A Pulled Pork recipe that’s not like the typical barbecue sauce version. It’s not as sweet and incorporates interesting and complimentary flavours into both the pork and the crunchy slaw topping.
We were never big fans of pulled pork in our house. Too sweet, too mushy, too much sauce. This one is different. It’s flavoured with apple and fennel and is only partially shredded so there are juicy pieces of delicious pork. And, I borrowed a technique I learned from Mexican cuisine that’s used in pork tacos which is a game changer.
If you’re not familiar with fennel, it’s a large bulb that looks like a shorter fatter celery. I have my friend Deb to thank for telling me it belongs to the carrot family. Which is weird because if you’ve tasted raw fennel you’d think it belongs in the licorice family because it actually contains a compound that is found in black licorice. No kidding. The flavour isn’t overpowering, even though this recipe contains raw fennel, cooked fennel and fennel seed. And even fennel fronds from the top of the bulb.
The best cut of pork for Pulled Pork is one with some fat. The fat helps keep the meat moist during the long slow cooking time and once the connective tissue breaks down you’ve got yourself some really tender meat. That being said, if there’s too much fat, your meat will be greasy. My first choice when making Pulled Pork with Apple and Fennel is a pork shoulder. It has the right amount of fat but doesn’t totally fall apart after slow cooking. You can also use a picnic shoulder or pork butt. A butt doesn’t come from a pigs bum in case you didn’t know. It’s actually from the shoulder area of the pig too. There are a few theories about how it became known as a butt, I just can’t say for sure which one is the truth.
For a 2 kg roast which is about 4.5 pounds you’ll need around 6 hours on high setting. There’s not a lot of prep for the meat, simply season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle fennel seed over top. If you lay the meat on some chunks of apple and onion it will help flavour the meat a little and add some moisture. Onion can be a natural tenderizer but with this cut of meat and method of cooking, tender is not a problem!
When the pork is done and has cooled enough to handle, remove any larger areas of fat. If your roast has string, don’t forget to take that off. Then, using 2 forks, break up the meat into chunks and strips. Remember, don’t go crazy. Or you’ll have a pile of mush. Exactly what we’re trying not to accomplish here.
Most of the flavour comes after the pork is cooked. You’ll make a sauce from apples, onions and fennel while the pork is in the slow cooker. It can simmer away until everything is very soft and fragrant. There’s no sugar in the sauce because the sweetness from the apple is all you need. And some of the same ingredients are used to make a slaw to pile on top that not only compliments the other flavours, it adds colour and crunch to your Pulled Pork.
Now here’s the best part. Instead of dumping the sauce into the pork and stirring it up, you add the pork to the pan with the sauce and turn up the heat. This method is similar to what’s used in Mexico to make Carnitas. Pork is slow cooked in fat, then seared in a hot pan. What you get if you can resist the temptation to stir the meat is some amazing caramelization on the pork. Just let it sizzle until you can see some really dark bits on the under side, then turn chunks of meat over to get more caramelization. And crispy bits of meat. Game changer.
You can make everything up in advance and then sear the meat right before serving. Apple, onion and fennel work very well together in this Pulled Pork recipe. Pork and fruit are always a good combination. Like in Sweet and Sour Pork or Braised Sausage with Peaches.
To serve Pulled Pork with Apple and Fennel, lay a large leaf of lettuce on the bottom half of a fresh bun. Pile as much pork over top as you want. Just remember you have to open your mouth wide enough to bite it. Then top the pork with Apple and Fennel Slaw before adding a second leaf of lettuce under the top bun. And chow down.
If you make Pulled Pork with Apple and Fennel, feel free to leave a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Pulled Pork with Apple and Fennel
Ingredients
Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder
- 2 kg pork shoulder or pork butt roast 4.5 pounds
- ½ apple, cut into chunks reserve other half for sauce
- ½ onion, diced use other half in sauce
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Apple and Fennel Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- ½ fennel bulb, trimmed and diced reserve frond for slaw
- 1 ½ apples, peeled and diced any variety is fine
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper
Carrot and Fennel Slaw
- ½ fennel bulb, sliced thinly
- 1-2 Tbsp fennel frond
- 1 carrot, shredded into long strips or julienned
- ¼ red cabbage, sliced thinly
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 3-4 green onions, minced
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp celery seed
- salt and pepper
Pulled Pork with Apple and Fennel
- 8 large fresh buns
- 16 leaves boston bibb lettuce or other large round green lettuce
Instructions
- Cut half an apple into chunks. Dice half an onion. Scatter in bottom of slow cooker. Add pork shoulder roast, sprinkle fennel seed over top and season well with salt and pepper. Cook on high for up to 6 hours. When pork is completely cooked and very tender, turn off heat and allow to rest, covered.
- When pork is resting, finely dice onion and fennel. Sauté in olive oil on low heat in a large skillet until soft and golden, about 15 minutes.
- Peel apple (including remaining half) and chop into small pieces. Add to onion and fennel mixture, along with vinegar and worcestershire. Continue to cook on low until apples are very soft.
- Add water as sauce thickens to prevent sticking to pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare slaw by thinly slicing fennel, carrot, cabbage and onion. Dice green onions. Roughly chop frond. Combine oil, vinegar, dijon, celery seed and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Toss dressing with cabbage mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The amount of slaw is enough to top 8 pulled pork buns with extra to serve on the side.
- When pork is cooled enough to handle, remove any large areas of fat. Using 2 forks, tear meat into chunks and strips. Add pork to sauce in skillet, toss with sauce and increase heat to medium-high. Without stirring, allow pork to sear until dark and crispy bits are on bottom. Using tongs, turn chunks of meat over to maximize searing.
- To serve, lay a leaf of lettuce on the bottom of a bun. Top with a generous amount of pork. Add slaw on top and cover with a second lettuce leaf.
- Serve with additional slaw on the side.
more pork on your fork
I’ve never used fennel – I’m going to have to try this recipe.