Pulled pork is something we eat at least once a month. I like to make pulled pork from slow roasted pork shoulder that just falls apart after a couple of hours in the oven. Yes, this dish takes some time to make, but really the oven is doing all the work in this recipe. The hard part is waiting especially when the whole house starts to smell amazing and dinner time is still a long time ahead 😉
Here in Portugal slow roasted meat is very common and not only pig is slow roasted, but also lamb, and on Sunday goat. So I am very lucky that at my supermarket, or the butcher, I have a lot of choice to find the best meat for pulled pork. You can go for the leg with the bone, or a shoulder piece.
The leg is normally is a little cheaper, but keep in mind you also pay for the bone and some fatty meat, that is not tasty to eat. But cooking the leg part with the bone has more fat, which gives the meat a lot of flavour and also prevents the meat from drying out. Another good option is to go for the shoulder part. This part tends to be more tender and can also be bought with, or without the bone.
To get the best tender meat that falls apart, you have to start prepping your dish one day ahead. Marinate the pig in a sauce that has some acidity an let it rest overnight. In more classical Portuguese dishes I use wine, but with this Asian dish I used a combination of soy, miso and tamarind. To let the pig marinate for at least 8 hours the meat already starts to tenderize and will soak up some good flavours.
After the pig has marinated, remove the marinade and give the pig a good spice rub. Get a (oven proof) pan on the stove and brown the meat on a medium high heat. When the pig has a nice golden colour add the marinade again and top it with some stock. Make sure that at least 2/3 of the pig is covered by the stock. Now it is ready to slowly cook in the oven for several hours. So if you are hungry, grab something to eat because dinner will take some time…..
Asian slow roasted pork
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 pork shoulder of approximately 1,5 kg
- 500 ml of beef stock
- For the marinade:
- 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic (grated)
- 3 tablespoons of dark miso
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon of grounded pepper
- 1 teaspoon of 5 spices
- 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon or tamarind paste
- 100 ml of water
Instructions
If you have a pork shoulder with a thick layer of fat, score this layer lightly
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a mixing bowl
Rub the marinade all over the pork shoulder, make sure the whole shoulder is coated
Add the pork in a large zip lock bag and add any remaining marinade
Let is rest for at least 8 hours, best to let this rest over night
When the meat is rested (marinated) get a large oven proof pan (with lid) on the stove on a medium heat
Preheat an oven at 160C/320F
Get the meat in the pan (keep the marinade) and fry this golden brown
Once the meat is brown, add 500 ml of beef stock and the remaining marinade
Add as much water to the pan until the meat is covered for 2/3
Bring to a simmer, close the lid, and transfer to the oven
Let the meat cook in the oven for about 5 hours
Check every hour if there is still enough stock in the pan
The meat is done when it falls apart
Notes
If the meat has a lot of fat, make sure the fatty side is up when cooking the meat in the oven. At the end of the cook you can remove the lid and set your oven to grill, to grill the skin even more
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