Pulled pork burgers with homemade BBQ sauce | Fig and Cherry

Posted on November 17, 2011 by ChristieDinner Time

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It started with a request from my brother-in-law to teach him how to make pulled pork and ended with me vowing never to buy bottled BBQ sauce ever again! It was quite a day in the kitchen, I can tell you.

And when I say day, I mean it, because the luscious shredded meat on this burger takes around 5 hours to get that way. 5 long hours while the house smells absolutely scrumptious. Itand#8217;s excruciating, but then oh-so-worth-it. Just ask my BIL and hubby and#8211; they ate two burgers each and then sat back rubbing their tummies with a big smile on their face while I tried to photograph one.

I find it quite annoying that itand#8217;s difficult to photograph a burger prettily. In fact, itand#8217;s quite hard to eat a burger and remain pretty, so that actually makes it quite apt. But I digressand#8230;

Who knew there were so many different types of pulled pork? A little bit of Гугл research revealed a myriad of recipes using wet marinades, dry rubs, overnight brines, mixed with BBQ sauce, not mixed and#8211; the list goes on. Plus, there are different styles in different regions: Texas, South Carolina, Memphis and more. What was a girl to do?

Well, there was only one thing to do and#8211; bastardise them all into one. I decided to go down the dry rub route (hang on, that didnand#8217;t come out right!?!) and then used about 10 different recipes to come up with this spice combination. I basically just picked all the spices I thought would work and then crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Very scientific (and a little bit crazy, seeing as I had never мейд it before).

Three tablespoons of salt sounded like too much, so I used the same amount of super chunky rock salt instead, and let some of it fall off during cooking. That worked a treat, FYI.

I used the same scientific method for finding a good BBQ sauce recipe.

I wasnand#8217;t even going to do this to begin with because it seemed like too much effort, but boy am I glad I did! Do you know how fantastic homemade BBQ sauce tastes? Make my recipe and you will find out. Then, like me, you will never buy it in a bottle again. Itand#8217;s so easy and a billion times better than anything at the supermarket. Did I mention how great it is? OK, I will shut up now.

Hereand#8217;s a little an insight into my brain (pictured above).

It is the cheat sheet I created for myself to use in the kitchen. Itand#8217;s also a shopping list. The ingredients with an * next to them mean I need to buy them. The handwriting is shocking as I excitedly scribbled down my thoughts with my хэнд going just that little bit slower than my brain. Donand#8217;t you hate that feeling?

If you think the paper looks a bit crinkled, then good observation. Poppy got her little hands on it and gave it a good scrunch. Iand#8217;m just glad she didnand#8217;t drool and smudge it because it was my only copy. Hence why I took a quick photo of it and#8211; to baby-proof it. Thank goodness for the 21st Century.

Have you tried pulled pork before? What about homemade BBQ sauce?

Christie x

Pulled pork recipe

serves 6

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons salt (rock or ground, your choice)
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground star anise
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5kg pork shoulder

To serve
Soft burger buns
Coleslaw or salad

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/390F. Place all the spices in a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

2. Rub the vegetable oil all over the pork shoulder then massage with the spice mix, pressing as much on as possible.

3. Place on a rack in a roasting tray, fat side up, and pour 500ml (2 cups) of water into the tray. Cover tightly with foil and cook at 200C/390F for 30 mins.

4. Turn the heat down to 150C/300F and cook for 4.5 hours or until the meat flakes easily. Check on it every 45 mins and top up the water as necessary.

5. Remove the layer of fat in one piece and discard. Use two forks to shred the pork then mix with some BBQ sauce (recipe below) and serve on soft buns with coleslaw.

Home мейд BBQ sauce recipe

makes about 1 cup

250ml (1 cup) cold tap water
250ml (1 cup) tomato sauce (you can use ketchup, passata or tomato puree)
145g (1 cup) brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses

1. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 mins until thickened slightly.