Recipe for pulled pork sous vide
Pulled pork is pork at its best. A truly legendary classic for the guys! Juicy, tender, flavorful, soft as butter… What’s not to like?
The one I made here might just be the ultimate pulled pork: Neck fillet from the Spanish luxury pig, Iberico (also known as black-footed pig), cooked sous vide. Nothing short of perfect.
Read along here where I will explain to you how to go about it, so you get the best pulled pork you can imagine.
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What is pulled pork?
The basic idea of pulled pork is that all the fat in fatty cuts (like neck fillet or neck cut) should be melted to make the meat tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
This is done by first curing the meat by placing it in a salt/sugar brine and then slow-cooking it. This process slowly melts the fat, leaving you with a tender and delicious piece of meat that can be shredded – hence the name “Pulled Pork,” meaning pork that is shredded/”pulled” apart.
The idea of pulled pork originates from the USA, specifically the Southern states: that is, everything south of the Delaware Bay, Pennsylvania, and the Ohio River.
Traditionally, the meat is slow-smoked over wood. However, it can also be made in the oven or a slow cooker. Afterward, the meat is manually shredded, for example with special pulled pork forks or just using two regular forks. Finally, the meat is mixed with a spiced barbecue sauce, and then it’s ready to serve.
Pulled pork is perfect for burgers, and if there are leftovers, they can be used in the following days for pita, omelet, tart, or a sandwich.
Pulled pork sous vide
I’ve made pulled pork in different ways over time, but of course, I’m very fond of the sous vide method. It’s incredibly easy, and the meat becomes perfectly juicy and delicious. Another thing that makes sous vide fantastic for pulled pork is that all the juices and flavors are preserved inside the meat. It becomes almost “embedded” in the meat! In a regular oven, some of the juices will always evaporate.
By cooking pulled pork sous vide, you’ll get a result that’s far juicier and more tender than pulled pork cooked in, for example, an oven.
Pulled pork sous vide time and temperature
Pulled pork sous vide requires a bit of planning. It’s not something you decide on just before the guests arrive – unless you’re planning for a midnight snack 🙂
Recommendations “out there” vary a bit, and there is no right or wrong. However, I believe that pulled pork should be given at least a day in the sous vide.
Serving suggestions
The classic coleslaw always pairs well with pulled pork. If the meat is to be used for burgers, I recommend brioche burger buns or pretzel burger buns. Fill the buns with pulled pork, coleslaw, mayo, and extra barbecue sauce. It’s a winning combination!
As mentioned, the leftovers can be saved for lunch/dinner the following days. For example, try putting the meat in pita, omelets, tarts, or sandwiches.
Pulled pork sous vide
Equipment
- Sous Vide
Ingredients
Salt/sugar brine
- 2 l Water
- 100 gram Salt
- 50 gram Sugar
- 10 pcs. Peppercorns
- 5 pcs. Bay Leaf
Dry rub
- 48 gram Brown sugar
- 14 gram Paprika
- 7 gram Smoked paprika
- 18 gram Coarse salt
- 2.3 gram Pepper
- 2 gram Cayenne Pepper
- 2.7 gram Chili Powder
- 2.5 gram Aromat Spice
- 2.4 gram Onion Powder
- 3.1 gram Garlic Powder
- 2.1 gram Cumin
Pulled pork sous vide
- 2 kg Neck Fillet Can also be a pork shoulder
Instructions
Brine
- Bring the water to a boil and add salt, sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaves. When the sugar is dissolved, the brine is ready to use. I typically pour it into a large zip-lock bag and place the bag in a dish or container so it doesn't tip over.
- Place the bag/brine in the refrigerator. Once it has cooled, place the pork shoulder in the bag, where it should marinate for at least 8 hours, but preferably up to 12-14 hours. At home, we typically prepare the brine in connection with a dinner meal and place it in the refrigerator. Around bedtime, the brine is usually cold enough to add the meat so it can marinate overnight.
Dry rub
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to mix them together. Since the brown sugar can be a bit moist, it's important to get everything evenly distributed.
Pulled pork sous vide
- Take 1/3 of your dry rub and set it aside - it will be used the next day. Now use the remaining 2/3 to marinate the meat: Rub it thoroughly into the meat all around with your fingers.
- Wrap the meat in a vacuum bag and vacuum seal it.
- Cook the meat in the water bath for 24 hours at 73 degrees Celsius (163 degrees Fahrenheit).
- After the 24 hours, take the meat out of the bag, and pour the liquid into a separate pitcher. There is quite a bit of liquid, but that's okay. You can, for example, reduce the leftover liquid into a delicious barbecue sauce.
- Pat the meat dry with a clean dishtowel or some paper towels and place the meat in an ovenproof dish.
- Now massage the remaining 1/3 of your dry rub into the meat and cook it for 30-45 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) with convection. You can also cook it in a closed grill.
- The outside of the meat can become black. This only adds a delicious flavor to the meat!
- Take the meat out of the oven.
- Use two forks to shred the meat.
- Once all the meat is shredded, pour a little of the liquid from the vacuum bag into the dish and mix well.
- Finally, you can toss the meat with barbecue sauce.
- Enjoy.