One of the most satisfying, succulent foods out there is pulled pork. Thick, shredded, pulled pork drowned in barbecue sauce. Two buns, a large helping of pulled pork, coleslaw, and you're set for a meal fit for royalty. Most of the time is spent waiting for it to cook, so pulled pork is great for a relaxing day. Pulled pork is generally served slathered in barbecue sauce, but with enough of our special rub, it holds its own in a roll, on its own, and even with pasta.
Every part of the pulled pork adds its own aspect to the dish. The cooking time not only to let the rub infuse, but to make it so tender, and juicy, and meaty, just adds so much to the dish. And the sauce, cooked just a little for a bit of thickness and extra flavour. And finally we can't forget the coleslaw, that adds a bit of coolness and crunch, without taking away from the meatiness of the pork.
Although the exact origin of this amazing dish is unknown, we know that it is a traditional dish from the southern part of the US. It is typically a pork shoulder cooked for large amounts of time to tenderize it, and then smothered with an amazing barbeque sauce, and then put in a sandwich with coleslaw, although many restaurants have been known to serve pulled pork on its own. Whatever the occasion, pulled pork is always a great option, as it does not take too much hard work, and it is guaranteed to always yield amazing results.
INGREDIENTS
Big Hunk of Pork (3-5 lbs)
Burger Buns
The Pork Rub:
3 Tbsp Brown sugar
3 Tbsp Paprika
1 ½ Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 ½ Tbsp Black Pepper
1 ½ Tbsp Salt
½ Cup Mustard
The Barbeque Sauce: (if you want home made; else can use ready-made)
2 Cups Ketchup
½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
2-3 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
¼ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Garlic Powder
½ Tsp Black Pepper
The Coleslaw
1/4 Cabbage
2 Carrots
¾ Cup Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Black Pepper
METHOD
To start off, preheat your oven to 250°F.
Mix all the Pork rub ingredients together in a small bowl. After that, take out your pork and wash thoroughly.
If you have all afternoon, then wash and leave to the side. If you are in a rush, start cutting the pork into smaller chunks so can cook faster (size in video) After that, dry your pork and cover with the rub you just made. Make sure the rub is everywhere on the pork, so that it will be evenly flavored.
Take a roasting pan and fill with water about two inches tall. The water will steam and help keep the oven and therefore pork moist. Put this water pan at the bottom of the oven.
Take a roasting tray, and place a layer of foil on it, then your pork. Put in the center of the oven, and expect it to take around 3-4 hours. If you cut into chunks , expect it to take around 2 hours. We are slow cooking the pork, SO NOT turn up the heat to speedup the process, as your pork will roast (not slow cook) and you will not be able to pull it apart.
While the pork is cooking, make your barbecue sauce and coleslaw. We used a ready barbecue sauce in the video but if you want to make your own, simply combine all the barbecue sauce ingredients and whisk slowly until thickens, around 8-10 minutes.
For the coleslaw, in the video we used a bag of shredded vegetables (you can get ready coleslaw mix in the salad aisles of many grocery stores). You can of course make your own; simply grate some carrots, and cabbage (any kind of cabbage works). Then mix all the Coleslaw ingredients together and your coleslaw is ready.
After the pork is done cooking, take it out of the oven and it should be very easy to pull apart with a fork and knife. Gently pull apart so you can see shreds of pork (take a bite at this point, close your eyes and enjoy the bite!).
Pour the juices into the barbeque sauce for extra flavor. Mix the barbecue sauce and the shredded pork together.
Toast some burger buns with a little bit of butter. Assemble sandwich with a large helping of the pork and a generous spoonful of the coleslaw. Then dig in and enjoy!