Avoid The Pulled Pork From This Grocery Store On Your Labor Day Shopping Trip

When it comes to weekend barbecues, especially big ones on summer holidays, it can be tempting to take some shortcuts and outsource some items, like buying pre-formed burger patties or pre-marinated meats to throw on the grill. But when it comes to juicy, tender pulled pork, you're likely better off making it yourself than relying on premade, packaged, store-bought barbecue. In our ranking of eight store-bought pulled pork brands, Kroger Hardwood Smoked Pulled Pork came in dead last. 

Kroger, the oldest grocery chain in the United States, has a massive amount of store-brand products, ranging from milk to russet potatoes to raw, packaged meats. Unfortunately, the brand's packaged pulled pork leaves much to be desired. Our taste tester was less than enthusiastic about the product, especially after cooking it in the microwave as per the pork's package instructions, saying, "It came out unforgivably dry and chewy." They noted the lack of a consistent texture and decried the cut of meat. The pork came in the form of stiff, large chunks, instead of the more finely pulled shreds you would expect from pulled pork, making a sandwich difficult to enjoy. Our reviewer noted the pulled pork lacked sauce, however even the world's best barbecue sauce couldn't save this sad pork.

Our taste tester was not alone in their opinion, with the average rating for Kroger Hardwood Smoked Pulled Pork on the brand's website coming in at a dismal 2.7 stars (out of five). Some of the feedback is brutal, with one customer writing, "Take it off the market. I wouldn't feed to my dogs or feral cats. Full of fat. No good meat." Another review warned others, saying, "Absolutely do not buy! It looks gross and it's even worse after you heat it up. It's microwaved in a plastic bag, and it smelled gross." 

Another customer described the lack of edible meat in the package, stating, "It was mostly tough, inedible gristle and some fat. I was not even able to eat half the package ... Unfortunately, most of it went to the trash." Yet another reviewer agreed, "Fatty, gristle, nasty texture, after picking out edible pieces, not much left." Many other customers complained about the lack of edible meat and abundance of fat and gristle in the Hardwood Smoked Pulled Pork.

Instead of relying on sketchy, store-bought pulled pork for your summer celebration, use our easy pulled pork recipe, which is done in a slow cooker and can be made a day or two ahead of time. Just reheat the pork before serving and it'll be much more delicious than a sad, microwaved bag of lackluster pork.