Pulled Pork

Required:

• 1 pork shoulder
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 0.5 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup liquid (broth, tomato or orange juice, beer, or wine)

• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 Tbsp. mixed spices or dried herbs
• 1 Tbsp. liquid smoke
• 0.25 cup barbecue sauce

This is great for making sandwiches with barbecue sauce, tacos with coleslaw and avocado, Korean-style lettuce-wraps with rice and gochujang, or chimichangas with refried beans. You can give it an American slant by adding barbecue sauce to the pot, a Mexican slant by seasoning the pork with taco seasoning, classic European flavour with carrot, celery, and garlic, A Hawai'ian luau touch with just sea salt and liquid smoke, or leave it plain and flavour it when you put your meal together.

You can do this with a whole, bone-in shoulder, a boned shoulder, or a few chunks, depending how many you're feeding and how long you want it to last. A whole shoulder will let you feed a small crowd, but it takes the same effort to cook as a pound, so you might as well go all the way and freeze any excess.

Pre-heat your oven to 325F.

Season your pork with salt and pepper and whatever else you decide on. On the stove-top heat a little oil in a Dutch oven and sear the meat on all sides.

When the meat is browned all over, add the onion and whatever else you want to use to the pot. Add enough liquid to come at least half-way up the meat, but do not cover it completely. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then put a lid on it and put it in your pre-heated oven.

You should start checking to see if the meat will shred easily after two-and-a-half hours. If you're using a whole bone-in shoulder, it may take as long as five hours.

Remove the meat from the pot and place it in a large bowl. Pull it apart with a fork in each hand. If it seems a little dry, add some of the juice from the pot. At this point you can divide it up into what's to be used today and what's going into the freezer.