To not understand pulled pork

[NinjaExodus]

Admittedly I haven't eaten much of it.

But when I have it's already cold; surely it's in the format that is designed to go cold the quickest which is really not very nice in a burger or a roll.

What's the attraction?

Pork belly is worse.

Wrt cheap meat - yes, the whole point of it is to make cheap/affordable cuts delicious.

Actually American pigs tend to be overly lean. There was a massive push in the US in the 1980s to breed leaner pigs. This is why people seek out Berkshire or heritage pork.

Everyone I know in North Carolina, and every recipe I've seen, uses pork butt, which is the shoulder, and not the loin. I don't cook pork, but when you are slow cooking meat, you want the fat, tough cuts, not tender, lean pork. The collagen dissolves with cooking. This is why I make braised brisket and Texans smoke it--it's fundamentally the same principle.

Eastern NC is vinegar sauce, western NC is tomato and vinegar--neither sweet. KC style is the really sweet one.

@mathanxiety

Wrt cheap meat - yes, the whole point of it is to make cheap/affordable cuts delicious.

Exactly. Done well, slow cooked pork shoulder or belly, lamb shanks, chicken thighs or brisket is far tastier and more enjoyable than dull cuts like chicken breast or steaks.

Plus it's very important to use all of the animal that's provided the meat.

At first I thought this was a zombie thread from ten years ago. Pulled pork has been around for ages, plenty of time to "understand" it.

@Excelthetube

I wouldn’t get in any restaurant that doesn’t specialise in BBQ Because mostly it’s going to be dry and microwaved. But then I’m amazed at the shit standard of food people put up with. Wagamama for example. I have one near me and it’s the same price and the amazing specialist ramen place down the road. Now I know not everyone has a specialist ramen place, but if I didn’t. I simply wouldn’t eat shit expensive ramen.

I would wait till I could get good ramen.

Familiarity, consistency and comfort is why people go for chains.

But please do have a triple fortune cookie I Only Eat Authentic Food award on me, perhaps you could display it in your window for the Deliveroo driver to see.

@HarebrightCedarmoon why be snarky about it? It’s well known that chains have terrible food that are dumbed down versions of their original selves. And yes, Wagamama is crap. It doesn’t taste like anything really.

Sorry, I'm too in awe of your refined taste buds to reply.

Had pulled pork from "Pork & Co" at the Broadstairs folk festival last month. It was amazing, and I'm not always a huge fan of pork.

It's nicer than just a slab of pork in a bun. But I just avoid pork generally.

@HarebrightCedarmoon maybe you should go eats those chips on your shoulder.

Not fond of park, especially pork belly which sounds and looks what it is.

Pulled pork: sounds a like euphemism for a wank.

Pulled pork is delicious! Slow cook it, then eat it hot in buns.

Exactly. Done well, slow cooked pork shoulder or belly, lamb shanks, chicken thighs or brisket is far tastier and more enjoyable than dull cuts like chicken breast or steaks.

Plus it's very important to use all of the animal that's provided the meat.

Absolutely!
Funny thing. Not so long ago beef cheecks were considered cheap cut good for nothing really. Until some chefs started using them in their restaurants. Gulash is just amazing and that normally uses touch part of meat from leg. No idea what that cut is in English. It goes tender and is full of flavour.

Using all parts, not just the "pretty and easy to cook" cuts is just polite

*just simply polite

I like Wagamama - shoot me now!

Y'all just need to come to North Carolina; find a hole in the wall BBQ joint by the side of a rural road, which has visible and fragrant wood smoke rising from somewhere in the back yard. The flavor of pulled pork should come primarily from the smoke, not the sauce. The best sauce for the most authentic experience, in my opinion, is Eastern Carolina vinegar based which is not sweet.

KC style is the really sweet one.

That depends on which sauce you buy. The KC-style sauce I like best is heavy on celery seeds and cumin.

I wouldn't cook pulled pork with BBQ sauce. That can go on top when serving it. (And it needs to be served on cheap white bread, unbuttered).

Yeah I don't get it either. I've tried it a few times thinking will be good but I've always been underwhelmed. When it comes to pork, prefer chops, belly, ribs etc.

A decent pork (not cheap meat as a pp mentioned) slow cooked for 12 hours in a home made bbq & jack daniels is our go to in summer for topping burgers, so yum!

Again, I had this in Miami every year for about 5 years before it even became a thing over here. Nothing better than juicy, tender, meat in a nice sauce 😍

Proper pulled pork dropped on a dry hot pan to make carnitas! OMG😍 No barbeque or any other sauce. The meat juices are more than enough flavour

Never mind American style pulled pork. Rillettes is where it's at. Pulled pork French style.

Pork is just grim in general. Fatty, tasteless, yuk.

You've been eating the wrong pork then - yes it is cheaper than beef and lamb, but it is tasty and lends itself to all kinds of different things.

I agree, unless you're getting the shitty stuff from Spain / Netherlands.