Slow-cooked Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork Burgers

There’s nothing dainty about these Slow-cooked Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork Burgers. Eating one of these pulled pork burgers is what I call snap, crackle and pop indulgence at its best. Snap because it’s so easy to make, crackle because of the crisply crackling that is its coup de resistance, and pop because of the smoky, tangy, salty BBQ flavour bomb that explodes in your mouth as you dig in. It’s seriously messy business and “in your face eating“. So beware! There’s no better way to serve and eat these juicy burgers than to roll up your sleeves, fill them to capacity, grab them in both hands and then to just sink your teeth into them, letting the juices run down your face in glee.

Ingredients

• Shoulder of Pork
• Smokey BBQ Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Chicken Stock
• Red Onion
• Garlic
• Raw Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Crushed Tomatoes (Secret Ingredient)
• Apple Juice (Secret ingredient)

Cheat Sheet Tips for a Succulent Pulled Pork

• I like to use a shoulder on the bone. Cooking the meat on the bone adds to the flavour. And when cooked properly, it’ll slide out easily.
• You can never have enough liquid so don’t be shy with the quantities.
• My first secret ingredient is the tin of crushed tomatoes. It helps add extra acidity and thickness to the sauce.
• My second secret ingredient is apple juice as it provides a natural sweetness and the high sugar content helps with the caramelisation of the sticky BBQ sauce.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of Smokey Paprika if you want a deeper smoky flavour.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of Chilli powder if you want some heat.
• Shred the pork in the same pot you cooked it in, using 2 forks. Then toss and stir the shredded pork into the thick, rich sauce.
• Low and Slow is the secret to a tender pulled pork that shreds with ease. The longer it cooks, the better it shreds. You can set it to cook at 160° Celcius for up to 6-8 hours ahead. The trick is to make sure that it is cooked in a deep pot with a lid that seals well.
• Keep the liquid levels high, so check in from time to time to make sure it’s not drying out. The apple juice is a perfect top up liquid. But you could use some stock too.

Print Recipe

Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork Burgers

Dinner, Lunch, Entertaining – Continental, Fusion

By Mrs Robinson – Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes – Cooking Time: 6-8 Hours – Total Time: 6.5-8.5 hours

This Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork Burger recipe is a standard make ahead weekend meal in our household and a real crowd pleaser. There's no better way to serve and eat these juicy burgers than to roll up your sleeves, fill them to capacity, grab them in both hands and then to just sink your teeth into them, letting the juices run down your face in glee. Our zesty coleslaw is the perfect foil for this dish as the tangy lemon flavour cuts through the succulent fattiness of the pork. It's almost a set and forget recipe that can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients

• Main Ingredients
• 2-3Kg Shoulder of Pork
• 2 Cups Smokey BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2 Large Red Onions diced
• 4 Cloves of Garlic crushed
• 1/4 Cup Raw Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Honey
• Secret Ingredients
• 1 Tin Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Cup Apple Juice

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven on fan-baked to 220° Celsius

Pulled Pork Preparation

1

Heat some oil in a deep, flat bottomed, oven proof pot on the stove

2

Brown the pork shoulder, turning from time to time, until uniformly browned

3

Remove from the heat and set aside

4

Add a bit more oil to the pot together with the diced onion and crushed garlic and stir until sweated and translucent

5

Add all the other ingredients including the crushed tomato and apple juice and stir until well combined

6

Add the pork shoulder back to the pot and bring to the boil. (The liquid should almost cover the pork shoulder.)

7

Remove the pot from the stove, cover with the lid and put in the oven

8

When the liquid in the pot is noticeably boiling, reduce the oven temperature to 160° Celsius and let it cook low and slow for up to 8 hours

9

Check on the sauce level from time to time and top up with either the apple juice or stock - whichever is your preference

Shredding the Pork

10

Leave the shoulder of pork in the same pot it has been cooked in

11

Use 2 forks to shred the pork and pull it apart from the bone

12

Discard the bone when the pork is fully shredded

13

Toss the pulled pork in the sauce until thoroughly coated by the juicy sauce

Crackling Preparation (When you get the pork, ask the butcher to remove the skin before he scores it)

14

Preheat the oven to 250° Celsius, fan forced

15

Place the pork skin on a wire rack over the sink and pour boiling water over it. This helps to render the fat so it cooks crisply

16

Pat it completely dry and then rub generously with salt

17

Place in the oven and cook for about 30-45 minutes on high or until crispy and brown

18

When cooked, chop the pork crackle into small popcorn like pieces to sprinkle over the burgers

To Serve

19

Serve with fresh buns and a zesty, tangy coleslaw

Notes

This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker but I prefer making it in the oven as the heat hits the pot from all round. The sauce also thickens and caramelises better this way. But then this is my personal choice. I say it's almost set and forget, because you do have to check in on the pork from time to time to make sure that the sauce does not cook away.