It’s blasphemous to put that beautiful pork on that pathetic bun, isn’t it? I am so busy with the sous vide machine, I haven’t been baking my breads! Look at that luscious pork!
The beautiful pork shoulder roast was cut into five portions that were marinated in a 70% salt and 30 % sugar solution for 12 hours, rinsed well, patted dry, and seasoned with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Each seasoned portion was placed into its own bag, 2 tablespoons of duck fat were added, then vacuum sealed and cooked for 24 hours at 155°F (68°C). The pieces were to be about 7 ounces each, Mine were about double that, but were as thick as they were to be, so I didn’t adjust the time or the temperature.
Look at how beautifully they come out of the bag. The jelly is phenomenal: it is a distillation of the flavours and I kept it to mix with the barbecue sauce, but I did remove the fat.
I have never made any kind of pulled pork before. Pulling it was easy, but I think I should have cut the pieces the other direction so the pulls would be the length of the pork instead of such short little tugs of meat. The meat was moist and lush and full of flavour. Vanja thought the sauce I used didn’t work well with the meat. I thought it elevated it 200%. But, I am not the pork eater. The barbecue sauce is home made and a wonderful sauce that I use on ribs cooked the traditional way.
I mixed some of the sauce in the pulled pork with the jelly. I thought it was deadly delicious. Vanja thought it was: “Good.”
Douglas Baldwin’s Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients:
- Pork Roast (Boston Butt Roast or Picnic Roast)
- Lard
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
- If bone-in, remove the bone from the pork roast with a boning knife; either cut roast into steaks which are roughly 7 ounces each, or cut the roast so that it is no more than 70 mm (2.75 in) thick (I used the thickenss as a guide)
- Brine roast in a 7% salt, 0″“3% sugar water solution (70 grams salt and 30 grams sugar per 1 liter) in the refrigerator for six to twelve hours ( I did the 3% sugar and 12 hours in the fridge)
- Drain, rinse and pat dry with paper towels; season the pork with Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper
- Place each piece of pork in a vacuum bag with 1″“2 tablespoons of lard (preferably non-hydrogenated) and seal (I used duck fat)
- Place the pork either in a 176°F (80°C) water bath for 8″“12 hours or in 155°F (68°C) water bath for 24 hours (I did the later)
- After cooking, the pork may be rapidly cooled in ice water and frozen or refrigerated at below 38°F (3.3°C) for three to four weeks, or used immediately
- Remove the pork from the bag and reserve the liquid from the bag (Place the liquid in a container in the fridge overnight, skim the fat off and reserve the jellied stock for future use)
- Dry the surface of the meat with a paper towel; for American style pulled pork, shred and serve with your favorite barbecue sauce, and for Mexican style pulled pork, sear the surface with a blowtorch (or in a pan with just smoking vegetable or nut oil) before shredding
Oh, my. I don’t eat very much meat, but you are seriously making me reconsider with all of these sous vide posts…well done!
I don’t eat much meat, either. Almost none, but Vanja is definitely a carnivore, and I love meat, and enjoy cooking it. Just don’t eat it.
🙂
There’s no doubt that the end result of sous vide method of cooking offers excellent results, as seen by this succulent pulled pork.
I am, however still trying to grasp with waiting so long for the the end result.
I need to try sous vide; you keep talking about it and im intrigued.
Another great dish prepared with sous vide machine…the pulled pork looks very succulent and tender.
Another masterpiece Valerie:D
My brother DROOOOLS over pulled pork!!!
I love pulled pork. It is great that you actually used lard :D.
Look at you go with that machine Valerie! Gary would love to sink his teeth into this pork recipe. I never knew BBQ sauce had so many ingredients, or is it just yours? Even your BBQ sauce is intimidating for me to make. Looks and sounds delicious though. You never make anything simple do you? 😀
Lequan!
