Time for the pulled pork in the Dutch Oven approx. 4-5 h.
After my first attempt at making pulled pork in the oven, getting up at 4 a.m. and then pouring sauce over it every 30 minutes until 7 p.m., I was cured for the time being. It was delicious, even if it wasn’t quite pluckable. There was still a not-so-tender core inside. The time involved seemed too high to me.
But then came the Dutch Oven, or Dopf as it is affectionately called by potters, and with it a new recipe for Pulled Pork.
At first, I tried out other recipes in the Dutch oven, such as layered meat, spare ribs and chicken legs, for which I have already published a few recipes. With my first experiences, I then dared to try Pulled Pork in the Dutch Oven.
Take the following ingredients the day before
2.5 kg pork neck
Mustard
1-2 onions, cut into rings
Spices or rub of choice, I chose Zieh die Sau LeckerGeWirtz.
and a large, clean plastic bag.
The pork neck is rubbed with mustard, then the spices are added to the outside and the whole thing, together with the onions, is put into the plastic bag and left to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or better still 12 hours. If you like, you can also “inoculate” the pork neck with apple juice and spices.
Smoking
I smoked the pork neck, which had been marinated overnight, in my smoker for 1 h at level 2 1/2 over beechwood flour.
Tomato paste
Apple juice and/or meat stock
Coals
Indirect grilling
Then light 15 coals in the charcoal lighter, a metal tube with a handle, and place the smoked pork neck in a Dutch Oven with a stacking grid inside. The onions from the bag and about 1 l of apple juice or stock or a mixture of both and some tomato paste are placed underneath. If you like, you can also add juniper berries or a bay leaf. If you like it hot, add Tabasco or chilli sauce. In August, fresh plums also go very well with the sauce. Just be creative and try out one or the other.
Compensate for fluid loss
Speaking of “beers”, the cook should have a well-deserved and well-chilled cooking beer at his disposal during the sweaty work. Imagine him keeling over dehydrated in front of the pot. Unbelievable.
Temperature profile
Back to the pot. Place nine coals on the bottom and six on the top of the Dutch Oven, put the pot on top, done. Yes, you can also put a thermometer in the meat or in the sauce. I actually did that the first time. The result: every 20-30 minutes you open the pot to see if everything is still right and what do you see? Nothing. The meat is still in the pot and smouldering away, the temperature is around 75 °C KT (core temperature in the meat).
The wire disciples wire the whole thing and control the cooking status via USB and app-controlled remote maintenance. Everyone does it the way he or she likes. What blows me away is the smell wafting out of the pot. It smells delicious! So do the neighbours in the immediate vicinity. Somehow I had the feeling that some of them wanted to invite themselves over to our place for the evening.
Conclusion: I think Dopf is better.
“The meat does what it’s supposed to do all by itself.” Braise. Opening it too often is more of a nuisance.
After a good 3 1/2 hours, check the consistency of the meat and, if necessary, let it cook for up to 1 hour more with the remaining coals. If it is necessary to add more coals, use a maximum of 2-3 coals at the top and bottom. Only when the others are almost burnt out. The Dutch Oven should have an internal temperature of max. 120 – 130 °C. More can be harmful. More is more likely to do harm.
Open the lid in front of everyone
When the guests, or neighbours, are there and sitting around the table, sweep the charcoal residue and ash off the lid with a small hand brush (no plastic bristles!) and lift the lid off in full view of everyone. Ahhhh! Wow, what a hammer of smell!
Carefully lift the pork neck out of the pot with a suitable kitchen tool and place it in a bowl. While the rest of the pot is draining through a sieve, pull the meat apart, i.e. pull it apart with two forks. Pour the rest of the sauce from the pot over it.
Side dishes
Potatoes in almost any form, a salad or coleslaw go well with this. I served it with pickled cucumbers and a plum-chilli chutney, as well as rosemary potatoes.
A cool beer, preferably something stronger like Tyroler Imperial Zwickl, goes very well with it.
Good luck!
And what if something is left over?
Admittedly, it is rare that anything is left over with Pulled Pork. But if it does, you can either freeze it with sauce (!) or heat it up again the next day.
Never leave it in the Dutch Oven overnight. Otherwise the food can get an unpleasant metallic aftertaste and the patina of the Dutch oven will start to dissolve.
It is best to transfer the food to a freezer bag or plastic container.
Good luck with the cooking spoon!
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Pulled Pork im Dutch Oven geht schneller als ohne Dopf.