Barbecued Pulled Pork and Pineapple Slaw
Admittedly, I am a neighborhood kind of girl. I grew up walking to the city park at the end of my street, meeting friends at the public pool and most of my youth was a combination of listening to mix tapes on my boom box and strolling malls with my friends, sipping on an Orange Julius smoothie. If you would have told me I would live in the country with a bunch of animals someday, I wouldn’t have believed you.
But here I am, raising a family on a little hobby farm. I’ve watched cows give birth and even assisted (that might be a bit of a stretch, I brought out towels when a calf was born in the winter on a pile of snow and we needed to get the baby warmed up and moving fast). But I have wrangled naughty, mischievous lambs who escaped the pasture and decided to eat my rose bushes in the front yard and I even gave one of my chickens a bath in my bathtub to try and help with an injured foot. If that doesn’t scream life on a farm, then I don’t know what does.
And while I fell into this life quite by surprise, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love looking out my window at the cows grazing in the pasture. I love the fresh eggs my chickens provide every day and most of all, I love my haphazard wild garden. Caring for animals has taught my children so many life lessons, but most of all it's been a great adventure of doing something together.
I’ve learned over the years, that the animals and their needs often trump our own so it might be dinnertime but if we discover an animal is sick or injured or about to have a baby, that’s the priority. I can’t count how many times we’ve sat down to a meal or go to pull out of the driveway for a trip and we see a fence down or an animal that looks ‘off.’ I’ve learned to make meals that can keep in the oven or easily reheat later if the need arises.
One of our favorite spring and summer meals is barbecued pulled pork. I love to make this recipe on my smoker but its just as lovely made in an oven or slow cooker, so don’t let that part of the recipe stop you.
The pork marinade is a sweet and smokey mix of mango and chipotle peppers in adobo. The meat ends up perfectly tender with a savory richness that has just a little sweet and spicy bite to it. The pineapple slaw is a favorite of mine because I love a little crunch and brightness with the richness of the meat. If pineapple isn’t your thing, you could swap it for mango or just make your favorite classic coleslaw recipe instead.
I love to make a double batch of the pulled pork when I have a crowd to feed or life is looking extra busy. We make sandwiches, wraps, nachos and rice bowls all week long and there’s never any leftover.
Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwiches
4 1/2 pounds pork shoulder
1 large yellow onion diced
1 cup mango diced (frozen is fine)
1 14-ounce can petite diced canned tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic mined
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 Hawaiian rolls
Pineapple slaw
Pineapple Slaw
16-ounce bag tricolor coleslaw mix (purple and green cabbage and shaved carrots)
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
4 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced
1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, diced
Juice and zest of 2 large juicy limes
Kosher salt and black pepper
Start by making the pineapple slaw. Wash and slice the pineapple, red bell pepper, green onions, jalapeño and cilantro. I prefer the pineapple and red bell pepper pieces to be very small, thinking of this slaw almost like a salsa. Finely dice the green onions, jalapeño and cilantro.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage mixture with the rest of the ingredients, giving the slaw a good stir to mix the lime juice and zest thoroughly. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper and stir again. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve or up to three days. The slaw benefits from a few hours in the refrigerator as the flavors meld and intensify. Make several hours ahead if possible.
Preheat outdoor grill or smoker to 175 degrees.
Cut the pork shoulder into 3-inch chunks. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper, massaging into the meat. Set aside briefly.
In a large dutch oven, combine the onion, mango, tomatoes, brown sugar, garlic, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle peppers in adobo and another pinch of salt and pepper. Give a quick mix to combine the ingredients, then add the pork pieces to the pot, stirring again to coat the meat in the marinade. Place the lid on the pot and put the pot on the smoker with the lid closed for one hour.
After an hour, increase the temperature on the smoker to 300 degrees. Cook for about three more hours, checking occasionally, giving it a good stir, until the meat falls apart and easily pulls apart with a fork. An internal temperature of the meat should read 160 degrees.
Remove the pot from the smoker and bring inside. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes before taking two forks and shredding the meat.
While the meat is resting, preheat your oven to broil. Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half and place both halves on a baking sheet. Brush lightly with a little butter and toast in the oven, watching them closely for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven. One one side of the toasted rolls, pile the pulled pork and top with a generous scoop of the pineapple slaw. Add a drizzle of your favorite barbecue sauce if desired. Top the with the other half of the Hawaiian roll and serve immediately.