2010 Cooking Club Week 48: Pulled Pork

sibersha

No worries Sparks, it was fun up until the point when I opened it this morning, ha.

I will keep that in mind for next time, just need to air the kitchen out for a bit

Everyday, a learning day! Thanks for the reply.

oinkely

Just picked up two 1KG porg shoulders in Lidl so this is on the menu for the weekend. Will report back how it goes. Our slow cooker is a big one so will do the two at the same time.

Sparks

Should be fine, just watch the liquid level and (because there's more mass now), be sure to check for doneness, don't just depend on cooking time. It may need a few more hours with the extra mass.

oinkely

probably stick it on before bed on Friday evening with the plan to have it ready for saturday evening. I'll let you know how it goes. really looking forward to it.

bigronnie9

oinkely wrote: »

probably stick it on before bed on Friday evening with the plan to have it ready for saturday evening. I'll let you know how it goes. really looking forward to it.

You've put the idea in my head now... having people over saturday night so just rang the butchers to check if he had a shoulder.. so will be doing the same as yourself, throwing it in friday night to have ready for sat evening!

oinkely

Quick update - this was delicious. I used 2 * 1 Kg pork shoulders from Lidl as our slow cooker is quite big, one would have been lost in it.

Rubbed the meat and had it spiced up by about 8 o clock in Saturday morning. Left it in the fridge until about 8 o clock on Saturday evening. Threw the two joints into the slow cooker and mixed up the cooking liquid as per instructions, but substituted the molasses for honey as i couldn't get molasses on Saturday. Figured i wouldn't know the difference anyway as I had never had it before.

Poured over the cooking liquid and the meat was only half covered, like i said our slow cooker is a big one, would probably go for three joints next time. Anyway, was worried about the liquid levels so just poured in more coke and cider vinegar until the meat was just peeping out of the liquid.

Set the slow cooker to low and timed it to start at 11 O clock. Woke up around 4am and the smell was only delicious, made it difficult to get back to sleep! Left it on until about 2 o clock on Sunday when it was falling apart.

Pulled the pork a bit at a time and removed the squidgy bits as i went along. Then prepared the sauce and tipped the whole lot back into the slow cooker on the keep warm setting until grub time.

Was delicious on a toasted bap with cheese and grated carrot salad. Cubed roasties on the side. Have enough pork left over after three adults and three kids for dinner that i will be eating pulled pork sangers all week! Happy days.

Thanks OP.

Sparks

Welcome Oinkely, glad you enjoyed it!

Jellybaby1

Oh dear, I need help. Having got rid of my old vintage far too small slow cooker, I have now invested in a spanking new one. Tried this pulled pork recipe and was sadly disappointed with my results, and having read through a lot of the posts above assume I've done something wrong. First problem, I couldn't source shoulder of pork in my local supermarkets and butchers. Finally found a 1.3kg piece of neck pork which I was told was 'perfect for pulled pork'. I followed the recipe for the rub, and for the cooking liquid but not being able to find any molasses locally (what's molasses? the assistant said!!!) I just substituted a splash of maple syrup . I didn't bother about the BBQ sauce (odd eater in the family). Anyway the pork had been rubbed and left a day in the fridge I popped it in the slow cooker on high for 8 hours. Result: definitely very tender and easily pulled pork. Flavour: only flavour I got was from the rub. Pork was totally tasteless. I feel the rub was the flavour and probably the BBQ sauce might have helped, but I need at least a taste of pork....somewhere! What should I do next?

Gloomtastic!

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Oh dear, I need help. Having got rid of my old vintage far too small slow cooker, I have now invested in a spanking new one. Tried this pulled pork recipe and was sadly disappointed with my results, and having read through a lot of the posts above assume I've done something wrong. First problem, I couldn't source shoulder of pork in my local supermarkets and butchers. Finally found a 1.3kg piece of neck pork which I was told was 'perfect for pulled pork'. I followed the recipe for the rub, and for the cooking liquid but not being able to find any molasses locally (what's molasses? the assistant said!!!) I just substituted a splash of maple syrup . I didn't bother about the BBQ sauce (odd eater in the family). Anyway the pork had been rubbed and left a day in the fridge I popped it in the slow cooker on high for 8 hours. Result: definitely very tender and easily pulled pork. Flavour: only flavour I got was from the rub. Pork was totally tasteless. I feel the rub was the flavour and probably the BBQ sauce might have helped, but I need at least a taste of pork....somewhere! What should I do next?

If you didn't use the BBQ sauce then you're right, the rub will only flavour the outer ring of the pork joint.
I would have just left some of the pulled pork without the sauce for the fussy eater and sauced the rest.

Sparks

The problem is, pulled pork is very unlikely to ever taste of pork.
See, technically, it's massively overdone. You're cooking it for so long that it's way past well done and into shoe leather territory. The reason it doesn't taste that terrible is that you're using a cut with a lot of connective tissue and each individual fibre, while overcooked, is getting coated in the gelatine that connective tissue converts into, for that lovely mouthfeel you get from pulled pork. That's also why you sauce it - it's just never going to have as porky a taste as you might get from pork chops or the like.

