Christmas Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is something that goes down really well with my family. It’s also an easy thing to make as you just throw it into the slow cooker and leave it. This gives you time to get on with other dishes, knowing that the main bit is all taken care of!

I was watching a Jamie Oliver Christmas Special on TV and he was making a jerk ham, mentioning how so many of the herbs and spices are Christmassy. It got me thinking how I could transfer that idea to pulled pork, so I did and it turned out well. It’s always risky trying something for the first time when you’re entertaining but other than making a bit too much, it was all good! I would tone down the cloves next time, as they did feel a bit overpowering, however, after a couple of days of leftovers, this flavour really mellowed. I also didn’t use the traditional Scotch bonnet peppers – I thought they’d be way too hot for my family to handle!

This Christmas Pulled Pork goes really well with the Quick Winter Cabbage Pickle or the Winter Slaw I shared earlier.

 

Christmas Pulled Pork

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 1 days

Cook Time: 16 hours

Total Time: 1 days 16 hours

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Ingredients

• 1 x 5kg pork shoulder
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 tbsps cinnamon
• 2 tbsps allspice
• ½ whole cloves
• 2 tbsps ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 red chillies
• 200g soft brown sugar
• small bunch thyme
• ¾ jar orange marmalade
• 2 x 435g cans crushed pineapple
• 142g can tomato purée
• 200g jar teriyaki sauce
• 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped in half
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped in half
• 150g fresh or dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the fat layer from the pork and discard. Place the pork into a large bowl.
2. In a food processor, whizz together the bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, garlic, chillies and sugar.
3. Rub this mixture all over the pork.
4. In a bowl, mix together the marmalade, pineapple, tomato purée and teriyaki sauce.
5. Pour this mixture over the pork, pull the leaves from the thyme and sprinkle over.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinade for 24 hours.
7. To cook, set your slow cooker to high and place the red onions, carrot and parsnip on the bottom.
8. Add the pork and pour over the remaining sauce. Replace the lid and cook for one hour on high before turning down to low to cook for 12 to 16 hours.
9. About two hours before serving, add the cranberries if you are using them.
10. The pork will naturally start falling apart, but you can pull it apart further using two forks.
11. Can be eaten hot or cold.

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This post is part of Cook, Craft, Create: December 2013, why not check out the other ideas this season?

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