Pulled Pork.

I have quite a collection of culinary fails in my repertoire.  I attempted pulled pork about 9 months ago and failed dismally - I didn't cook the hand for long enough and the resultant pork was neither tender enough, nor "pullable".  I wanted to give this recipe another visit, and this time I did some serious research to make sure I got it right.


A 5kg hand of pork (or pork butt, as they call it in The U S of A) is the top of the front leg and shoulder.  It is a particularly resistant cut of meat and can withstand long durations in the oven without drying it out.  Indeed, it requires such long stretches inside to ensure you properly obliterate the collagen in the flesh.


I skinned my hand, by hand (messy, but fun) then made a marinade:

•   One small onion, chopped and into the blender
•   10 cloves of garlic, into the blender
•   About 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce into the blender
•   About 3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce into the blender
•   A squirt of tomato puree into the blender

Blend all this to a nice paste and then smear the hand with it and marinade over night

On the day (or, as in this case, morning) of cooking grease up a large baking tray and place the hand into it.  Preheat the oven to 120 Celsius and put the hand in.

I left my pork in the oven for 8.5 hours (bear in mind it was a 5kg, bone-in joint).  When I took it out it was rather black on the outside, so don't be alarmed.  The meat should be quite easily "pulled" off the bone and then you can shred it by using two forks, one in each hand:

I was surprised by the yield of pork I got.  Guess what we're eating for the next 3 days?

I then made a barbecue sauce to go with this.  Into a saucepan, place the following:

•   a few decent lugs of Worcestershire sauce
•   a few decent lugs of dark soy sauce
•   a generous squirt of tomato ketchup
•   about 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar
•   a good pinch of smoked paprika
•   a little dash of tabasco
•   a teaspoon of dijon
•   gently heat it up to combine all the ingredients

I served my pork the traditional way, in soft, white buns with coleslaw.  It was absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to make it again.  What's even better is that the whole 5kg hand cost me less than 4 quid!