Isn't pulled pork just the best?
I think it is. I made these lovely sliders for a Jamaican-themed wedding shower a few months ago, and they were a hit! Super simple to make, the only trick is to be sure you allow enough time for the meat to fully cook until falling apart.
Lots of people smoke meat for BBQ, but I used my dutch oven and it was perfect!
You could definitely do this on the outdoor grill, but I prefer the pot method (ha) because it allows for lots of liquids, which results in super duper moist meat.
Here's what you need, for 20 or so sliders:
- 6-8 lbs pork shoulder or butt (bone in or out, your choice!)
- jerk seasoning (or seasoning blend of your choice)
- 1 medium onion
- olive oil
- 1 can or bottle beer
- 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup apple cider
- slider buns
- toppings - cilantro, jalapeno, and peach salsa were my weapons of choice
Look at these great, easy ingredients! I added the garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika as an example of a great seasoning blend - in equal parts with some salt and sugar you'd have a fabulous blend of flavors!
While you're getting your meat ready, heat a large pan to medium-high with lots of olive oil in it.
My pork butts had their bones in, but I took off some cooking time by cutting large chunks of meat off the bone. I still cooked the bone in the pot with the liquids, but having some of the meat separated makes the meat easier to handle and allows it to cook a little bit faster.
I also discarded (fed to the dogs) some massive pieces of fat.
You can skip that step, though!
Whether in chunks or just one major piece, rub all the meat with the seasonings of your choice - don't skimp!
Now, in batches, brown the meat on all sides. This is an important step to give the dish lots of flavor, so don't skip it if you have the time! Don't crowd the pan - only do one or two pieces at a time if you're working with large pieces of meat.
Set the meat aside as you brown it - let it take a few minutes on each side to get really crusty - it's worth it!
While the meat is browning, turn your oven to 300F and grate the onion so it'll be all ready when you're ready for it!
Once all the meat is browned, leave it aside while you make the braising mixture. There will be a lot of crud on the bottom of the pan and we don't want it to burn!
First, pour all the beer into the pot.
Then, add 2 cups of the chicken stock - you might need more later! Stir the beer and stock together and let them bubble and reduce for one minute.
My pot got pretty black. I dealt with it.
After the stock, add the apple cider (or juice, don't freak out) to the mixture and keep stirring.
When all the liquids are in the pot, add the browned pork back to the pot, then sprinkle the grated onion and all the onion juice over the whole thing.
Verrrry nice. Now, cover the pot and stick it in the oven for 90 minutes. Just walk away.
After 90 minutes, check on your pork! Mine needed another hour, and yours might need more than that if you didn't cut chunks of your meat off the bone. Let the pork cook and cook and cook until it's falling off the bone with no help from a fork or knife - you should just be able to pull pieces of meat into chunks!
During this time, add more chicken stock to the pot if you need to - the liquid should stay about halfway up the meat.
That meat is cooked. And delicious. And wonderful.
Once the pork is cooked, remove the pieces from the juice and shred them with your fingers or two forks, discarding any bones.
And that's it! Put the pork back in the juices, and you can serve it right away or keep the whole pot in the fridge for a few days. When you're ready to serve, just skim off any fat and re-heat the whole thing on the stovetop or in the oven.
When you're ready to serve, make an assembly line of buns and toppings.
note: if you'd like to make this more traditional, add ¼ cup vinegar to the final product, then serve with your favorite slaw and bbq sauce.
That note was for boring people. Or people who like BBQ.
For this particular instance, I served these with sliced jalapenos and cilantro and peach salsa.
To serve, I really need one topped with green stuff and one topped with salsa, just to be sure I knew which one I liked best.
I couldn't make a decision, so I decided that all three toppings were a must. The tang of the cilantro and the spice of the jalapeno with the sweetness of the peach...WHOA. To die for.
This is a great fun twist on regular bbq, and you can CERTAINLY serve this with any toppings of your choice! The jerk seasoning is great and sort of all-purpose - great with any toppings!
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