Cooked pork shoulder for the first time on Friday. I was always put off by the cooking time (8hours) but honestly, prepped it in the morning, took 10-15 minutes, in the oven all day low and slow while I worked (from home I should stress!) and then ready for dinner when the kids got home from nursery.
The one shoulder cost just over £7 and could EASILY feed 8 people, we had left overs for 2 days (small family of 4).
Don't be put off by the long cooking time because the active time for pork shoulder is surprisingly low.
We just had BBQ pulled pork burgers but you could have it with Ramen, cold cuts, mix into pasta. Loads you can do with it.
Ingredients
- 1kg pork shoulder*-* trimmed
- 250ml BBQ sauce
- 1tbsp brown sugar
- 1tsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 1whole onion*-* thinly sliced
- 6 brioche burger buns
- 300g coleslaw
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp black pepper
Method steps:
- Season the pork - Mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels, then rub the spice mix all over the meat, pressing it into any crevices.
- Load the slow cooker - Scatter the sliced onion across the base of the slow cooker to form a bed for the pork. Place the seasoned pork shoulder on top, then pour the BBQ sauce over and around the meat.
- Slow cook until tender - Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4–5 hours. The pork is ready when it's completely tender and shreds effortlessly when pressed with a fork — it should offer almost no resistance.
- Shred and sauce the pork - Transfer the pork to a large cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid, then return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and toss well to coat in the saucy onion juices. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Assemble and serve - Lightly toast the buns cut-side down in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until golden. Pile each bun generously with pulled pork and top with a good spoonful of coleslaw. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
Source recipe if interested:
https://www.foodedo.com/discover/recipe/bbq-pulled-pork-sandwiches