Slow Cooked Pulled Pork
This turns into a killer stock, with tons of meat as leftovers or platter to serve for a bunch of people.
Recipe from one of my favorite books, Deep Nutrition. Not necessarily a cook book, a collection of recipes at the back of the book helps bring together main health topics through the book. After learning about how important bone broths are for us as a species in another favorite, Sapiens, I couldn’t help but put some notes together.
Long story short, humans spent hundreds of thousands (up to 2 million) years in the middle of the food chain. We survived eating the scraps left in bones after the big scary lions, hyenas and cheetahs had their share. Makes sense we find the bone marrow so tasty - bc our bodies have learned to adapt from eating it for so long! The slow cooking of meat pulls out the bone marrow and collagen without excess heat that makes meat oxidize and become harmful to us. My goal is to make a bone broth once a week, min once a month (swapping w chicken soup)! Quality of meat matters- it is more important to have organic meat than veggies- as the fat in the animals raised in cages are full of hormones, much moreso than veggies can ever absorb. I found a butcher in SF that sells organic, grass fed meat and bones, but many great delivery services as well! The extra cost can be warranted - for extra time to raise the animals, and let them live their lives more freely than the ones a fraction of the cost. You get what you pay for here.
One of my favorite meals growing up is pot roast, and this slow cooked meat option gave me that - swapping out noodles and crackers with veggies and garlic cauli mashed potatoes.
Meat Stock
1 Tbs olive oil
4 oz tomato paste
2 lb pasture raised pork bones. I asked about grass fed from my butcher, but pigs do not eat grass. They eat all kinds of stuff. They can be pasture raised, if you want your lingo correct. I asked for something good to slow roast, and want joint material and tendons (enough to fill stock pot half way) - i got 4.5 lbs meat including bone, and it made enough for the 2 of us to eat all week!
1 c red wine
3 c mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms) diced large for soup, plus large pieces to throw in stock
Head of cabbage
1 Tbs sea salt
Sachet d’Espices (parsley, thyme, bay leaf, cracked peppercorns, garlic)
Added as i went
Coconut aminos
BBQ sauce - paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt
organi1 Tbs c corn starch to make gravy
Cabbage (slow cooks for 6 hours in stew)
apple cider vinegar
Cauli mashed potatoes w roasted garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine olive oil with the tomato paste and use to lightly coat the bones and tendons. Roast the bones and tendons until they turn a fairly deep brown, stirring and turning occasionally to prevent burning. Trust your instincts here. When it looks and smells appealing, thats brown enough. Any further and you risk introducing bitterness into the finished stock. (about 3 min per side, 6 sides to crisp).
Transfer bones into a large stockpot and cover with cold water and 1/2 c red wine. Bring to a simmer slowly, never to a full boil!
Lightly coat mirepoix and roast in a roasting pan at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally, until a deep golden brown. Remove mirepoix from roasting pan and set aside to be added to the stock after it has simmered for 5-8 hours. Deglaze the pan using remaining red wine (or water). Add deglazed liquid to the stock. Throw in a full onion, celery bits, and a few carrots to cook in with the stock (these will be thrown out later). Drain the fat.
Simmer the stock for 5 to 8 hours, skimming scum off the top often. Stir bones occasionally so that different parts of the bones are sitting on the bottom of the pot. At this time, remove the big veggies, and add the mirepoix.
Simmer for an additional 4 hours. During the final half hour, add the spices. You may add the spices directly or place inside a large tea infusion ball and then drop the ball into the stock.
I removed the meat and skimmed the fat as much as possible. I pulled the meat, shredded it, and added a little liquid from the cooking pot, acv, bbq sauce items to help cook down the meat and crisp edges. I put this into the oven and cooked until it felt ready to me.
Remove stock pot from heat and carefully remove the large bones. Using a chinois strainer and/or cheesecloth, strain stock into another large pot. Salt just enough to be able to better taste the stock, as any reduction in the stock will intensify the salty flavor.
Stock can be used now or cooled in an ice bath in the sink (stir ice water one direction while stirring the stock in the other), then refrigerate.
After the stock has cooled, you may remove the crust of fat that will have formed at the top. If the bones you used had plenty of joint material on them, then the finished stock should have firmed up noticeably, and even congealed into a wiggly, jelly-like consistency. The stock liquifies again once heated.
Ingredients:
1 - 3 lbs. Chuck Roast, twine removed, rinsed & patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cup organic Apple Cider, warmed
1) Pre-heat oven to 500*.
2) Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with salt and pepper, in dutch oven or heavy pan. Place roast in pan and roll around in seasoning, rubbing into meat.
3) Place roast in hot oven uncovered and roast for 15 minutes.
4) Add warmed Apple Cider, cover pot tightly and lower temperature to 350*.
5) Braise Buffalo Roast for 2 ½ hours turning once during braising time.
6) Roast is finished cooking when meat is tender. You should be able to pull the meat apart using 2 forks, (continue braising for another ½ hour if this is not achieved).
7) Remove form heat and let roast rest at room temperature, covered for 1 hour, or until you are able to handle.
8) Remove roast from pot and place on cutting board. Reserve pan juices. Using two forks or hands pull meat apart into manageable pieces and then pull apart into smaller pieces or shred.
9) Return meat to 1 cup of pan juices.
10) Add 1 cup B.B.Q. sauce, or desired amount, and stir to incorporate. Bring to full heat, adding in more pan juices or B.B.Q. sauce as desired. Reduce heat to simmer.
Serve as entrée or on buns for sandwiches. Accompany with Firecracker Coleslaw.
Jill’s B.B. Q. Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Tb. Olive Oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 T. Garlic, chopped
1 T. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Cayenne
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Coriander
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ cup Bourbon
2.4 lbs. Ketchup
1 T. Dijon Mustard
1 T. Worcestershire
Dash of Liquid Smoke
½ cup organic Apple cider or water
1) In heavy saucepan, over medium high heat, heat oil.
2) Add onion and seasonings and sauté for 7 minutes.
3) Deglaze with: 1/2 cup Bourbon or Brandy
4) Add remaining ingredients, and stir until well to incorporate.
5) Add 1/2 cup juice or water to thin as needed. Bring to a boil.
Pour sauce in sealed container and refrigerate.
