I call this The Ultimate Pulled Pork not to be pretentious but because using the right roast and a pressure cooker makes all the difference
What you want for pulled pork is a pork butt
What did he just say?
Pork Butt?
That’s right… but not that butt!
It is a Boston Butt or the upper part of the front shoulder, this cut of pork has a flat bone it it and yields a lot of meat
It is also very marbled with fat which helps keep it juicy
A Boston Butt really needs time to cook to get the rich tender meat your looking for, whether on the grill, in the smoker, the oven or even the Crock Pot, your’re going to need hours and hours
That’s why we are going into the pressure cooker and in about 1 1/2 hours we are going to have a delicious meal!!!
I started here with about an 11 pound butt
Sprinkle the butt generously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
Start by seasoning the fat cap, that is the thick strip of fat you will find on one side
Heat about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pressure cooker on medium heat
Place the butt in the pot fat cap side down and let sear for 6-8 minutes
Season the back side while it sears
Flip and sear the other side for another 6-8 minutes
Remove the meat from the pot and set aside
Next up, we will need 1 large onion, 1 fennel bulb and 3 cloves of garlic
I remove the whispy fronds from the fennel and give everyone a nice chop
Put the onion, fennel and garlic in the pot, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook about 6-8 minutes
Next we will need 2 apples
You can leave the skin on the apples just discard the core
I like a mixture of flavor from the apples so here I’m using 1 granny smith and 1 McIntosh
Next put in the apples and stir everybody up
Cook another 5-6 minutes
Next we will need 2 cups of apple cider, 1 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay), 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master
Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan, that is break up the great brown bits left on the bottom from the searing of your meat
Let this come to a boil and cook about 5 minutes
Then add in the stock, apple cider, Gravy Master and a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Place the meat back in the pot, fat cap side up
As the fat renders and cooks down it will penetrate the meat helping it to stay moist
Cover and seal and follow the pressure cookers instructions to bring it up to full pressure
Once at full pressure, start a timer for 1 1/2 hours (you may need more or less time depending on how many pounds the meat is)
Once the timer goes off, remove the cooker from heat and follow the cool down instructions to relieve the pressure so you can safely open it
Oh man, that looks and smells great!!!
Remove the meat, set aside and let rest while you make the gravy
Place a colander over a sauce pot and strain, keeping the liquid
Once strained you can discard the fruit and veggies
Get the gravy on the stove and bring to a boil
In another pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat and whisk in a 1/4 cup of flour
This flour and butter mixture is called a roux (pronounced rue)
Cook this mixture until it is light brown in color
Pour the roux into your gravy and whisk to incorporate, this will help it to thicken
You can cut the pork into chunks or shred using 2 forks or your hands
We chose to shred it
At this point there are options
We can go the BBQ route by adding some Simply Sunday’s Barbecue Sauce
Or we can use that delicious gravy
We are going to get multiple meals out of this much pork
For our first use over the weekend we are serving this over some pasta with fresh parsley and crushed red pepper
It will also make some great sandwiches on a busy weeknight!
All I can say here is YUM!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ The Ultimate Pulled Pork
Ingredients
One 10-12 pound shoulder or Boston butt
1 large onion
1 fennel bulb
3 garlic cloves
2 apples
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of apple cider
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of gravy master
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Directions
Sprinkle the fat side (fat cap) of the pork butt generously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in the pressure cooker. When you see faint smoke, lay your butt in the pot fat side down and sear 6-8 minutes. Season the back of the pork, flip and sear another 6-8 minutes, remove and set aside
Chop the onion, garlic and fennel bulb, add them to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook about 6-8 minutes. Core and cut the apples into slices (no need to peel), add them to the pot, stir everybody up and cook another 5-6 minutes
Next deglaze the pan with the white wine, bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cook 5-6 minutes. Add in the chicken stock, apple cider and Gravy Master and season again with salt and pepper
Place the pork back in fat cap side up and seal the pressure cooker according to the instructions. When at full pressure, time the pork for 1 1/2 hours. Allow the pressure cooker to depressurize according to its instructions, remove the lid and remove the pork to a cutting board. Let the pork rest 10 minutes
Strain the juice into a pot and discard the veggies and apples. Bring the gravy to a boil. In another pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 1/4 cup of flour and cook until incorporated & lightly brown. Whisk this roux into the gravy to thicken it
You can cut the meat into chunks or pull the meat apart with two forks for more of a pulled pork. We served this over pasta with that delicious gravy. Cook the pasta according to the packages directions and toss with some parsley and crushed red pepper
Tools used to make this recipe
Presto 16-Quart pressure Canner
Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Totally mouth-watering! I’ve been thinking of making pulled pork for quite sometime, getting some great inspiration here. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you love it Jin! Please let us know!