Carolina-style Pulled Pork
By Tested and perfected in the Sur La Table kitchen
Carolina-style Pulled Pork
By Tested and perfected in the Sur La Table kitchen
Yield/Serves:
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Pork:
Carolina Mop Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch thick slabs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer, such as lager, pilsner, or ale
Carolina Mop Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
To marinate pork: To a large bowl, add sugar, salt, and spices, mix to combine. Add pork and toss to coat well. Cover and transfer to refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.
To cook pork: Set electric pressure cooker to Sauté on medium heat. Add oil. When oil is shimmering, working in batches, add pork and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned pork to a plate and continue until all pork is browned. Add water and beer to pressure cooker and bring to a simmer, scraping up all browned bits from bottom of insert. Return pork and any drippings back to the pressure cooker. Lock lid and select manual setting, on high, for 25 minutes. When timer goes off, manually quick release steam. Unlock the lid and transfer pork to a platter or bowl, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Allow pork to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard remaining cooking liquid.
To prepare the sauce: To a saucepan set over medium heat, add all sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until sauce is thick, about 10 minutes, whisking the sauce occasionally as it cooks. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve: Shred pork into bite-size pieces. Once pork is shredded, add reserved cooking liquid and enough sauce to moisten pork to desired consistency.
To cook pork: Set electric pressure cooker to Sauté on medium heat. Add oil. When oil is shimmering, working in batches, add pork and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned pork to a plate and continue until all pork is browned. Add water and beer to pressure cooker and bring to a simmer, scraping up all browned bits from bottom of insert. Return pork and any drippings back to the pressure cooker. Lock lid and select manual setting, on high, for 25 minutes. When timer goes off, manually quick release steam. Unlock the lid and transfer pork to a platter or bowl, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Allow pork to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard remaining cooking liquid.
To prepare the sauce: To a saucepan set over medium heat, add all sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until sauce is thick, about 10 minutes, whisking the sauce occasionally as it cooks. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve: Shred pork into bite-size pieces. Once pork is shredded, add reserved cooking liquid and enough sauce to moisten pork to desired consistency.