Some things are worth getting up early for.
The first one is a cup of tea and the second is the promise of a pulled pork pitta.
I got up at 7am on Sunday to switch the oven on to cook a shoulder of pork for our evening meal. I had already coated the meat with a dry rub the night before. Then I went back to bed with a cup of tea.
Before we start I want to point out that this is a pork shoulder as surely a pork butt would be from the…well the butt. Pork shoulder is truly the king of pork cuts. Just so you know where I stand.
Please don’t be shocked, but I put a whole load of coffee in the dry rub. I have wanted to try for a while in an attempt to get a tasty brown barky coating instead of our usual ‘no messin’ salt and pepper with crispy crackling option.
By golly it works.
Here’s the rub*
- 3 tablespoons of Finely Ground Coffee**
- 70g Demerara Sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- A good amount of freshly ground black pepper
- Dijon mustard for sticking
* this makes me smile
** It doesn’t taste of coffee it just tastes of sweet, dark, smoky deliciousness but without the smoking
The doing bit
The night before, rub a pork shoulder all over with mustard, then coat it in the dry rub.
Early on ‘the morning of the pittas’ switch the oven on to full power and put the meat on a rack with 2 cups of water in the tray underneath. Cook hard and fast for 30 minutes then turn it down to 100-120 degrees centigrade for the rest of the day…around 10 hours.
In the mean time make a stack of Dan Lepard’s perfect pittas from Short and Sweet which really are quite perfect. Make grated carrot and beetroot salads…for pitta stuffage and murderers hands.
Try to ignore the chicken who stares at you and tries to steal your carrots.
Add extra water if the meat pan starts to boil dry and turn it over a couple of times if the mood takes you. The aim is to get the thick layer of fat under the skin to eventually render out and dissappear. Then you have reached nirvana.
Allow the glistening chunk of loveliness to rest for half an hour while you eat crispy fattoush (made from a couple of skillfully over-cooked pittas, broken into shards and re-baked in the oven) dipped in a smashed white bean and garlic dip.
Ask a man to use the meat juices to make a tangy sauce while you edit the photos. I think the man skimmed the fat from the pan goo then put it in a small pan and added *some* ketchup, cider vinegar, redcurrant jelly and Worcestershire sauce.
Stir half of said sauce through the meat and let it to soak in.
Stuff your pittas with the gloriously tasty meat and salads, top with a spoonful of extra sauce and eat with a glass of prosecco in the evening sun.
You’re welcome.
Sally
May 31, 2012
The downside is, that as pork is butchered before shipping to the UAE, pork shoulder is a rarity. The upside is that I can look at this online when I’m at my Mum’s house in the summer. Organic, spicy, sticky, all day pork here we come. Cheers. PS Love Ernie’s optimism.
thingswemake.co.uk
June 2, 2012
Ernie got plenty! Let me know if you try it when you are here, Sally.
We Eat Things
May 31, 2012
Wowww you have some really amazing photos here. Funnily enough, my last blog post was about pork pittas!
thingswemake.co.uk
June 2, 2012
Thanks! It is something about this time of year that makes me want to cook meat and stuff it in some bread.
Val
January 17, 2014
Would this make for some nice pork tacos, too?
thingswemake.co.uk
January 18, 2014
I’m sure it would, Val!
Tina
May 31, 2012
Sounds and looks delish, can’t wait to try this one.
thelittleloaf
May 31, 2012
Ooh yum! I’ve been looking for a good sticky pork recipe for ages…this one looks amazing and your photos are absolutely gorgeous.
thingswemake.co.uk
June 2, 2012
Thank you. I hope you try it!
Savory Simple
May 31, 2012
I love these photos! The pork looks delicious.
LuckyPorcupine
May 31, 2012
Why, hello most phenomenal pork sandwich I have ever seen!
Andy Grant (@dadcooking2nite)
May 31, 2012
That looks fab, worth getting up for as you say. I think I’ll give that a try in the slow cooker very soon indeed.
Lizelle
May 31, 2012
Lovely images. The pork looks spectacular!
egg me on
May 31, 2012
It’s funny how food, or rather, the anticipation of food, is enough to get us up early on a Sunday morning when it’s harder than heck to get up on time during the week. Such is life, I suppose. Awesome recipes, and amazing photos as usual.
thingswemake.co.uk
June 2, 2012
Thanks Tommy.
undressmewithyourfork
June 2, 2012
Wow. Just, wow. The meal, the photography, your writing style… it’s all super delicious!!! I am new to the foodie blogging scene and this was an amazing introduction! I am bookmarking this recipe for my own pork experiment soon… 🙂
thingswemake.co.uk
June 2, 2012
That’s a lovely comment, thank you! Glad you liked the post. Let me know how your experiment goes and good luck with your new blog.
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
June 2, 2012
Wow, that looks so good. Go ahead and call it BBQ!
gingerandpumpkin
June 3, 2012
Looks like a kebab! It must have tasted incredibly good!
lemonylovesbaking
June 4, 2012
Its 10.30am, I’m sitting at my desk in the office and I’m drooling over my keyboard! Not a good look…… Will definitly be making this, thanks!
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
June 4, 2012
This looks like heaven.
Jules
June 7, 2012
I’ve been wanting to try pulled pork again for a while and I love the sound of this rub. Fabulous photos too.
thingswemake.co.uk
June 10, 2012
Hey! I just remembered! If you make this skim as much of the fat from the goo as you can before you make the sauce. Claire (on holiday)
sybaritica
June 15, 2012
The colour on that finished roast is just amazing!
purelyfood
June 28, 2012
Thanks for taking part this month. Beautiful photos as always. I have yet to make pulled pork, although I keep thing about doing but never seem to get round to it.
Tina V.
June 28, 2012
Delightful! 🙂
Photos great, as always, and I really like the rub recipe 🙂
Anita Menon
June 29, 2012
Beautiful pictures claire. Some things are really worth waking up early for!
Tandy
July 1, 2012
I love the idea of the slow cooked pork! We added some coffee into our curing mixture for gravadlax last week – it was great 🙂
marianne
August 31, 2012
Can I use ground espresso, or will it make the flavor too strong?
thingswemake.co.uk
August 31, 2012
It will be fine!
Dewi
June 21, 2013
Wow, this looks delicious. Simple but so impressive, definitely giving it a go!
theintrovertedchilli
June 3, 2014
Saw this in the weekend supplement, looks delicious!
-Shini
J Seaton
April 20, 2015
This looks absolutely amazing! I am so jealous not only of the meal, but the smell that I bet emanated from your oven all day long.