Like the Scotch eggs, this is another recipe quickly achieving the status of party showstopper due to it's success in the past. I think I am gaining a bit of a reputation for this dish, although I can't claim any credit for the original marinade recipe, which I obtained from a magazine. It's strange, because the small feature was an article questioning chefs about how they use Sriracha sauce and this popped up: a marinade full of pomegranate molasses, soy sauce, orange juice, star anise, cinnamon and of course, the crimson hot sauce itself.
It is magnificent, spicy, tangy, sweet and slightly sour. The bbq sauce which is composed from many ingredients including the remnants of the marinade, I can claim credit for. I simply couldn't bear to waste a drop of the marinade, even after it had completed it's task, so I threw it in a saucepan along with the juices from the cooked pork and a tin of tomatoes and basically simmered and hoped for the best. WOW. It was the most addictive and complex sauce I have ever made.
I made a few adjustments to the original recipe including using 4 cut and squashed mandarin oranges rather than the orange juice and an added peeled and sliced apple and leek to the onion mixture underneath the pork as it cooked. Recipe at bottom of post
The pork, once cooked for 6 hours, can be literally shredded with two forks, pulled apart, hence the term 'pulled pork'. I don't recall ever hearing of or seeing this for sale anywhere in the UK, although I never had the thrill of living in multicultural cities before, where this may have been more prevalent. Many Southern US delicacies and recipes such as collard greens, grits, biscuits etc., which are so popular here, don't travel well across the pond.
The marinade, before....
..and after, used as a component in the final sauce.
Pulled pork, coleslaw and wholewheat, multi grain buns...it may seem simple and I'm sure it could be, but not this one.
Recipe : Marinated pork shoulder
(Marinade adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, June 2011)
1 6lb pork shoulder with bone
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (or 4 mandarin oranges, cut in half and squashed)
1/2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 star anise
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly slice
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the pork, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning several times.
Remove the pork from the marinade and place on a clean dish, cover and refrigerate again or cook straight away. Pour the marinade into a dish, cover and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 425oF and cook the pork, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
After this time, reduce the oven heat to 325oF. Remove the pork onto a board.
On a fresh baking sheet, (there may be some residual marinade that has burnt on the original sheet), lay 1 onion, sliced into thin rounds, 1 leek, sliced into thin rounds and 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds, along with a bay leaf or two. Place the pork on top and cover with a double layer of foil. Roast in the oven for a further 3.5 - 5.5 hours. (Check how tender it is after 3.5, it may be good enough).
When you are happy with the pork's tenderness, remove from the oven and transfer all the pork to a plate, cover and set aside.(Remember you want to be able to 'pull' it apart very easily).
Recipe : Barbecue sauce
The remaining marinade
The juices and vegetables from the pork roasting dish
1 tin plum tomatoes
4 tbsp sour cream (optional)
Pour the marinade, juices, vegetables and tomatoes into a heavy based pan over medium - high heat and let it cook, bubbling away until it is thickened. Keep stirring to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. This can take up to one hour, so keep an eye on it.
Taste the sauce. It should be very rich and flavourful. If you feel it needs mellowing, add some or all of the sour cream to your taste. (Remember the meat will be mixed with it, which will dilute the taste slightly).
Using two forks, pull the pork into strands and mix well with the barbecue sauce. Keep warm while you make the coleslaw.
Recipe : Coleslaw
This is best made just before eating to retain the crunch essential to counterbalance the soft meat.
1/2 red cabbage, very thinly shredded
2 radishes, thinly sliced
4 dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 tbsp almond slivers, dry fried in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
4 chives, sliced thinly
Mix the cabbage, radishes, apricots, almonds and chives together in a bowl.
Mix the mayonnaise, wine vinegar, mustard and sugar together in another bowl and pour over the cabbage mixture. Stir well and allow to sit for a few moments.
To assemble your sandwich.
6 bread products. (The sky is the limit for choice here, choose whatever you like).
On to each bun, place a large spoonful of pork with sauce, top with a large spoonful of coleslaw, sandwich with the second piece of bread, eat and sigh contentedly, many times.
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