Slow cooked pulled pork

Pulled pork - 6 hour slow cooked

This spice crusted pork shoulder is slow cooked in the oven for 6 hours until  tender and succulent.  A punnet of cherry tomatoes add sweet and sour liquor to the braised liquid and form that base of the ketchup-y barbecue sauce.  Shred your pork and serve on tortilas, on a burrito, with rice or baked potatoes.. the options are almost endless.  

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg pork shoulder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground coffee
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp rosemary ((finely chopped))
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1-3 tsp chilli powder or flakes ((optional))
• 1 punnet grape or cherry tomatoes (500g)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

BBQ Sauce

• pan juices
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp worcestershire
• 1 tsp chilli powder ((optional))

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 130 C /  265 F

2. Sprinkle all spices, herbs, ground coffee, brown sugar and salt and peppper on a large baking tray.  Roll pork shoulder over the spices to coat.

3. Place pork shoulder in a covered oven proof dish.  Add water, vinegar and punnet of tomatoes.  

4. Slow cook for minimum 6 hours (and upto 8 hours) until the pork is shreddable with forks.

5. Allow pork to rest for 30 minutes. Make the bbq sauce while you wait.

6. Reduce pan juices with 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tbsp worcestshire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.  You can thicken the sauce with a cornflour solution (1 tbsp corn flour and 3 tbsp water) if you wish.  Sauce should be thickened, intense.  Serve with baked potato, on a tortilla or fresh bread roll, on rice or with corn fritters.

Ways to eat pulled pork.

1. Pulled pork soft shell tacos with slaw
2. Shredded pork with Mexi-tomato rice and sauteed capsicum (bell peppers) and onions.
3. Burrito with rice, beans and pulled pork
4. Creamed corn fritters with pulled pork and bbq sauce
5. Baked jacket potato with shredded pork, bbq sauce and sour cream
6. Serve with steamed kale and German potato salad.
7. Top buttered, garlicky noodles or papardelle with pork and a little drizzle of sauce.
8. Add a side of polenta and kale chips.
9. Make a grilled cheese, pulled pork sandwich 
10. Classically, top a brioche bun with pork, slaw and bbq sauce