That being said, there are a shedload of different sauces out there that you can try, even if you never went outside the BBQ section of the library. Memphis, texas, north and south carolinas, all have wildly different BBQ sauce families, and lots of variation in each, to say nothing of other places in the US and the Caribbean. And there's nothing to say you couldn't try it with other kinds of sauces either. I'm not quite sure how a curry pulled pork would taste, but there's no law against it...

Jellybaby1

Thanks for explaining that Sparks. However, if I had known that the pork was not going to taste of pork at the end of it I would not have bothered buying a slow cooker at all. Any chance it would have been any better had I cooked it for less time or on Low instead? Will the same happen with beef or chicken, will they lose their beefy and chickeny flavours too?

Dizzyblonde

Jellybaby1, when I'm cooking a piece of meat in the slow cooker (apart from pulled pork), I only add about a mug of stock and cook it for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. When it's finished you can pop it into a hot oven for 20 minutes if you want to caramelise the outside of the meat but you don't have to. It's great for the likes of housekeeper's cut which can be dry if you roast it. Don't give up on it, have another try

Jellybaby1

Appreciate the encouragement Dizzyblonde. I'm not over the disappointment, but not giving up just yet. I have several other recipes to try still. Thanks.

b.gud

This thread popping back up has me thinking about doing it this weekend, luckily Lidl have fresh pork shoulder on sale for €4 for anyone interested

Jellybaby1

Ha! I already have it in the fridge for a second try! Today I did a beef curry and its looking like its a better result. We will be eating it tomorrow.

Jellybaby1

Postscript: Beef curry was quite successful.

Recliner

Whole shoulder in just now. Got the butcher to remove just the tip of the bone but leave the meat. Fits perfectly.

Jellybaby1

Recliner wrote: »

Whole shoulder in just now. Got the butcher to remove just the tip of the bone but leave the meat. Fits perfectly.

Looks lovely, and very big. What size is that pork and where did you buy it? My supermarkets locally don't seem to have very large pieces. I am on the hunt again for pork as I want to give it another go.

Recliner

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Looks lovely, and very big. What size is that pork and where did you buy it? My supermarkets locally don't seem to have very large pieces. I am on the hunt again for pork as I want to give it another go.

I bought it in Whelans in Clonmel. I don't know what weight it was. I just asked for a shoulder of pork. It's the biggest piece I've used so I had to adjust the ingredients but I'm happy with how it looked. That's the bigger size slow cooker.

Sparks

I noticed that the dublin meat company shop by the lidl in stillorgan (across the road from the shopping center, beside the odeon cinema) were doing pork shoulders.

And then I completely forgot to buy one while doing the shopping today. Feck's sakes...

Moody_mona

I got 1kg shoulders in Lidl last week, they'd no bone but they did the job. Cooked three together.

Recliner

Moody_mona wrote: »

I got 1kg shoulders in Lidl last week, they'd no bone but they did the job. Cooked three together.

I don't shop in Lidl so didn't know they had them last week. Mines 8 hrs in now on high..going to leave it at least another 2 hrs and maybe more. It's the first time I've cooked one with a bone in and it does seem to be taking longer to be "pull ready".

Jellybaby1

Recliner wrote: »

I bought it in Whelans in Clonmel. I don't know what weight it was. I just asked for a shoulder of pork. It's the biggest piece I've used so I had to adjust the ingredients but I'm happy with how it looked. That's the bigger size slow cooker.

Clonmel is a tad too far from Dublin I'm afraid! I will be searching out further afield from my locals for what I call 'proper' butchers who do the large shoulders of pork.

Avada

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Clonmel is a tad too far from Dublin I'm afraid! I will be searching out further afield from my locals for what I call 'proper' butchers who do the large shoulders of pork.

James Whelan's also sell online and are in Avoca Monkstown. Fantastic butchers

Recliner

Avada wrote: »

James Whelan's also sell online and are in Avoca Monkstown. Fantastic butchers

Can't upload the link but if you go to www.jameswhelanbutchers.com and search for pork shoulder it gives you options to order. I got the pork shoulder this time from them,but previously I've gotten the butt. I just wanted to try a shoulder this time.
They say they have next day delivery and their meat is superb.

Recliner

For some reason I can't upload a picture today but the pork is sauced and ready to eat. Looks and tastes amazing.

phater phagan

Hi everybody. I'm going to be cooking a rib roast for a relative who broke her leg and it's been a long time since I cooked meat. Can anyone recommend a good brand of bouillon for the sauce, please? Is Oxo good? I will be using the leavings from the roasting pan, and enhancing it with the bouillon. Cheers.

Cheshire Cat

phater phagan wrote: »

Hi everybody. I'm going to be cooking a rib roast for a relative who broke her leg and it's been a long time since I cooked meat. Can anyone recommend a good brand of bouillon for the sauce, please? Is Oxo good? I will be using the leavings from the roasting pan, and enhancing it with the bouillon. Cheers.

These are surprisingly good: https://www.knorr.com/uk/knorr-products/stock-pots/beef-stock-pot.html

I personally don't like Oxo at all.

Avada

Got 2 x 1kg pork shoulders from Lidl. Currently in the marinade in the fridge. Going to put them in the slow cooker at about 10 tonight so I can have it ready for lunch tomorrow.

Recliner

Finally the phone allowed me to upload the finished pork..still have some in the freezer..I'll definitely go for shoulder again. .