This is how we used to prepare the meat portion of our famous pulled pork Ciabatta and pulled pork flatbread here at Luke’s European Style Market. This was one of our most enduring and sought after options and we really hope you enjoy making it for yourself, your family and friends. It’s super easy and can work well in the oven or gas BBQ. However, I am a HUGE lover of wood and smoke and therefore am obviously going to suggest a lump charcoal application with either just apple or mostly apple and some hickory or maybe mesquite wood chips or pellets be used for the smoke. If you are mixing woods for the smoke, I have found that about 70% apple is the best match for this recipe given the prominence of apple in the sauce. This recipe picks up at the cut of meat of your choice being already finished so I am going to refrain from any more wood-firing tips and tricks for now. We will probably include that somewhere later.
Ingredients
About 1.5 kg of finished (cooked) pork.
Butt, or boneless back are my faves. The fat from these cuts, at least some of it, is
necessary!
2 fist-sized red onions
8 med sized Granny Smith apples
A few tablespoons of butter
1⁄2 clove of garlic
Fresh Rosemary, thyme or lemon thyme
Old cheddar or Gouda (smoked is even better)
Method
1 Once the meat has sufficiently cooled,
very thinly slice (a bit thicker than a deli slice) the pork from top to bottom and then lay
flat and slice into ribbons about as wide as your thumb. Also you can use two forks and
completely pull into shreds
2 Set aside
3 Thinly slice the apples and onions and seperate so they can be added in separate
additions
4 Finely chop the garlic or press
5 Put a large pan on a medium high heat and add in enough butter to completely cover
the bottom of the pan
6 Add in 1⁄2 of the garlic then add in half the apples
7 Sauté until they begin to change colour then add in 1⁄2 the onions
8 Continue to sauté until the apples and onions start to become a bit transparent.
9 Then, add in enough Luke’s Apple Whiskey BBQ Sauce to completely coat and begin to
bubble/simmer in and around the apples and onions until they begin to caramelize
10 Once the sauce begins to get a bit sticky, add in 1⁄2 the pork and add in about the same
amount of sauce as in the first addition
11 Simmer and mix a bit with tongs until sauce again begins to coat and become sticky
12 Remove from the pan and set aside in an oven or some place to keep warm
Repeat steps 4-11 with the second half of the ingredients and then serve as desired
Over rice, on a garlic buttered and toasted Ciabatta or on a flatbread
Once in place, shred or peel a good amount of old cheddar or Gouda over each portion
and enjoy!
Serves 8-10