Pulled pork from a roast or loin?

I prefer what is called a "boneless ribeye roast, which has a little bit of dark and light meat with a small amount of fat running through it. I prefer it to have a little bit of fat in it, to prevent it from getting too dried out while cooking. I think it also really depends on exactly how you are cooking it. If you are going to roast it in your oven at a low temp for several hours, or on an outdoor smoker for several hours, then I would definitely go with a fattier cut of meat, like the pork shoulder. When letting it roast at a low temp like that for hours, most of the fat melts away and bastes the meat as it cooks, so you really don't get that much in the finished product. Plus it products a really nice browning on the exterior of the meat which adds a lot of great flavor. You wouldn't get that with a plain pork loin.

If I was just going to throw it in a crock pot on high for four hours though, I would use the pork loin since the crock pot isn't going to brown the exterior of the meat anyhow and all the moisture is trapped in it. Plus, when cooking it faster, such as a crock pot on high, or especially in a pressure cooker on high, the meat fibers will break down and soften, but often times the fat has not had enough time to all render out. So if you used a fattier cut of meat in these situations, the end product won't be as appetizing and will be quite greasy and fatty.

It's still possible to overcook a lean pork loin though in a slow cooker. The meat will technically be cooked and falling apart, but it will have a straw like texture too it, kind of like wet sawdust.

Personally, when I cook the ribeye roast, I simply roast it by itself in a baking pan with a fitted lid with just some salt and pepper and a little oil, at 250 degrees for about 5 hours for a 2lb roast. Then for the last 30 minutes to an hour, I open the lid partially to get the exterior of the meat to brown up nicely. After I drain out the excess fat and juices, and shred the meat, then I add in the BBQ sauce (so it doesn't get diluted or scorched during the cooking process), and put the shredded meat back into the oven for about another 30 min or so at 350 uncovered, just enough for the sauce to warm up and thicken a bit, and for some browning to occur on top.

 

I usually use the pork loin when I make pulled pork. To me, it just turns out better, and like you, I don't like biting into chunks of fat! I use a recipe that I found online and slow roast it in Dr. Pepper and Chipotle peppers, then shred it up. It's a favorite for my entire household and the best part is that I usually get 3 meals out of one pork loin. I divide it up into freezer bags and pop it into the freezer for future dinners on busy days!

 

I do not like Dr. Pepper at all, I never, ever drink it, but in this recipe, it works. It's the only time I ever buy Dr. Pepper!