Slow-cooked Pulled Pork

Your heart will skip a beat when enjoying our recipe for Slow-cooked Pulled Pork with sweet and sticky beetroot.  The Crumbled meat should be served on a crusty roll topped with the sticky beetroot, watercress and a dollop of crème fraîche. This is a perfect evening roast, especially for the winter months.

for the pork;
3-5kg pork shoulder joint
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
Generous pinch sea salt and pepper
300ml cider
250ml stock (chicken, veg or pork)

for the beetroot;
4 large beetroot (tennis ball size) or 6 small
2 large red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic (crushed)

for the dressing;
375g crème fraîche
1 tbsp lightly toasted and crushed Cumin seeds
Juice from 1 squeezed lemon and Grated rind
Salt and pepper

1. Pulled Pork – Pre-heat oven to 245C. In a roasting tray pour boiling water over skin side of meat – pour out then pat the meat dry, mix the spices with the olive oil and rub over the meat.
2. Pour the cider into the bottom of the tray and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
3. Turn the oven down to 130C and cook for a further 30 minutes.
4. Add the stock to the bottom of the tray and cook for a further two hours.
5. Cover with a double layer of tinfoil and continue cooking for a further 3-4 hours. The meat is ready when a couple of forks can be used to shred it easily.
6. Take the pork out of the oven and rest for at least half an hour (under the tinfoil).
7. Sticky beetroot – Boil the beetroot whole for 30-40 minutes. Peel the skin off and cut into small segments – add the sliced red onion and all the other ingredients in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and roast for approx 1 hour at 200C or approx 2 hours if cooking with the pork. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes.
8. Dressing – Mix all the dressing ingredients together – this can be done in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to serve.
9. When the pork has rested use 2 forks to crumble the meat and serve in a crusty roll with the sticky beetroot, crème fraîche dressing and some rocket or watercress.