Manitoba Pulled Pork

In this post, our friend Rosemary extolled the virtues of Southern-style barbecue. As I'm typing this,

actor and Englishman Stephen Fry is on Bones in the background talking about how much he enjoys this part of American culture. I must say I'm glad to hear the praise, as well as his very fetching accent! Apparently he's not the only Brit who enjoys this sort of thing; a friend from Canada (a  British commonwealth) gave me a recipe for their version of barbecue. It does take a long time to make, but it's worth the wait!

Manitoba Pulled Pork

3 ½ pounds pork shoulder blade roast

2 thinly-sliced green onions

1 14-oz can tomato sauce

2 diced onions

5 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp pepper

Preheat your oven to 300 F. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the pork and heat in oil over medium-high heat. When it is brown all over, set aside.

Put garlic, onions, coriander, garlic and bay leaves into a Dutch oven. Fry for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Stir in the tomato paste and mix for about 2 minutes. Then, add the tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar and Worcestershire sauce to the mix. Once well-stirred and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan (that happens to me when I make sauce), add the pork.

Now, cover and braise in the oven, being sure to turn it over once and baste every 30 minutes. Once the pork is tender (3 ½ to 4 hours later), remove from oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Put the pork on a plate and pick the pork apart (thus the 'pulled' title) with 2 forks. While you're doing this, pour the leftover liquid into a saucepan and skim off any excess fat. Cook to a boil on high for 15 minutes until you only have 3 cups of liquid left. Remove the bay leaves.

Now, add the pork to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for about 4 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle the green onions, add to burger buns and serve.

Sounds great, huh? I'm glad to see that our neighbors to the north have created a dish that almost does justice to the brand. Almost.