Nine-hour pork shoulder with pineapple relish
This is a slow-cooked recipe to savour over a lazy Sunday and combines pulled pork with fresh Thai-style flavours.
Ingredients
For the pork shoulder
- 3 tbsp hot smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 4 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 2kg/4lb 8oz boneless pork shoulder
For the pineapple relish
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, peeled and diced
- 1 fresh pineapple, flesh chopped into small chunks
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 50ml/2fl oz apple cider vinegar
- 150g/5½oz soft light brown sugar
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
For the Thai garnish
- 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 4 Thai shallots, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 small bunch coriander, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch Thai basil, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch mint, finely chopped
- 3 large red chillies, finely sliced
- 1 small Thai red chilli, finely sliced
- 2 limes, juice only
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp Thai fish sauce, plus extra to taste
Method
For the pork shoulder, mix the paprikas, sugar, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, honey and apple juice in a small bowl. Rub the marinade thoroughly all over the pork shoulder. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Cover the pork in foil, place in a roasting tin and slow roast for 8 hours. Leave to rest for 1 hour before tearing apart with forks.
For the pineapple relish, heat the oil in a saucepan and sweat the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the pineapple, mustard, vinegar and sugar and simmer for 1–2 hours, or until soft and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Thai garnish, mix the spring onions, shallots, herbs, chillies and lime juice in a bowl. Place half of this mixture in a blender or food processor. Blitz with the oil and fish sauce. Taste and add more fish sauce, if preferred.
To serve, spread the Thai purée on the base of a serving board and add the pulled pork on top. Scatter over the rest of the Thai garnish and drizzle over a few drops of the Thai fish sauce. Serve with the relish alongside.
