Don’t be afraid by the length of this recipe… it’s majority waiting and not much doing! The pork and the bread rolls will both be ready at the same time (within 3 hours) but there will be time to make other things in between – I like to make up a fresh coleslaw to go with it, or perhaps some potato wedges. If you’re a pulled pork lover like myself, you need to make this recipe!!
Ingredients
Pulled Pork:
- 500g Pork Shoulder
- 2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (available in waitrose or online)
- 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 Tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Plus your choice of BBQ sauce (I like the Kansas city range, available in local supermarkets)
Bread Rolls:
- 500g Strong Bread Flour
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 7g Fast Action Dried yeast
- 300ml Warm Water
- Oil, for greasing
- Egg Wash
Directions
For the Pork:
- Prepare your pork shoulder by making sure there isn’t a huge amount of fat covering it (pork shoulder tends to be quite fatty but we don’t want too much or the end result won’t be as good). Place the pork into a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover the pork completely. Add the liquid smoke, mustard seeds, peppercorns and brown sugar. This can now be covered and left to soak for up to 24 hours in the fridge – but if you’re impatient like me, you can cook it straight away.
- Place the pan over a high heat and bring to boil. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 2 ½ hours.
To make the bread:
- Stir together the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
- Pour about 250ml of the warm water into the flour mixture. Use a cutlery knife to quickly stir the water into the flour. The ingredients will come together in large flakes. Where the mixture looks dry, add some of the remaining water and continue to stir until all of the dough comes together.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour. Bring the dough together in your hands and place on the work surface. Knead the bread dough until it is smooth and it springs back when you press it.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of Clingfilm and leave the dough to rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
- Once it has risen, knock the dough back (knead it again) and then separate it into 10 even sized rolls.
- Use your hands to smooth the rolls and make sure they are perfectly round, or be creative with them by making other shapes.
- Place the rolls on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave them to rise again for about 15 minutes.
- Check that the rolls are ready by poking your little finger into the side of one. If the hole you make remains, then the roll is ready to be baked.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash (this will give them a golden finish).
- Bake the rolls in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden and sound hollow when you tap them from underneath.
Prepare the pork:
- Remove the pork from the pan and leave to rest and cool slightly on a chopping board (preferably with a rim as juices will seep out).
- Meanwhile, rinse out the pan and have it ready beside the pork.
- Use two forks to pull the meat apart into small strips and place it back in the pan.
- Pour in your choice of BBQ sauce until the meat is well coated. Place back on a medium-high heat and cook, continuously stirring, until the pork begins to crisp. Alternatively, you can pour it onto a baking tray and place it under a hot grill for a few minutes to crisp it up.
