the meat is evenly covered. Enjoy!

Nutrition (per 4oz / 113g serving)

• Calories: 170
• Protein: 27g
• Carbs: 7g
• Fat: 4g
• Fiber: 0g
• Added Sugar: 5g

Why It’s Healthier

Traditional pulled pork uses pork shoulder — which is higher in fat and more caloric. By swapping in pork tenderloin and cutting back on sugary BBQ sauce, you get the same smoky/sweet flavor but with half the calories and about a third of the fat. Cooking it low and slow, until the internal temp reaches 145°, will maintain that classic pulled pork tenderness.