Gill Meller's been Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall's
right hand man at River
Cottage for over a decade.
Pulled
Pork
The art of perfect pork pulling with river Cottage
Head Chef and pig handbook author Gill Meller
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I remember Hugh teaching me that the secret to
really good pulled pork is the oven temperature: it’s
crucial that it’s not too hot. A whole pork shoulder is
made up of a variety of different muscle sets, some
leaner than others. The leaner ones will dry out at
temperatures that don’t affect fattier areas. The ultimate goal is to have everything beautifully moist and
giving. This is my recipe for the kind of pulled pork you can serve hot in a sandwich at a
party, or have with roast potatoes and apple sauce on a Sunday, or in a hash with eggs and
mushrooms for breakfast.
30
Recipe
Ser ves 12 –15
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas mark 7.
Place the whole pork shoulder in a
large, deep roasting tin (don’t worry if
the hock hangs over the edge). Score
1 whole shoulder of pork on the bone (about 7–8
the skin with a Stanley knife (see
kg)
p.101) from the top of the shoulder
3 onions, peeled and halved
right down to the bottom. Now rub it all
6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
over with salt and pepper.
4 celery sticks, halved
Roast the pork in the oven for
1–2 fennel bulbs, quartered (optional)
35–40 minutes to get the crackling
A bunch of mixed herbs, such as sage, thyme,
going. Once it’s golden and crackly,
fennel, rosemary and bay
remove the pork and lift it, carefully, on
1 whole garlic bulb, halved horizontally
to a board.
2 glasses of water
Add the veg, herbs and garlic to
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
the roasting tin and pour on the water,
then return the pork. Now cover the pork with foil, crimping the edges
super-tight, to keep the steam in. Return the tin to the oven and turn the
setting down to 95°C, Gas ¼. Cook the pork in this very low oven for
12–14 hours (overnight, for convenience).
Take the tin from the oven and remove the foil from the pork. You can
either bring the shoulder to the table and let everyone ‘pull’ their own pork
or do it for them. Lift off the crackling, which will need to be crisped in a
hot oven, for 5–10 minutes. Take two forks and start pulling tender chunks
of meat away from the bone – it should slip off. Pile th H [Y ܚ