Sep 12 2010
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By vanessa pork, sandwich

Mango BBQ Pulled Pork

My favorite time of year is all of a sudden here (wasn’t it summer, like, last week?) and that means it’s also time for my favorite type of cooking. Sloooowly. I love food that can bubble away at the stove all day, requiring minimal attention and producing maximum yumminess. This is one such meal. The picture here is on an Ezekiel sprouted grain bun, but I actually ditched the bun and just ate the porky goodness by itself. A lettuce wrap, or in a salad, would also be yum. Serve with crisp cole slaw and enjoy.

Mango BBQ Pulled Pork
Serves 4-6
Recipe by Just the Tip / Inspired by Aarti Sequeira

Here’s what I used:

  • 1 boneless pork shoulder (also called pork butt or Boston butt), about 3 pounds, excess fat removed

For the rub:

  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the BBQ sauce:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 onion, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (seeds discarded if you don’t like it spicy)
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (4-5 limes)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups mango puree

Here’s what I did:

  1. Rub: Combine the rub ingredients, in a small bowl and massage it into the pork shoulder until well coated. Set aside while you make BBQ sauce.
  2. BBQ sauce: In a dutch oven or large saucepan, warm the oil, over low heat, until hot and shimmering. Add the cumin and fennel; they should splatter upon contact! Once the splattering subsides, add the onions, ginger and serrano and a little salt, to taste. Saute until they soften but don’t let them get any color. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Simmer about 5 minutes. Taste and season.
  3. Add the pork shoulder to the saucepan, coating it with the sauce. Cover, and gently simmer until the pork falls apart easily, stirring and turning often, about 3-3.5 hours. If it doesn’t pull apart using two forks, just let it cook a little longer.
  4. Remove the pork from the saucepan and shred it using 2 forks. Return it to the sauce and stir to coat with the sauce.
  5. Put a generous spoonful of the pork inside a bun and eat it.

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