I was just saying that to Vanja last night. I have to post some simpler recipes for sharing. That barbecue sauce does sound so complicated. I was definitely intimidated by it, too. Motivated, though, as I was researching to adapt a few. The most difficult part is shopping for the ingredients. Once you have them, it is game over. Easy-peasy. And, that is why is is so important to make a huge batch. It freezes beautifully and really like no other. I do have a short cut recipe I use in a pinch. I take a bottle of Cattle Boys (a large bottle of it) and add a jar (regular size) or horseradish (not hot, and not creamy) with one chipotle pepper (a small one, or a portion of one) in adobe paste (I freeze the rest individually as they are canned, and use as needed). This makes a dynamite sauce, too! But, it is nice to make your own, or at least know how (to me, anyway).
🙂
XO
It looks surprisingly dry in the sandwich Valerie as I’m used to more of the dirty southern recipes which seem to add a copious amount of sauce. You know the whole, ‘dripping now the arm syndrome’. I slow cook pork shoulder on a regular basis, and I’ve never tried breaking it down into smaller pieces..
I take it from the pictures that you went with a boneless shoulder? There is so much extra goodness in that bone chunk!! 🙂
Exactly, Chris…
and, as I have never done the pulled pork – and am also new to sous vide, just followed the recipe, sans bone. Yes, next time, bone in! I was careful with the sauce. Good thing, too, according to Vanja’s comment. The meat was really moist, but yes, the photo looks really needy, sauce-wise, no doubt. Did you see Take it and Like it’s pulled pork post? It was just out last week – and looks fab. I definitely needed to cut my portions in another direction to have longer shreds. What sauce do you use?
🙂
Valerie
your pulled pork looks super, so moist..I am loving all the delish foods you are showing us with sous vide..yum
sweetlife
I’ve been taunted by too many pulled pork recipes but this takes the cake. It looks super moist and I just want to take a bite of the sarnie
You certainly giving that machine a run! Looks great.
Kudos for cooking sous vide. Normally I do not encounter this cooking method in blogland. The pork looks perfectly cooked. Two thumbs up.
Be Well
Valerie, this sandwich looks amazing! I’m so enjoying your sous-vide adventures!
Valerie
By the time you are done, I command you to convoke all of us for a master class with the entire methodology for this; this pork sandwich looks too tempting for words!
Oh that pork liquid gelatin must have been amazing! The sandwich looks so good with that homemade barbecue sauce.
Wonderful! Pulled pork (smoked, that is) is such a traditional comfort food of the American South (and of our Cuban friends) that I had no idea anyone else was even aware of it. And in Canada, no less! FYI, you’re perfectly right to use a “pathetic” bun. That’s part of the tradition too, the more pathetic the better.
I found that with the Sous Vide Supreme it was even better than any I had ever had before. You might consider trying a pork rub (a la Jamie Oliver, for example)before you bag the meat. I use a mix of chile powder, granulated onion and garlic, salt, white pepper, ground corriander, celery powder, smoked paprika and cayanne for mine. Have a look at my post here:
http://fabulousfoodfanatic.com/2010/04/12/pulled-pork-preeminent/
Merridith!
Your information has been invaluable. I am glad you found me and now I get to find you. I just returned the machine… but will be getting one, and will be reading you in the meantime. I love and appreciate your tips. I know there is so much more to learn, and some solutions are so simple, it is embarrassing. I cannot wait to take a look at your site.
🙂
Valerie
You people way up there in the Northern Hemisphere may be missing something. Pulled pork is pulled by hand into pieces that follow the grain of the meat. If you chop the pork then you have chopped pork. Chopped pork dries out faster and doesn’t stay as moist as truly pulled pork. Lets get our terms correct. I’m in North Carolina and spent my formative years eating South Carolina, Pee Dee style BBQ. I know BBQ.
Hey Paul,
It was pulled by hand… and with the aid of a couple of forks, but there was no yummy sauce. Just the first time I ever made pulled pork anything, so be a little easy on me. I am still learning! Do you have a sauce or a recipe for pulled pork to share? Would love to try it! Have made Kahlua pork, too… and still learning.
🙂
Valerie