Sundays in most households are full of anticipation of the week ahead, and this household is no exception! Often, they involve puttering in the garden, catching up on laundry, and long dog-walks with Eric and Kimiko. Sometimes there are chores, appointments and visiting to get to, but one thing is for sure — by Sunday evening, we’re definitely looking to unwind, and enjoy something satisfying for dinner.
We often have things like roast chicken, lasagna, rack of lamb, or a hearty stew, but with the weather perking up (its starting to feel sort-of like springtime!), I was feeling a little Mexican inspired, and decided to use pulled pork and let dinner do most of the cooking on its own.
Pulled pork is typically associated with Southern style BBQ, but it is actually quite a versatile meat, and if its cooked relatively plain, the succulent nature of the meat shines through, and you can sauce it as you go, for bahn-mi type sandwiches, traditional BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, kimchi soup with ramen noodles or more! AND, its one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can go with, as you use pork shoulder (butt roast) which needs a low and slow approach.
This takes some time, and a little foresight, but only has a couple of steps, and the oven does all the work! Try it sometime, sit back, relax and breath in the delicious smells through the afternoon.
Tonight’s pork tacos saw the pulled pork lightly sauced with a reduction of the cooking liquid, placed on top of homemade tortillas, and topped with some tomatillo sauce I put up last fall, guacamole and a dollop of creme fraiche. With a 3 lb or so piece of pork-shoulder, you will have plenty for tacos, and lots left over to use through the week.
General Purpose Pulled Pork
- 3-4 lb pork butt roast
- 1 T ground coriander
- 1 T ground cumin
- 1 T sea salt
- 1 T ground pepper
Combine the salt, pepper and spices, and rub over the pork roast. Let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Just before cooking, Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Drain off any accumulated juices, place in a 5 quart dutch oven with a lid. Pour in about 1/2 cup – 1 cup of liquid. You can use beer, apple juice, or stock. This time around, I opted to use a bit of whisky in the basting liquid.
Toss the whole works in the oven, and check on it every 60-90 minutes, basting the pork roast as you go. Keep in the oven for about 4 hours until the fat is starting to melt, and the meat shreds easily with two forks. Let stand for at least 20 minutes before shredding. Skim most of the fat off the basting liquid, and use to moisten the pork if needed. Season lightly with salt and pepper as you toss in the liquid.