Tom Kerridge’s perfect pulled pork

The rub and the chicken stock are the secrets to fall-apart tender pulled pock that's packed with flavour. "A dry rub gives it a little more depth, because you can get the flavour deeper into the meat,” the chef says.

Credit: BBC Worldwide

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork shoulder
• 1L chicken stock

Spice mix

• 50 g table salt
• 75 g muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 1 tbsp English mustard powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 3 star anise, toasted and crushed
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Chilling time: overnight

Instructions

Lay the pork shoulder in a roasting dish and with a sharp knife, score 10 or so deep holes into the flesh.

Combine the spice rub ingredients. Rub the spice mix all over the meat and into the grooves you've made, making sure the mix is fully rubbed in.

Wrap the joint completely in cling film and place in the fridge overnight.

The following day, preheat the oven to 150°C. Remove the pork from the fridge and take off the cling film. Place in a casserole dish and pour over the chicken stock. Cover with a lid and place into the pre-heated oven. Cook for five to six hours – at the four-hour mark, remove the lid for a crispy crust.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for half hour or so before pulling the meat apart with a fork.

Use this in Tom Kerridge's ale pulled pork sandwich. Get all of Tom's tips for making best-ever pulled pork here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.