2010 Cooking Club Week 48: Pulled Pork

Super-Rush · 30-01-2015 3:10am

I was too busy gorging on pork sandwiches yesterday to write a whole lot :pac:

I was left with about 3-4 liters of cooking juice once the pork was finished cooking. I didn't want to throw it out because there were some really good flavours going on in my crock pot. So having purchased some bacon ribs, i decided to make a sauce to go with them.

To the existing liquid as laid out by Sparks which i reduced down to about 3/4 of a liter, i added ketchup, more molasses, onion and celery powder, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, liquid smoke, salt, pepper and cayenne and blitzed it along with the garlic cloves and the onion and chili.

I left this blipping away on the hob for 45 mins and bottled it. I basted the ribs for the second half of their cook (5 hrs in total) with the sauce. I consider myself a pretty good cook and this was one of the best sauces i've made.

Those original flavours left over from the pulled pork cook made this sauce so good. Kudos again Sparks.

Gloomtastic! · 01-02-2015 7:29pm

Sparks, you're a legend!

After our pretty cautious January with plenty of lean Turkey mince and good healthy-ish things, a Feb 1 pig-out was called for. :rolleyes:

Well done on a great recipe and sticking with all the posters over the years.

My question is, I have a tonne of leftover pork. What do you suggest?

Here's our pulled pork with apple coleslaw, baps, beetroot and cottage cheese salad and a lovely little slab of crackling.

b.gud · 01-02-2015 8:49pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Sparks, you're a legend!

After our pretty cautious January with plenty of lean Turkey mince and good healthy-ish things, a Feb 1 pig-out was called for. :rolleyes:

Well done on a great recipe and sticking with all the posters over the years.

My question is, I have a tonne of leftover pork. What do you suggest?

Here's our pulled pork with apple coleslaw, baps, beetroot and cottage cheese salad and a lovely little slab of crackling.

Looks great do you mind me asking how you did the crackling? Was thinking it would be a great way to use the trimmed off fat.

Dizzyblonde · 01-02-2015 9:00pm

@ Gloomtastic - pulled pork freezes really well

Gloomtastic! · 01-02-2015 9:12pm

b.gud wrote: »

Looks great do you mind me asking how you did the crackling? Was thinking it would be a great way to use the trimmed off fat.

Trimmed it off the shoulder of pork. Scored the skin with a sharp knife (which wasn't really sharp enough).

Rubbed the skin with a liberal amount of sunflower oil and sprinkled generously with salt.

Placed the skin on a grill rack and tray and placed them in the oven (the oven was 160c for the pork). After an hour or so when I took the pork out, the skin was still rubbery so I turned the oven up to 200c for 20 mins or so. Presto, rock hard and delicious!

Sparks · 01-02-2015 10:42pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Sparks, you're a legend!

My question is, I have a tonne of leftover pork. What do you suggest?

Like Dizzy says, it freezes well, but I generally just eat it too fast to worry about it beyond the fridge stage. Great as a sandwich filling yes, but also fantastic as a pizza topping; you could make bread rolls and wrap some up in the dough to make stuffed bread rolls (the way you put a pat of butter into the dough when making parkerhouse rolls), you can mix it in with pasta for a great mac'n'cheese dish, dollop it on tortilla chips to make brilliant nachos, it's nice in quesidillas (especially if you put some chopped jalapenos in there - the heat from the chilli goes brilliantly with the pulled pork), and of course, there's the pulled pork mission-style burritto, a large floured tortilla with a layer of rice, pulled pork, jalapenos, cheese and all rolled up into one glorious lunch...

Feck. I'm hungry now...

Here's our pulled pork with apple coleslaw, baps, beetroot and cottage cheese salad and a lovely little slab of crackling.

Looks fantastic

purple hands · 13-02-2015 7:33pm

Apologies if asked already, anyone try pork neck for this??? Butcher is closed, but they have the neck in one of those Polonez shops around the corner!

Super-Rush · 13-02-2015 7:37pm

purple hands wrote: »

Apologies if asked already, anyone try pork neck for this??? Butcher is closed, but they have the neck in one of those Polonez shops around the corner!

You could get a roast pork joint in Super Valu for a fiver at the moment. Not long after pulling one apart and devouring it. Very nice.

purple hands · 13-02-2015 7:51pm

Super-Rush wrote: »

You could get a roast pork joint in Super Valu for a fiver at the moment. Not long after pulling one apart and devouring it. Very nice.

Intermaresting! Did you change up the dry rub or cooking time at all or do the same?

Super-Rush · 13-02-2015 8:06pm

purple hands wrote: »

Intermaresting! Did you change up the dry rub or cooking time at all or do the same?

