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Smokey Korean Pulled Pork is my final recipe from our Specialist's Party on Tuesday. This recipe may be the last but it is definitely not the least; a delicious, slow roasted pulled pork with an Asian twist.
Most pulled pork recipes call for a Boston Butt roast or a pork shoulder roast. While these roasts do make a delicious barbecue, I wanted to make mine with a leaner cut of pork. The big box warehouses (Sam's Costco, BJ's etc.) usually sell whole pork loins for quite cheap and they have very little fat. I bought a six pound roast for just $12.00 - that is enough meat to either feed a very large crowd (or army) or to make ahead and freeze (for surprise guests or days that you might not feel like cooking).
There is very little hands-on time involved with this recipe; just a delicious sweet-spicy rub, then a slow roast in the oven before adding the tangy Korean-inspired sauce. The results are a tender, flavorful pulled pork with less fat than when using the traditional Boston Butt or shoulder roast.
I wasn't planning on doing the corn relish but when I walked into Super Walmart and saw fresh sweet corn for 20¢ a cob...... well, I just sort of lost my head and bought a huge bagful. While I was standing there shucking the corn I thought it would be fun to have a sweet, tangy and crunchy relish to serve with the pulled pork. I found a fun sounding recipe on theEating Wellwebsite. I adapted it just a bit by leaving the corn uncooked and using cilantro along with the fresh parsley. It added a layer of cool crunchy deliciousness to the yummy Smokey Korean Pulled Pork on Sweet Potato Sandwich Rolls.
Smokey Korean Pulled Pork
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds boneless pork loin
1. Remove pork loin from package. Wash under cold running water and dry well. Cut as need to fit into a roasting pan.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients. Add mustard and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Mix to make a thick paste, add more olive oil as needed. Rub this wet paste all over pork loin and sprinkle liberally with freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer).
3. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 2 hours or until nicely browned, then cover tightly with foil and roast for another 1-1 ½ hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.
4. While the pork is roasting, make the barbecue sauce as directed below.
5. When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 30 minutes. While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in an oven safe container and pour about ¾ of the sauce over. Stir gently but well so that the pork is coated with the sauce. At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the pork. About 1 hour before serving place in a 250˚ oven and re-warm. To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of a bun (Sweet Potato Sandwich Rolls are delicious), and top with some Fresh Corn Relish, if desired.
Smokey Korean Pulled Pork Sauce
¾ cup low sodium soy sauce, (be sure to use low sodium soy sauce otherwise when you reduce the sauce, it will be way too salty)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 cup apple juice
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup orange marmalade
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce*
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until reduced to about ½ and mixture is thick and syrupy.
Fresh Corn Relish
5 large ears corn, (about 3 cups kernels)
1 ½ cups finely diced sweet onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
¾ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Slice the kernels from the corn using a sharp knife.
2. Combine the corn kernels, onion, cilantro, lime juice, oil and salt in a medium bowl. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Adapted from Eating Well
Joe says
Hello from Sydney Chris, Thanks for visiting my blog. I love corn relish - actually any corn-based recipes! You sound like a wonderful cook!
Sandra says
The relish wotks well with the pork. You have so many great ideas.
Vicki V @ blestnest.blogspot.com says
Oh yeah, you can bet I'm going to try this! I usually use the shoulder, but I agree that it isn't the healthiest option. Your description of this dish alone has my mouth watering!
Foodness Gracious says
Mmmm this looks well tasty! I use a lot of butt for my pulled pork but may try this next time. Umm 20cents for corn!!!!! You should have bought the pallet 🙂
Thanks for sharing.