How are you?

Pulled pork

Ingredients

• Pork shoulder, ~1¾kg, rind removed (reserve for crackling!)
• Brown onion, 2 large, cut into ⅛ pieces
• Red chilli, 1 large, deseeded and cut in half
• Garlic, 1 bulb, crushed
• Vegetable stock, 300ml
• Tomato ketchup, 6 tbsp
• Tomato purée, 2 tbsp
• Cider vinegar, 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce, 2 tbsp
• Henderson’s relish, 1 tbsp
• Smoked paprika, 1 tbsp
• Celery salt, 1 tbsp
• Seasoning mix¹, ½ cup (metric)

Instructions

1. Generously rub the seasoning mix into the pork shoulder ensuring it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for four hours (but ideally overnight).
2. Take a heavy casserole pan and add the brown onion, red chilli, garlic and pour in the vegetable stock then place the pork shoulder on top.
3. Take a mixing bowl, add the tomato ketchup, tomato purée, cider vinegar, soy sauce, Henderson’s relish, smoked paprika and celery salt. Whisk until combined then pour over the pork shoulder.
4. Snug a piece of baking paper directly over the pork shoulder. Lay a few sheets of tin foil on top of the casserole pan then push the lid down onto the pan to form a seal.
5. Put the casserole pan in the middle of a cold oven and set to 150℃. Cook until the pork is tender and falling apart; test with a fork at 4 hours.
6. Once done, gently remove the pork shoulder to a large mixing bowl and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Use a pair of forks to roughly shred the pork and remove any bits that aren’t tasty (unrendered fat, connective tissue, etc) then tent with tin foil.
7. Blend the remaining contents of the casserole pan to make a smooth sauce. Ladle ~200ml onto the pulled pork and mix well!
8. I like to prepare the pulled pork in advance. To reheat, transfer the pulled pork to a deep oven dish and cover in tin foil. Put the oven dish in the middle of a pre-heated oven set to 180℃. Cook for 20 minutes, stir then cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or until a bit crispy.