Same rub as I used before and went for 22 hours this time. Hunger got the best of me.

ElleEm · 06-03-2015 3:02pm

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

@ Gloomtastic - pulled pork freezes really well

Would you freeze it in sauce or dry? I have a 3kg shoulder in the oven since 8am and although I could put a fairly large dent in it myself, my boyfriend gets bored of it after the second day, so I should probably freeze some!

Gloomtastic! · 06-03-2015 3:56pm

ElleEm wrote: »

Would you freeze it in sauce or dry? I have a 3kg shoulder in the oven since 8am and although I could put a fairly large dent in it myself, my boyfriend gets bored of it after the second day, so I should probably freeze some!

I froze it in sauce no problem but I did add more sauce when it thawed!

ElleEm · 06-03-2015 4:11pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

I froze it in sauce no problem but I did add more sauce when it thawed!

Thanks for that.

Dizzyblonde · 06-03-2015 9:00pm

I freeze it in the sauce.

Edit: I found a new sauce last week - we were having dinner guests and I wanted to do a second sauce option.
This one is delicious. I had no fennel seeds but I added a pinch of 5 spice powder, and now it's my new favourite

youngblood · 06-05-2015 10:50pm

Making this in the large Aldi slow cooker tomorrow (6L),
Just wondering, what size pork shoulder should I get?
If I get larger than recipe should I just double all ingredients?

Cheers

unkel · 06-05-2015 11:16pm

I do a 2.5kg shoulder with the bone in. Yeah double the ingredients. The recipe is very forgiving, you really can't go wrong. Cook on low for a very long time. Enjoy!

youngblood · 06-05-2015 11:19pm

Thanks for that, v excited now.
Hope the actual sauce for the shredding part works, can i adjust according to taste as I'm making it??
I'm not hugely into barbecue (if that makes sense for someone making barbecue pulled pork)

unkel · 06-05-2015 11:33pm

Of course! I use less vinegar myself in both the cooking liquid and the serving sauce.

Sparks · 07-05-2015 12:47pm

You can definitely double the ingredients - in fact for the rub you can make it up in bulk and store it, it'll keep for about as long as any spice will keep in the pantry. For the liquid, the critical thing is to have enough to keep the meat mostly submerged during the cooking. If you have to double or triple the recipe, do it. If you find the liquid is evaporating off during the cook (which seems to happen with some of the larger slow cookers), top it off. Doesn't have to be the full recipe liquid for the top-offs, just add some more coke (or apple juice or even water).

The nice thing about this recipe is that the pork is technically very overcooked when it's done; but all the gelatine from the collagen breaking down coats the meat fibres so it tastes wonderfully soft and perfect. So the recipe doesn't have to be finicky - you're already pushing the meat way past where any fast recipe would stop, if you follow me.

And no, you don't have to sauce with barbecue sauce (but before you give up on barbecue sauce completely, remember that there are lots and lots of different barbecue sauces, based on completely different things with utterly different textures, viscosities, appearances and tastes; the stuff we get in squeezy bottles in Tesco here labelled "Barbecue sauce" is generally a pale imitation at best.

But if it really ain't your thing, never mind - you'll have a lot of pulled unsauced pork for a dozen different kinds of meals. (Hint: try mexican stuff, because you've basically made carnitas...)

Gloomtastic! · 14-05-2015 11:38am

Another hunk of pork in the fridge smothered in spices and cling film. Roll on Friday night!!!!!

Sparks · 14-05-2015 12:13pm

2kg sitting in my fridge wrapped in spices, salt and cling film, and a new bottle of liquid smoke (and probably I'll have to get a new larger slow cooker too) waiting for it on friday...

belle1234 · 21-05-2015 8:58pm

I have two questions in relation to this recipe and would appreciate some advice. First off I'd like to make this as one of two options for a family gathering of 25 adults - should I double or triple the recipe? Secondly, I don't have a slow cooker so what temp/how long would you recommend doing this in the oven for? Thanks a million!

bigronnie9 · 22-05-2015 11:29am

belle1234 wrote: »

I have two questions in relation to this recipe and would appreciate some advice. First off I'd like to make this as one of two options for a family gathering of 25 adults - should I double or triple the recipe? Secondly, I don't have a slow cooker so what temp/how long would you recommend doing this in the oven for? Thanks a million!

No expert here but I know Sparks was asked about cooking in the oven before:

Sparks wrote: »

I wouldn't leave it overnight in the oven Stheno, because it won't be at 100, it'll cycle from 80 to 120 continually, if not over a wider range. You could hike the temperature to 160C and roast for about 5-6 hours until it was falling apart, but it's going to be a lot drier and you'll need a lot more sauce at the end.

