Explore the Recipes

Sticky, tender and deeply flavoured – and nothing like the BBQ pulled pork you’re probably imagining. This is my slow-cooked orange pulled pork and it is DELICIOUS.

Before you read any further, this is not BBQ pulled pork. There’s no smoky, sweet, sticky sauce that overwhelms everything on the plate. This is something altogether different and honestly better. Orange juice, warm spices, a little honey and eight hours of patience creates a pulled pork that’s rich and deeply flavoured without being heavy or sickly.

The kind of thing you’ll make on a slow Sunday and find yourself thinking about all week. It’s not overtly orange-flavoured once done but it’s got a beautiful, subtle flavour that you’ll fall in love with.

Makes six generous portions | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 8 hours

---

How to make Slow-Cooked Orange Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork: 1.5 – 2kg pork shoulder, 350ml orange juice, 4 garlic cloves (minced), 1 white onion (roughly chopped), thumb of fresh ginger (chopped), 1.5 tbsp cumin, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp mixed herbs, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, olive oil, salt and pepper

For the sweet potato fries: Sweet potatoes (skin on and chopped into fries or wedges), olive oil, salt and plenty of black pepper, mixed herbs, cumin

To serve: Fresh coriander, pickled red onion, spring onions

Method:

Sear the pork. Season the shoulder generously with salt, pepper and all the dried spices. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in your largest, heaviest pot over a high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until deeply golden – this takes a good ten minutes and it’s worth every second. Remove and set aside.

Build the base. In the same pot, soften the onion over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Pop a generous amount of tomato paste in and stir through, letting it cook for a minute.

Add the liquid. Pour in the orange juice, soy sauce and honey and stir everything together, scraping up all the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot.

Low and slow. Return the pork to the pot – it should sit about halfway in the liquid. Bring to a very gentle simmer, put the lid on and leave on the lowest heat possible for 7 – 8 hours. Turn the meat over about half way through for a nice, even cook.

Pull and finish. When the meat is eventually falling apart, remove it and shred with two forks, discarding the string and any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the pot. If the sauce needs reducing, turn the heat to medium with the lid off for around 30- 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s sticky and coating everything beautifully. Watch it doesn’t burn but you are looking for a slight caramelisation of the sauce and it’s quite forgiving.

For the sweet potato fries. No need to peel them – just tidy the ends and chop into fries or wedges. Coat generously with olive oil, salt, plenty of black pepper, mixed herbs and cumin. Next, you just pop them into the air fryer until golden and cooked through. Because every air fryer is different, keep an eye on them – for me, they take roughly 30 – 40 minutes if you’re doing a big batch but this will be variable.

Serve. Load pulled pork generously over the sweet potato fries with fresh coriander, pickled red onion and spring onions. Or whatever other toppings you fancy!

A few notes:

Just to reiterate- this is not BBQ pulled pork. If that’s what you’re after, this isn’t it. But if you want something more nuanced, less sweet and genuinely surprising, you’re in exactly the right place.

The sumac is the unexpected hero here. Its citrusy, slightly tart quality amplifies the orange without tipping into sweet or sickly territory. Don’t skip it – you can find it in all major supermarkets in the spice department.

Pickled red onion is worth the five minutes it takes to prep it too. Slice a red onion or two thinly, cover with red wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt and leave for an hour. It cuts through the richness of the pork beautifully and will store for several weeks if you don’t use it all. Just ensure your glass jar is sterilised, the onion is fully covered in vinegar and use a clean utensil every time you take some out. Also, if you’re pushed for time, you can also gently heat your vinegar in either a pan on the stove or in the microwave. You want it hot, not boiling. It speeds up the pickling process and you can get them done in about 30 minutes if you’re in a crunch.

The slow-cooked orange pulled pork reheats brilliantly and is arguably even better the next day. Just gently reheat this on the stove. You could even pair it with my homemade olive baguettes if you’re looking to make a beautiful, loaded sandwich for lunch.