Recipe: Canuck-Style Pulled Pork

Canuck-Style Pulled Pork

2 ½ lb (1.25 kg) boneless pork shoulder roast Salt and black pepper to taste 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil, divided 1 large onion, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder 2 tsp (10 mL) sweet smoked paprika 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin 1 cup (250 mL) tomato ketchup 1 cup (250 mL) tomato sauce 1/3 cup (80 mL) cider vinegar 1/3 cup (80 mL) maple syrup 2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce 2 bay leaves 8 kaisers, split Boston lettuce leaves Cole slaw

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC) and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. If necessary, tie pork with string to make a compact roast. Pat pork dry and season generously all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat. Add pork to pot and cook, turning often, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove pork from pot and set aside on a large plate.

2. Add more oil to pot if necessary and reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pot and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, paprika and cumin and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add tomato ketchup and sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves to pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Return pork to pot, along with any juices that have accumulated on plate. Cover pot tightly and transfer to oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300ºF (150ºC) and cook until pork is very tender, about 2 ½ hours, turning once.

4. When pork is ready, remove from pot and set aside on a large cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

5. Snip strings on pork and remove. With two forks, shred pork finely, discarding any visible fat.

6. Discard bay leaves from cooking liquid and skim off any fat. Boil liquid over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups (500 mL), 3 to 5 minutes. Add pork and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Toast buns, if liked. Arrange lettuce leaves on bottom halves of buns. Top with pork, cole slaw and top halves of buns.

SHOOT THE BREEZE

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice add 1 ½ oz Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve Whisky, 6 mint leaves and 4 oz lemonade. Shake and strain into a tall glass with ice and garnish with fresh blueberries.

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