One thing that I specifically like about this pairing is that both of them are done in short stages, over two nights. Starting a meal two nights before you eat it might seem really strange, but it saves you so much hassle on the actual day so that you can have a drink and relax instead of slaving over the stove. And each stage takes no more than 30 minutes, so it's not like you have to spend your whole evening prepping.
Overnight Pulled Pork
I've posted a recipe for pulled pork before, which was based on a shorter cooking time. This recipe that I found online is specifically suited for an average 12-hour cooking time, so basically overnight. At first I was a bit iffy about leaving my oven on overnight, but after having done it a couple of times now I've never had any issues whatsoever. The biggest issue was the flat smelling like lovely pork in the morning, but as you can probably guess, I got over that one pretty quickly.
You'll want a 2-3 kg pork shoulder joint for this, avoid leg or loin roasts as they don't have enough fat to stop it drying out. If you can get the shoulder skinless, that will make your life easier. Otherwise simply remove the skin by carefully cutting between the skin and fat layer with your sharpest knife (giving it a good sharpen beforehand will make this a doddle). I like to roast the skin by itself in a roasting pan and then cut into little squares to nibble on during the meal.
Dry Rub Ingredients
1tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp onion salt
1tbsp chili powder
1tbsp cayenne pepper
1tbsp salt
1tbsp ground black pepper
1tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
Brine Solution
1 litre water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dry rub mix
Add the salt to the cold water and stir very well until it's completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar, dry rub and bay leaves, stirring to combine. I find doing this in a saucepan makes the next step easy.
Rinse the pork shoulder well, then place inside a big ziploc bag. Pour the Brine Solution into the bag, making sure that the pork is completely submerged. I find the best place to store this is in the fridge door, so shift some bottles to make room for it. That will keep the pork standing upright and ensure it stays submerged. Leave to brine for a minimum of 8hrs, I simply leave it in there until the next evening. Do this while you're boiling the potatoes for the potato salad (see the recipe below).
Preheat your oven 105 degrees Celsius. You read that right. This is a real 'low and slow' recipe, but don't worry, do exactly as it says. The first time I tried this recipe I upped the temperature just a little bit thinking it was insane, and ended up scorching the meat. So keep it low.
Remove the pork from the brine solution, pat dry with paper towels to get rid of all excess moisture. Plonk the meat in a big roasting tin and sprinkle dry rub over the entire joint, patting it with your hands so that it sticks. Once the whole thing is coated, I like to add an extra layer of brown sugar on the top to give it a lovely caramel crust. Make sure the fat layer on the pork is facing up, and shove it in the oven.
Come back 12 hours later and marvel at the wonders that have taken place. Your pork should look like a molten ball of awesome, and smell divine. If the bottom of the pan is dried out, add a bit of water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon - that stuff is phenomenal when drizzled over the pork. Remove the pork from the oven and cover with tinfoil. Let it rest for two hours - it will still be nice and hot when you serve it, resting it just helps moisten the meat. Shred with two forks and add barbecue sauce as you wish - either toss the meat into buns with coleslaw, or just have by itself.
One thing that I have learned: this pork will automatically have people asking for seconds. So save yourself some stress and shred the entire joint at the same time. It may seem like a ton of meat, but trust me, it will get eaten. And it's much easier to shred when it's nice and hot than once it's cooled down.
Incredibly Moreish Potato Salad
Potato Salad is a tricky thing to get right. There are many different types, most of which can quite simply be boiled down to a combination of potatoes and mayonnaise. The stuff you get from most supermarkets tends to be potatoes swimming in a sea of goop, no matter how classy the establishment purports to be. I've tried a couple of different recipes, but have never really been satisfied. Many "gourmet" recipes, like Jamie's for example, suggest things like fromage frais, olive oil and lemon, and if I'm brutally honest I'm slightly puzzled as to the kind of people that would like that sort of thing. It came off as rather bland and limp, with very little to make it stand out.
Perhaps it's because I have quite a lot of American influences in my palate, but when it comes to potato salad I want the stuff you get at barbecues. I have an instinctive association between good potato salad and grilling, where the salad is a crunchy, snappy retort to the charred meaty advances of a raging barbecue. Especially in England, where barbecuing seems to be a synonym for meat immolation, a solid creamy potato salad is a lifesaver.
So when I was coming up with the menu for saturday lunch this past weekend, I wanted a great potato salad to accompany my 12-hour slow roasted pulled pork. I looked in all my cookbooks, but alas, all of their suggestions struck me as too frilly and fancy. I needed something more unassuming, rustic and for lack of a better word, authentic. I trawled through various BBQ websites and stumbled upon one that looked epic, but seemed to do exactly what I wanted. It also contained some hilariously unassuming ingredients, which I'm a sucker for. I figured that my pork was going to be good enough to hold up no matter how it turned out, so I chucked the recipe into Evernote (a cook's best friend), and headed to the supermarket. Let me tell you right now, I hit the jackpot.
As with any recipe, you really can make this your own if you like it a different way. I made several adjustments for an English shopper, but this version turned out absolutely brilliantly. Personally I can't stand boiled eggs, and bacon seemed like total overkill but these are just two examples of things you can add in if such is your fancy.
The key thing for this recipe is that you start preparing it two nights before you want to eat it, just like the pork. That may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't. Each step is very quick, and the results are 100% worth it. Do the pork and the potatoes together and you will have a fantastic meal.
Ingredients for the Salad
- 1kg new potatoes (I prefer Charlotte for their firm, waxy texture)
- 6 spring onions
- 3 stalks of celery
- 2 radishes
- 5 gherkins (buy ones in sweet vinegar)
- 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup of creme fraiche
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- bunch of flat leaf parsley
- paprika (optional, for colour)
- 1/4 cup of sweet vinegar gherkin juice (I know, trust me)
- 1 tbsp of your favourite mustard
Drain them thoroughly, then slice into 1/2 inch chunks while still hot. If you want to remove the skins do so now, but be warned it can be a real pain. Personally, I prefer leaving the skins on - partly for flavour, partly because I cannot be arsed peeling every single hot potato by hand.
Chuck the sliced potatoes into a bowl, and while they are still hot, season them with salt, pepper and the Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette should be fairly watery, but don't worry about it - the hot potatoes will soak up all the lovely vinegar flavour quite happily, and you really can't go wrong with seasoning at this stage. Cover the bowl tightly in clingfilm and store the potatoes in the fridge overnight. This particular step may seem like overkill, but it will make a huge difference in the quality of your potatoes. I was personally skeptical at first, but when I tried the potatoes the next day, they were good enough to eat on their own. After leaving the potatoes to soak up the vinaigrette/seasoning overnight, make the rest of the potato salad.
Thinly slice the spring onions, celery and radishes. Dice the gherkins into small chunks, and throw all into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, celery salt and salt/pepper. Mix the whole lot together with a spatula and taste. Resist the temptation to eat the whole thing right then and there. We came alarmingly close to doing this. Cover the salad again and put it back in the fridge. Tomorrow it will be ready.
Right before you serve, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkle of paprika for colour. If you like hardboiled eggs in your salad, add them here. Keep the potato salad cold, and go to town. I can testify that this is a perfect companion to a pork roast, though it would kick ass alongside chicken as well. Bring this along to a barbecue (make sure you keep it cold throughout) and you really can't go wrong.
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