Honestly? I'd spend the €15 and get a slow cooker (btw, Tesco are selling a 2 litre model for €21 so they're around if you look).

As for feeding 25, the ingredients double up very well, and id say if you doubled the meat it should do..and if you are doing some thing else with it this should be loads! But it depends how much people will eat... For example people could be happy with one bap/burger bun per person.....Or would you be feeding hounds like me who would eat a handful of them all to myself (especially after a few drinks, its very moreish!)

belle1234 · 22-05-2015 1:07pm

That's great. Yeah I'm doing a lasagna as well but I just wanted to make sure I'd have enough pork! Judging by the response to the recipe it looks like you could never have enough of it!
Now to source a slow cooker . . .

Gloomtastic! · 22-05-2015 3:01pm

belle1234 wrote: »

That's great. Yeah I'm doing a lasagna as well but I just wanted to make sure I'd have enough pork! Judging by the response to the recipe it looks like you could never have enough of it!
Now to source a slow cooker . . .

I've done this a couple of times in the oven at 140c. I've used a covered roasting tin to keep the moisture in, and left it cooking for up to seven hours.

belle1234 · 23-05-2015 8:11am

Thank you Gloomtastic. Any idea on how long you'd cook it for it doubling the meat?

Gloomtastic! · 23-05-2015 10:49am

belle1234 wrote: »

Thank you Gloomtastic. Any idea on how long you'd cook it for it doubling the meat?

At least five hours. The longer you leave it the better. Good luck!

belle1234 · 23-05-2015 12:02pm

Thanks! Will let you know how I get on - fingers crossed!

belle1234 · 28-05-2015 8:21pm

Any recommendations for the BBQ sauce?

belle1234 · 31-05-2015 8:32pm

Thanks for a great recipe! Did a 3kg collar of pork in a casserole dish in the oven for 10hrs and it worked out great - everyone was raving about it. Will definitely make it again

Dial Hard · 05-06-2015 10:21am

belle1234 wrote: »

Any recommendations for the BBQ sauce?

I strain the cooking liquid and reduce it to a nice saucy consistency, then stir in about a dessertspoon of HP barbecue sauce. A) it's such a waste to just ditch all that lovely, aromatic liquid and

I find BBQ sauce on its own far too sweet.

Sparks · 05-06-2015 10:29am

I always thought the liquid itself had too much fat for my taste (I prefer the vinegar-based BBQ sauces which are anything but sweet), but it really is just personal taste and mine's a bit funny

dibkins · 05-06-2015 1:14pm

Time for round 2 with this. Is belly ok to use in the slow cooker?

Sparks · 05-06-2015 2:51pm

Honestly, I think it'd be a waste. And possibly not very good. Belly's got a lot of fat but not a lot of connective tissue. Makes great bacon, is great when cooked on its own, but if you pulled it I think you'd get very little meat, not much gelatine and lots of fat. Doesn't sound nice to me.

youngblood · 05-06-2015 5:53pm

This recipe is amazing by the way and works a treat, you'll kinda know by the end what sorta sauce you'll enjoy,
I used pork shoulder but never thought to remember the weight, is there a standard weight for pork shoulder?

Reason being I want to make even more the next time I do so will need to order more, bigger weight, 2 shoulders etc?
, totally worth all the effort (isnt really much effort just waiting time)

Sparks · 05-06-2015 6:09pm

Don't think there's a standard weight, but a whole pork shoulder is *big*. I've never bought more than two kilos at once and that wasn't even a particularly large bit of the shoulder. When you see them loading shoulders into BBQ pits in the US, they're massive - easily twenty to thirty pounds of meat.

dibkins · 06-06-2015 8:14pm

Sparks wrote: »

Honestly, I think it'd be a waste. And possibly not very good. Belly's got a lot of fat but not a lot of connective tissue. Makes great bacon, is great when cooked on its own, but if you pulled it I think you'd get very little meat, not much gelatine and lots of fat. Doesn't sound nice to me.

Well, i ignored your advice (sorry^^) and proceeded (belly in the freezer to be used up!). Turned out pretty good in my opinion! A little on the dry side maybe. What really helps it along is that i also had the ribs from the belly (i had totally forgotten) so i bunged them in too. The meat just fell off the bone, so i shredded that up and added it to the pulled belly. Nom.

Here is one of the pieces of belly mid pulling.

been_pulling_my_pork_all_afternoon.__1024.png

been_pulling_my_pork_all_afternoon.__1024.png

vicwatson · 09-06-2015 10:34pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

I've done this a couple of times in the oven at 140c. I've used a covered roasting tin to keep the moisture in, and left it cooking for up to seven hours.

