Good things do indeed come to those who wait, especially when it comes to slow cooked food and even more so meat. There is something incredibly satisfying about slow cooked meat. The long cooking time and the low heat works wonders and as a result, you get the juiciest and most flavoursome meat.
Unbeatable in terms of convenience, price, flavour and simplicity, slow cooked pork is a real crowd pleaser, whether you’re planning food for a party, BBQ, or a simple weeknight dinner. Carrying on from last week’s dinner party recipes, this one will undoubtedly become one your favourites when hosting. With minimal preparation, simple ingredients and just one pot, you can set and forget, and enjoy a mouth-wateringly good meal.
Which cut of meat?
This recipe calls for a boneless pork shoulder. It’s inexpensive and very forgiving to work with.
To brown or not to brown?
If you want to brown your meat before slow cooking that's fine, though you don't have to. As for why you might want to do so, there are a number of good reason: it speeds up the cooking time and can give it a nice caramelised flavour and colour.
Mexican pulled pork
For 6 people
Ingredients
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
pepper
salt
200ml of orange juice
300ml veggie stock
boneless shoulder of pork (about 1.5kg) cut up in 8 pieces
Oil for cooking
Instructions
In a small bowl combine salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, and oregano. Rub all over pork. (This can be done the night before)
Heat the oil in a pan and cook for 5minutes until browned.
Preheat oven to 180c degrees. Put pork in oven proof pot or dish. Pour orange juice around the pork as well as the stock. Cover pot with lid (or foil) and cook for 3 hours. Remove lid and cook for an additional 1-2 hours, until pork is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.
Sometimes, I will put it on the oven on very low heat (100c) overnight and wake up to the smell of it.
Shred pork using two forks. Toss shredded meat in the juices, you shouldn’t have much left at the end of the cooking.
My favourite way to serve it is with small tortillas which I heat up by putting directly on my gas hob and I prepare different toppings:
Avocado
Chopped salad
Pickled red onions (1 measure water for 1/2 measure vinegar, sugar + salt, add finely chopped onions and let sit for at least one hour or up to 2 weeks)
Quick coleslaw. Finely grated cabbage, spoon of yoghurt, lemon and fresh herbs
Finely sliced chillies
Make more than you need, it gets better everyday. And there are a multitude of ways to eat it; in a salad, sandwiched between a soft bun, piled on top of a bake potato or even eaten on its own.
Enjoy x