Asian Pulled Pork
This Asian Pulled Pork offers a flavorful twist on traditional pulled pork. A homemade Asian spice rub packs tons of flavor as does the Asian-inspired sauce.
Ingredients:
Dry rub
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
4-5 pound boneless pork shoulder
Sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons sriracha
6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 pretzel rolls
1 recipe Asian Broccoli Slaw (optional)
Method:
Trim any excess fat from the pork shoulder. Combine the dry rub ingredients thoroughly. Pat the spice rub evenly over the entire pork shoulder. You can let it rest at room temp for 1 hour or rest in the refrigerator overnight, lightly covered.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Roast the pork for 5-6 hours. You are looking for an internal temperature of 180. The exterior of the pork will get dark brown and crusty.
Allow the meat to cool for 30 minutes, then shred pork with two forks or your fingers.
Make the sauce; combine rice vinegar, hoisin, brown sugar, sriracha and mix well. Gently stir in scallions. Pour half of the sauce over the shredded pork. Reserve the rest of the sauce for passing at the table.
To make sandwiches, lightly toast the split pretzel rolls and top with a generous amount of pulled pork and Asian Broccoli Slaw. Serve immediately with the reserved sauce on the side.
Chef's Notes:
A 5-pound pork shoulder yields a lot of shredded pork. Extra pork can be frozen for later. Simply place the shredded pork (without the sauce) in a zip-top freezer bag. Push out as much air as possible and freeze for 3-4 months. To serve, thaw pork in the microwave on 50% power then toss with sauce.