Stout Braised Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce Recipe

This Stout Braised Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce will give you the most tender, moist, and flavoursome pulled pork you’ve probably ever had. It’s incredibly difficult to screw up, and you’ll get a noteworthy sense of accomplishment for turning a large chunk of pork shoulder into tender shreds of juicy meat.

Marinate for 8 to 24 hours 3.5 hours

Image: Serving suggestion

Ingredients

Pulled Pork

One 4lb pork roast
2 bottles stout or comparable beer (we love the Hook Norton Double Stout 4.8%)
2 tbsp chipotle in adobo (just sauce)
salt and pepper
4 tbsp Herbs de Provence
2 tbsp light oil (I used soy)
2 medium apples, sliced thick
1 medium onion, sliced thick
6 cloves garlic, chopped
5 sprigs rosemary
5 sprigs thyme
250ml chicken stock (enough to just almost cover meat)

BBQ Sauce

1 bottle (350ml) stout or beer used in meat
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small apple, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
250ml ketchup
4 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
2 tbsp Herbs de Provence
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp honey
salt and pepper

Method

Pulled Pork

Measure your meat to the size of your dutch oven or roasting pot. You may need to cut it into two or more huge chunks.
Season the meat liberally with salt and black pepper.
Place the meat in a large Tupperware or huge resealable bag. Pour stout and adobo sauce over, massaging into meat. Seal and place in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. We recommend the longer time, turning the meat once, halfway through time.
When ready to cook, remove the meat from marinade and place on board. Set marinade aside. Dry the meat completely and allow to come up to room temp, at least 30 minutes. Season liberally again with salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence.
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. When oil is rippling, brown the meat in sections, taking care not to crowd the pan. Allow the meat to brown fully on each side, approximately 15 minutes total. Remove meat, set aside.
In drippings, add apple and onion, season with salt and pepper. Stir and allow to soften, about four minutes. Add garlic and herbs, stir.
Stir in marinade, scraping up all burned bits from bottom of Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and let boil for three minutes.
Add meat to Dutch oven, stirring. Add in chicken stock until it just almost covers the meat.
Place lid on pot and place in bottom third of oven for three hours, or until meat is literally falling apart.
When the meat is done, remove from Dutch oven, and allow to rest on board at least 15 minutes. Shred with fingers or forks, dress with barbecue sauce, and serve.

BBQ Sauce

Sauté apple, shallot and garlic in olive oil in a saucepan, over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Let sauté five minutes, or until softened and translucent.
Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.
Reduce to very low, cover, and allow to simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Taste along the way, adding sweetness or salt and pepper as needed.
Toss over pulled meat, and then drizzle over meat when serving.

Recipe notes by Elizabeth Gibbs

A Dutch oven is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid that is usually made of seasoned cast iron and can go straight from the stove to the oven and on to the tabletop.

A Dutch oven is perfect for braises because of how heavy it is, which helps it retain and distribute heat evenly—ideal for searing meat at high heat and maintaining low-and-slow temperatures for a long time.

While generally referred to as Dutch ovens in the USA, Le Creuset’s version, which is what you’ll most commonly find in the UK, is technically a French oven, also known as a cocotte.

French companies like Le Creuset took the basic concept of a Dutch oven, added the enamelled coating, and started calling them French ovens as a way to distinguish them.

This Stout Braised Pulled Pork recipe is an adaptation of an old family recipe.