Slow-cooked pulled pork

This is a hot and spicy sauce, if you prefer it mild, use regular sweet paprika and omit the chilli. If you don’t want to use pork shoulder, economical meaty ribs work just as well.

† 1.2–1.4kg boneless or bone-in pork shoulder, string removed, or meaty pork ribs

† 1 tsp of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper

† 3 tbsp extra virgin

olive oil

† 1 medium onion,

finely chopped

† 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and lightly squashed

† ¼ tsp chilli flakes † 2 tsp ground cumin † 1 tsp smoked

chipotle powder or smoked hot paprika

† 1 tsp fresh or dried

thyme or oregano † 3 tbsp cider or wine

vinegar

† 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

† 3 tbsp tomato

purée

1

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan or your slow cooker to sauté.

2

Season the pork and brown all over in the oil – this will take about 7–10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and let these soften for 5 minutes, stirring frequently around the pork. Now add the spices and stir to combine with the onion. Add the remaining ingredients and 400ml water to the casserole dish or slow cooker and bring to the boil. Make sure to put on the lid. 3

If using a casserole dish, cook the pork shoulder in the oven for 3 hours and the ribs for 1½–2 hours or until the meat falls apart easily. Turn the shoulder or the ribs halfway through cooking and top up with a little hot water if the sauce is starting to look a little dry.

4

If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 6–8 hours for the shoulder, depending on the size, and about 5 hours for ribs, turning halfway through cooking until the pork falls apart easily. Top up with a little hot water if the sauce looks a little dry. 5

When the pork is done, transfer it to a chopping board. Use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into shreds. Depending on your cut of pork there may be a lot of fat on the surface of the sauce. Use a spoon to collect most of it and discard. Return the pulled pork shoulder to the sauce and heat through. Serve warm. You can do the same with the ribs or serve them as they are with the sauce on the side, which can be left as it is or puréed smooth.