Pulled Pork

skadupuk

WantToBeSE wrote: »

It is a bit of a cheat, using BBQ ketchup, but the only other thing that I have found that comes close is 'Liquid smoke' given to me years ago. I cant find it anymore! So BBQ ketchup is an OK substitute.

Liquid smoke is easier to get hold of now (due to the growth in popularity of American style BBQ)


I buy a lot of chili stuff so use these guys, but plenty of other websites, and some supermarkets, have started to supply it.


http://www.scorchio.co.uk/colgin-m-135.html

pollyanna24

I am attempting this on Monday for my two little girls (I know, forward planning, but trying to meal plan).

The recipe I have found calls for cumin and chilli powder, but I have just found a load of seasonings in the kitchen that my brother puts all over his chicken. Cajun seasoning and the like. Could I use this instead of buying the cumin, cinnamon, chilli powder, brown sugar etc. or would it not taste very nice?

hoglet121

Hi Pollyanna

Well done for trying to meal plan. I think cajun pulled pork sounds lovely, though you would need to add sugar if the recipe calls for that, just use the cajun seasoning in substitute for the spices. I am a great believer in 'adapting' recipes to suit what you have in, no need to spend lots of money just to make it 'exactly right'.

It might be an idea to try the cajun seasoning on something else first, just to check you like and it so you can gauge how much to use, it if you haven't tried it before. I just taste it on the end of my finger from the jar, but I know not everyone is prepared to do that.

Good luck :-)

pollyanna24

That's a good point, cajun spice might just be a bit much for my girls, haha, they're only little.

Think I'll stick with the recipe. I've gone and had a look and found cumin and cinnamon (although reviews on the recipe board where I got the recipe from, a lot of people have said the cinnamon makes the pork not taste nice), an empty jar of chilli powder and a packet of brown sugar. So really only chilli powder I have to buy.

The recipe says barbecue sauce (optional). What exactly is barbecue sauce? Does it come in a bottle like ketchup. Sorry for being dense, just never ever had it before!

hoglet121

Some people (me included) find cinnamom a very strong flavour, so I just put a pinch in a recipe, despite what a recipe calls for! Also, if you're worried about the spice level for your girls, taste the chilli powder before you use it too.

Yes BBQ sauce comes in a bottle in the ketchup aisle - there are plenty of choices of brands :-)

krlyr

Yes, barbecue sauce comes in a bottle. I tend to just get cheap own-brand for slow cooker recipes, I don't find you need to pay more for a branded one. If you have ketchup already, you could check if you have the ingredients to make your own BBQ sauce - http://www.food.com/recipe/heinz-ketchup-basic-barbecue-sauce-349752 (I wouldn't worry about the celery seed)

I do a bit of a mix of these two recipes for my pulled pork
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2252641/bbq-pulled-pork-sandwich
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30356-easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork

I omit cinnamon though, can't stand the stuff myself!

Spendless

BBQ sauce you'll find with the bottles of other table sauces like ketchup etc. Some supermarkets do sell bbq sauce as more of a cook-in-sauce in a jar and you'd find in the same aisle as other cook in sauces.

I do a really simple bbq pulled pork in the slow cooker, because when I first made it, I googled recipes and there were loads with different ingredients half of which I didn't have in, so I found the simplest and adapted it.

For mine, I spray the sides of the slow cooker with fry light (ie I put a little oil on it) to ensure the meat doesn't stick to the sides. I chop onions roughly to coat the bottom of the pan.Put pork shoulder in and add enough bbq sauce (whichever I have in) to coat the meat. Leave to cook. Take out and 'pull'. Put the pulled meat back in sc to mix in with the juices and onions. Serve.

pollyanna24

I was going to make this for me and my girls, but the lumps of meat in the supermarket are huge! Is there a smaller cut that I can use for pulled pork?

FizzWhizz

I've done it with diced pork shoulder in the past, as long as the chunks aren't too lean it comes out just fine.

Also, pulled pork freezes very well so it you wanted to use a bigger joint you could portion up and freeze any leftovers.

pollyanna24

Thank you. I didn't want to make too much in case none of us like it. There's only me and my two girls who hardly eat anything.

So after I've cooked it in the slow cooker, I could just let it cool down and then freeze it?

And when I want to eat the leftovers, just defrost it, then heat in the microwave?