James Martin has a plethora of mouth-watering recipes he’s shared over the years, but this BBQ pulled pork recipe is one of his most popular ones.
For this recipe, it’s recommended to slow cook a pork shoulder for four hours in the oven for the most “tender” meat, then serve with a “thick, tangy sauce”.
Although it takes around four hours to cook, the prep work just takes 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- Two onions, sliced
- Three bay leaves
- One tablespoon mustard powder
- One tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1.5kg pork shoulder, boned with rind attached and tied (ask your butcher to do this)
- 140g tomato ketchup
- Four tablespoons red wine vinegar
- One tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Three tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Scatter the onions and bay leaves in the bottom of a large roasting tin.
Mix the mustard powder, paprika and one teaspoon of ground black pepper with a good pinch of salt. Rub this all over the pork, making sure you rub it into all the crevices.
Place the pork, rind-side up, on top of the onions. Pour 200ml water into the bottom of the tin, wrap well with foil and bake for four. This can be done up to two days ahead – simply cover the tray in foil and chill until ready to barbecue or grill.
Next, light the barbecue. For those who don’t want to use a barbecue, use the grill instead. In a bowl, mix the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.
Remove the pork from the tin and pat dry. Place the roasting tin on the hob, pour in the ketchup mixture and bubble vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes until thick and glossy.
Remove the bay leaves and pour the sauce into a food processor; blitz until smooth. Smear half the sauce mixture over the meat.
Once the barbecue flames have died down, put on the pork, skin-side down. Cook for 15 minutes until nicely charred, then flip over and cook for another 10 minutes.
James warned: “The meat will be very tender, so be careful not to lose any between the bars.”
Alternatively, the chef suggested heating a combined oven-grill to high, place the pork on a baking tray and cook each side for 10 to 15 minutes until nicely charred.”
Lift the pork onto a large plate or tray, remove the string and peel off the skin. Using two forks, shred the meat into chunky pieces.
Add three to four tablespoons of the barbecue sauce to the meat and toss everything well to coat. The pulled pork can then be added to rolls and served with extra sauce and perhaps a side of coleslaw.
Taking to the reviews beneath the recipe, many shared their experience cooking the pulled pork recipe. Lefty H8er said: “This is absolute heaven.”
lizleicester claimed: “This is a delicious way to do pulled pork – even without the barbecue at the end. I just popped the meat under the grill for a few minutes before serving it with the sauce. It took the full 15 minutes to reduce the barbecue sauce down to a really tasty, glossy sauce. Served it with a French stick and a variety of other bread rolls.”
dylanski said: “Have tried many pulled pork recipes, and this is by far the best and easiest.” kayclemwistow wrote: “Recipe is very easy to follow and the results are gorgeous. I cooked in a slow cooker all day and finished off under a hot grill. Was beautiful. Will be making again.”
