Pulled Pork
Description
An exquisite example of fine BBQ food
Doesn’t that say it all? I suppose it will for some people, but there are people out there that have never tried it. I was one of those people until just over a year ago when I decided to make something different. Sliders were a popular menu item in many “on-trend” cafes, they looked fantastic but there was only one problem. Served in a brioche bun, or bun of any kind, without the option for a gluten free bun. I was once offered to have it served in some gluten free bread, not to be snobby but I will only resort to the frozen, de-frosted, frozen and then toasted commercially made gluten free bread when I absolutely have to. I’m not slamming it, it’s just that it’s only tolerable as toast loaded with plenty of anything else to add flavour. So I had to give it a miss when heading out for a bite to eat. That just instilled the drive to succeed making this recipe, making it delicious, and making it in a bun, slider size.
Instead of using brown sugar as a way to caramelise, I opted to go for a spicy rub that would pair well with a homemade BBQ sauce.
Low and slow was also the killer, if you’ve just worked a full week and have few hours on a Saturday afternoon, you won’t have 6-8 hours. I chose to do this in the BBQ because it not only meant less cooking time but also much less cleaning up (don’t be shy to use foil or disposable roasting trays, you’ll thank yourself later).
We served ours with shaved fennel and apple and a little home pickled cucumber (1 cucumber, shaved; 1 c. vinegar; 1 tsp. mustard seeds; pinch salt & pepper; combine all ingredients and refrigerate for atleast an hour).
Find our take on a brioche style bun here, and enjoy xx
Ingredients
| 1 large pork shoulder (approx. 1.7kg) |
| SPICE RUB: |
| 1 tbsp. mustard powder |
| 1 tbsp. cumin seed |
| 1 tbsp. smoked paprika |
| 2 tsp. fennel seed |
| 2 tsp. cinnamon |
| 2 tsp. powdered garlic |
| 2 tsp. powdered onion |
| 2 tsp. rock salt |
| 2 tsp. cracked pepper |
| 1 tsp. chilli flakes |
| 2 tsp. cajun spice mix |
| 1 tsp. allspice |
| 2 tsp. coriander seed |
| BASTING: |
| 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar |
| 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 tsp. extra salt, pepper and chilli flake |
| 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup |
| 1 c. apple cider vinegar |
| BBQ SAUCE: |
| 1 large red onion |
| 2 garlic cloves |
| 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 apple |
| 1/2 c apple cider vinegar |
| 1 tsp. mustard powder |
| 1 tbsp. salt reduced tomato paste |
| 2 tomatoes |
| 1 chipotle chilli |
| 1 tsp. coriander seed |
| 1 tsp. salt & pepper |
| 3 tbsp. pure maple syrup |
Directions
- 1
- Heat the BBQ with the lid down to 150 degrees Celsius.
- 2
- Place the pork shoulder a disposable BBQ roasting tray.
- 3
- Place all spices and herbs for the spice rub into a mortar and grind until the fennel has broken up and the cumin seeds are crushed.
- 4
- Pour over the pork and rub well into all sides of the pork.
- 5
- Cover the pork loosely with foil and allow the pork to rest for around 30 minutes to an hour if time permits, at room temperature.
- 6
- To make the spicy BBQ sauce:
- 7
- Dice the red onion, peel and dice the apple and the garlic.
- 8
- Add the olive oil to a medium sized saucepan and heat, saute the onion, apple and garlic until translucent.
- 9
- Dice the tomatoes and add to the pan with the tomato paste.
- 10
- Add all the spices, chipotle chilli and herbs.
- 11
- Stir through until tomatoes are breaking down.
- 12
- Add the maple syrup and stir through.
- 13
- Bring the pot to a simmer, continually stirring until the tomatoes and onion has broken down into a chunky saucy consistency.
- 14
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- 15
- Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until thick and smooth.
- 16
- Set aside until the pork is done.
- 17
- Once rested, place the pork tray in the BBQ and allow to cook for 30 minutes.
- 18
- While cooking, prepare the baste by combining the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, extra salt, pepper and chilli flake, pure maple syrup
- 19
- and apple cider vinegar. Mix well together in a bowl and set next to the BBQ with a pastry brush or silicone kitchen brush.
- 20
- Once the pork has reached 30 minutes, baste with the mixture.
- 21
- Continue to baste the meat every 40 minutes until cooked.
- 22
- Once cooked remove the tray and set aside to rest for a further 30 minutes.
- 23
- Re-heat the BBQ sauce to serve.
- 24
- Remove the fatty skin from the shoulder and shred the meat with 2 forks.
- 25
- Toss through 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce at a time or allow guests to serve their own pulled pork and BBQ sauce.
- 26
- Serve in homemade buns with salad, if desired.
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