Pulled Pork Taters -- The Recipe That Passes From Hand to Hand

April 2026. Easter and the engagement celebration both. Ethan and Mia came for the holiday weekend and we turned Sunday dinner into a double occasion: the glazed ham and the welcome of Mia into this family. She has been here before, multiple times, but this is different — this is the first dinner where she is going to be part of this family permanently, where the table she's sitting at is going to be her family's table.

I asked her if there was anything she'd want to learn to make in this kitchen. Not "can I teach you" — "is there anything you want." She said: the potato salad. Gary's grandmother's recipe that I'd adapted into mine. She wants to learn the recipe that started as mine and came from Gary's family and will now become hers. I loved that answer. We made it together on Saturday morning while the ham was in the oven, and I told her the story of the recipe the way my mother taught me recipes: not just the ingredients but the why, the where it came from, the person whose hands made it first.

She listened the way cooks listen — with her whole attention. She'll make it right. She has the gift. Ethan found someone with the gift. Of course he did. He knew what to look for.

The spring table. The engaged couple. The ham and the potato salad and the continuation of things forward. This is the good life doing what the good life does.

The potato salad we made together on Saturday morning is —and always will be—a family recipe, not something I’d put out into the world. But the spirit of that morning —the potatoes, the kitchen, the passing of something forward—made me want to share a recipe in that same tradition: humble, satisfying, built around the potato in all its honest goodness. These Pulled Pork Taters are the kind of dish that belongs on a table full of people you love, the kind you make in a big batch and set out while everyone is still talking and laughing and not quite ready to sit down.

Pulled Pork Taters

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 4 lbs bone-in pork shoulder (pork butt)
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 8 large russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

Instructions

1. Season the pork. Combine smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder, pressing it into the meat.
2. Slow cook. Place the seasoned pork shoulder in a slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth around the base of the meat. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily.
3. Shred and sauce. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred using two forks, discarding the bone and any large pieces of fat. Return shredded pork to the slow cooker, stir in the barbecue sauce, and let it absorb on the warm setting for 15 minutes.
4. Bake the potatoes. About 1 hour before serving, preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub potatoes, dry thoroughly, rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Pierce each potato several times with a fork. Bake directly on the oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes, until the skins are crisp and the centers are tender.
5. Split and load. Cut each baked potato open lengthwise and press the ends to open it up. Fluff the interior with a fork. Pile a generous heap of pulled pork on top of each potato, followed by shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and a scatter of sliced green onions.
6. Serve. Serve immediately with extra barbecue sauce on the side for anyone who wants it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 62g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 780mg