Share this:
Mariel here. We eat a lot of Pulled Pork here at Feast. There’s my mom’s smoky Chipotle-Spiced Pulled Pork, which was a regular addition to casual catering menus; and there’s my Tacos-al-Pastor-inspired Pineapple Pulled Pork, which I make at least once a month. So when I was assigned Dessert Before Dinner for this month’s Secret Recipe Club and came across her Asian-style Crockpot Pulled Pork, it was a no-brainer.
Stephy, who runs this delicious site, is of Portuguese/Japanese descent, which makes for some pretty tempting culinary pairings. I was pulled in a number of directions when I was browsing her blog, but I kept returning to this recipe. I don’t own a crockpot – I know, the horrors – but since I’ve cooked pulled pork a number of times, I relied on my tried and true method of browning it then cooking it in a cast-iron Dutch oven, which always yields an extra tender, extra tasty result. The braising sauce had to be tweaked slightly to reflect the change in cooking style, but the bones are all hers and the flavors it produces are big and bold and bursting with impact. You’ll notice in the image above that the sugar in the sauce adds a great deeply caramelized coating to the pork and the soy-hoisin-rice-vinegar combo lends a tangy zip.
I actually served this dish at my brother’s college graduation party – topped with Quick-Pickled Peaches, which I’ll share later – and it was gobbled up; there wasn’t a shred left in the pot. This is a fantastic picnic or potluck dish and it can be served so many ways – on slider rolls, in tacos or spooned over Jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Print This Recipe
Sweet & Savory Asian-Style Pulled Pork
Serves 8
Inspired by Dessert Before Dinner
Dry Rub Ingredients:
½-Tablespoon Chinese Five Spice – $2.26
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper – stock
½-Tablespoon kosher salt – stock
½-Tablespoon packed brown sugar – stock
1 teaspoon ground ginger – stock
5lb bone-in pork shoulder – $10.51
Ingredients for Braising Sauce:
½-cup low sodium soy sauce – stock
¾-cup low sodium chicken stock – stock
¼-cup hoisin sauce – stock
2 Tablespoons ketchup – stock
2 Tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce (aka Rooster Sauce) – $3.99
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar – stock
¼-cup honey – stock
3 cloves of garlic, minced or run through a garlic press – stock
2 teaspoons + 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided – stock
Serve on potato rolls, over rice or in tortillas (if desired)
Top with pickled fruit, kimchi, Asian-style coleslaw or mango salsa (if desired)
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $16.76
Cost per serving: $2.09
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dry rub.
2. Trim the pork of excess fat. Massage the pork with the dry rub, coating evenly, then let stand at room temp for 30 minutes.
3. While the meat is resting, whisk together the soy sauce, chicken stock, hoisin sauce, ketchup, sriracha, rice vinegar, honey, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. After 30 minutes is up, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil in a large heavy stockpot or cast-iron Dutch oven over medium flame. Once the oil is hot, brown the pork on all sides (about 5 mins per side).
6. Remove from heat and pour the braising sauce over the pork. Place a large piece of tinfoil under the lid of the Dutch oven/stockpot to prevent too much liquid from evaporating. Cook for 90 minutes, then flip the pork and cook for an additional 90 minutes, or until the pork is very tender and shreds easily.
7. Remove the pork from the pot, discard the bone and any remaining gristle. Shred the pork with two forks and return the meat to the pan. Heat over a low flame, stirring well to sop up any remaining braising liquid. Serve hot on toasted buns, in tortillas or over rice.
Gorgeous pictures! Even me, the vegetarian, is getting hungry looking at them!
I really should no go SRC blog hopping before I’ve had breakfast! I’m starving for this pork now! The pickled peaches sound like a perfect topping and I’m pinning this for future family gatherings, maybe for our Christmas party!
This sounds wonderful. I love the Asian flavors in it. I make pulled pork quite often as well, and this one is definitely on the list.
So glad you liked this recipe Mariel! I’m glad it was a hit at the graduation party and glad you could edit the marinade for braising. You did an awesome job (and at only 2.09 per serving).
Thanks again!
I love a great pulled pork recipe and this one is just that. Just wish I could extract one from the computer screen. Glad to be part of SRC group C with you!
I don’t make pulled pork enough – and why is that when it looks and sounds as amazing as this?? (And love the addition of the Quick Pickled Peaches – off to check out that recipe too.) Always drooling over your SRC posts!