Do you mean covered in foil?

I bought a 3kg pork shoulder today and wanted to slow cook it in a fan oven (don't have slow cooker)

Should I cook it at 140c or less for longer, I've no prob cooking it low and slow.

Should I take the fat off it or leave it until cooked? I imagine leave it on.

Tia

Gloomtastic! · 09-06-2015 11:28pm

vicwatson wrote: »

Do you mean covered in foil?

I bought a 3kg pork shoulder today and wanted to slow cook it in a fan oven (don't have slow cooker)

Should I cook it at 140c or less for longer, I've no prob cooking it low and slow.

Should I take the fat off it or leave it until cooked? I imagine leave it on.

Tia

I've used tin foil (double layers) but also a roasting tin. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Krüger-Roasting-Drip-38-Black/dp/B00008WVSD

What you're doing with the pork is giving it a hot bath over a long period of time to help relax the muscle (meat). You need to keep it covered so the bath doesn't run dry.

Take the skin off and any fat between the skin and the meat, you can turn the skin into crackling, see my recipe a few pages earlier.

vicwatson · 10-06-2015 10:14pm

^^

So I should put some water in the bottom of the baking tray before "sealing" the top with foil?

Gloomtastic! · 10-06-2015 10:41pm

vicwatson wrote: »

^^

So I should put some water in the bottom of the baking tray before "sealing" the top with foil?

See the cooking liquid recipe in post #3

daisybelle2008 · 11-07-2015 2:23pm

Where are people getting their is the shoulders or collars? Haven't seen them in Tesco or other supermarkets in ages. Is it butchers only?

laros · 11-07-2015 2:47pm

Where are people getting their is the shoulders or collars?

I always go to a butcher, supermarket joints always seem to be a bit small...:D also the butcher skins it for me and I make Pork Scratchings with the skin.

castlebarian · 06-08-2015 1:06pm

Hi

I'm looking to cook a shoulder of pork for pulled pork its weighting in at 11.6 lbs(bone and all still on it ) . I'm just wondering what is the cooking time and at what temperature for regular oven cooking this ?

bigronnie9 · 06-08-2015 1:13pm

collecting a shoulder of pork from the butchers at lunchtime, apparently they keep them in the freezer so I rang them this morning and asked could they take it out to start it defrosting.... hopefully it'll be defrosted by tonight or the morning at the latest so I can prep it and cook it for Saturday night..cant wait, it was unreal the last time!

never got a pork shoulder before, is taking the fat off the same process as in the OP?

must also search through here for a good coleslaw recipe!

Super-Rush · 06-08-2015 1:20pm

I never take the fat off until the cooking process is over.

I've some leftover from yesterday that will be used for tacos tonight.

Dizzyblonde · 06-08-2015 1:41pm

castlebarian wrote: »

Hi

I'm looking to cook a shoulder of pork for pulled pork its weighting in at 11.6 lbs(bone and all still on it ) . I'm just wondering what is the cooking time and at what temperature for regular oven cooking this ?

I've merged your thread with the Pulled Pork Megathread here in the Cooking Club because the pulled pork experts are more likely to see it here.

If you have a read back over the thread you might get some tips too

bigronnie9 · 06-08-2015 3:37pm

butchers called to say they got a delivery today and had a fresh shoulder of pork, went and collected it. about 3kg for €10, im hoping it will feed a good crowd. will spice it up tonight and then cook overnight tomorrow/all day Saturday on low I think!

Satriale · 09-08-2015 6:02pm

bigronnie9 wrote: »

butchers called to say they got a delivery today and had a fresh shoulder of pork, went and collected it. about 3kg for €10, im hoping it will feed a good crowd. will spice it up tonight and then cook overnight tomorrow/all day Saturday on low I think!

C'mon Ronnie, dont leave us hanging!! How did it go?

bigronnie9 · 09-08-2015 6:25pm

Satriale wrote: »

C'mon Ronnie, dont leave us hanging!! How did it go?

Spiced it Thursday night...threw it in the slow cooker on low Friday night...20 hours later took it out and pulled/sauced it,back in the slow cooker then for 2 hours on warm until the rest of the bbq grub was ready to serve. Pulled pork stole the show,over 20 people there and everyone said it was the nicest they'd had!

I thought I'd have leftovers for today,3kg of pork disappeared in no time!

Pro tip: if your other half doesn't like the house smelling of pork while its cooking for 20 hours,set up the slow cooker out in the shed,worked a treat

2010 Cooking Club Week 48: Pulled Pork

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