Pulled Pork Recipe

[bachus]

Hello,
It shames me to admit that I never even tried to cook pulled pork. Have you any good/easy slow cooker recipe, please? Thanks!

[Keg]

I make it all the time in the slow cooker with a boneless shoulder of pork.

I follow more or less the recipe at the below, it simple and really good basically :
-place a few smoked rashers at the bottom of the slow cooker
-pat the pork should dry, rub with a tablespoon or so of good rock salt depending on size.
-slice a some garlic cloves (6/7) and stick into the meat.

Place it in the slow cooker on low for about 12-16 hours. Use two forks to pull apart and enjoy!

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig

[bachus]

Thanks Keg. 12-16h? Really? Can I eat through a straw? ;-)

[pob]

(A bit quicker than 12hrs)

2kg of Shoulder of Pork (from a good butcher)

- Patted dry, then generously rubbed all over with a mix of salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika.
- Slice up a couple of big onions and 3-5 whole cloves of garlic and put on bottom of a large heavy cast iron (Le Crueset type) casserole dish under the pork.
- Pour some good cider (~750ml) up to just covering pork.

Slow roast for 4-5 hrs @ 150C.

Lift out & reduce cooking juices for a sauce.
Pull pork with forks & pour sauce over it.

[craiclad]

As the others said, rub your pork shoulder with a spice mix (I'll post my favourite below) and then set it in a heavy pot (I use a dutch oven) over some chopped onions and garlic, with half a cup of cider vinegar. Cook at 150C for 4-6 hours or until the shoulder easily comes apart with a fork. If you really want to take it up a notch, make some bbq sauce with the drippings you collect in the bottom of the pot. I'll include the spice mix and bbq sauce recipe below. 

SPICE MIX 

1/4 cup/60 mL paprika
2 tablespoons/30 mL salt
2 tablespoons/30 mL sugar
2 tablespoons/30 mL brown sugar
2 tablespoons/30 mL ground cumin
2 tablespoons/30 mL chili powder
2 tablespoons/30 mL freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon/15 mL cayenne pepper


BBQ SAUCE

1 c ketchup
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed (your preference)
2 tbsp grated onion. Grate it on the large holes of a box grater
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tbsp brown mustard
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (rounds out the flavor)
1/4 to 1/3 c apple cider vinegar (unfiltered preferred). Amount depends on how tangy you like it
1 tbsp of your favorite hot sauce (I like Frank's). Add more (I usually do) if you like it spicy
Salt and pepper to season properly

Using a little pot/saucier, sweat the onions for a couple minutes with some butter and a little salt, just to draw out the moisture. If they get a little brown, no worries. Add the garlic and stir everything for about 30 seconds, just til you smell the garlic. Pour the vinegar in and scrape up any bits that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pan. Throw everything else in your pot, including your pork drippings. Bring the mixture barely to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches your desired viscosity. If you're glazing something, let it get pretty thick. But watch it closely, as all the sugar will have a tendency to burn if your pot gets too hot.

[Keg]

Thanks Keg. 12-16h? Really? Can I eat through a straw? ;-)

I reckon the slower the better when it comes to these kind of dishes. I just hook the slow cooker up to a timer plug and leave it on overnight or have it timed to be ready for when I finish work!

[DEMPSEY]

How about this using SNPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92vvLM3HiE

[Hop Bomb]

You could mimic what a smoker but in the oven?

Rub is 50/50 good quality salt & coarse black pepper. Paprika for colour (use smoked paprike if yer not smoking & doing it in the oven)

oven at 110c. 4 hours ish unwrapped so you get a nice bark.

Then foil it & chuck some apple juice in.

110c for another 4-6 hours. (you'll know by squeezing it - it'll be pretty soft - you could go by internal temp also if you want)

Pull from the oven, Wrap the lot in cling film & towels to rest until its time to serve.

Tear it apart with tongs (forks make it do fine & mushy imo) & sauce it (kansas bbq sauce recipe on amazing ribs is class - or frankin bbq sweet sauce is class too (i add honey to that also)

[Eoin]

I would often pour a can of cider in on top of the pork as a braising liquid, and then it makes a nice sauce afterwards too, reduced on the hob and a little barbecue sauce thrown in.

I just do mine in an oven tray then seal it well with tin foil, if you have chefs heat proof clingfilm you can go one step further and seal with that under the foil too.

I also like to get the bone in on the shoulder if I can, but it's not necessary, I just think it makes a better sauce.

[bachus]

Guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the tips. I will do on Friday or Saturday.
@DEMPSEY: thanks for that amazing food porn glamourized spectacular visual presentation... now I am hungry - :/
@EOIN: I will try to add some sweet mead.

[Eoin]

Guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the tips. I will do on Friday or Saturday.
@DEMPSEY: thanks for that amazing food porn glamourized spectacular visual presentation... now I am hungry - :/
@EOIN: I will try to add some sweet mead.

I'd imagine that will work too, honey works with pork just like apple does.

Maybe add a tablespoon or two of white wine vinegar, the acid is a good counterbalance to all the sweetness, that's why cider works so well.

<edit> or even a spoon or two of mustard, that's normally a bit acid too.

[molc]

So doing this over the weekend now

[nigel_c]

You can do pulled pork with the rib end of the loin if you have trouble finding the shoulder. Big , wide , not very attractive looking but the flavor is perfect when slow cooked and pulled.
This cut is normally the last to be sold out of a butchers window so if you talk nicely to your local friendly butcher he may do you a good price to clear it. Unless he is taking it himself. Perk of the job 

[Bubbles]

Only slightly off topic, but.. Nigel, what should we ask for when looking for the equivalent of an American "pork butt"? I know it's the shoulder, boned. Anything else to specify?

[Eoin]

Only slightly off topic, but.. Nigel, what should we ask for when looking for the equivalent of an American "pork butt"? I know it's the shoulder, boned. Anything else to specify?

Nothing, it's just a pork shoulder.

I normally get them bone in, simply because I think it's better all around, that said it's got enough in it to keep it moist, when I get the smoker I'll get it deboned, that said I have a boning knife and can do it myself also and it's harder to get shoulder bone in than out.


<edit> I'm Nigel and so's my wife...