Cider Pulled Pork Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Pork Rub

• 1 tbsp salt

• 1 ½ tsp cumin

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 ½ tbsp mustard

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp ketchup

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoons smoke paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• leftover pork stock from roast (remove fat)

• Flour to thicken

Pie

• 1.7kg pound boneless pork shoulder, (trimmed of excess fat)

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced (I use brown onions)

• 1 can Thatcher’s Juicy apple cider (or any sweet cider)

• 3 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 x 500g puff pastry (you could also use short crust)

Method:

Step 1.

Combine all spices. Prep the pork by trimming off the skin and any excess fat, then coat it evenly in oil and mustard. Generously rub the spices all over the pork. Preheat the oven to 150°C fan.

Step 2.

Heat some oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof pot. Once hot, brown the pork on all sides. While it’s browning, thinly slice your onions. When the pork is browned all over, deglaze the pot with a splash of water or cider, scraping up all the tasty bits from the bottom. Add the onions, stir, and remove from heat. Place the pork back in the pot, pour cider and apple cider vinegar around it, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover the pot and bake in the oven for at least 4 hours (I went for 5, but it would have been fine with 4).

Sauce:

Step 3.

While the pork is in the oven, start prepping the sauce. Heat oil in a pan over low heat and add the minced garlic, cooking until fragrant (about 1–2 minutes). Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens in colour. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, excluding the flour and pork juices, and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring so nothing sticks or burns. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepping and Blind baking your pastry:

Step 4.

About 45 minutes before you’re ready to work on the pastry, take it out of the fridge to soften. Butter a pie dish, and if you have a second oven, preheat it to 180°C fan. If not, you can bake the pastry with the pork in the oven; just add 2 minutes to the baking time (but keep an eye on it to avoid overbaking).

Step 5.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness that’s sturdy enough to support the filling without tearing. Carefully line the tin with the pastry, pressing it gently into the corners to avoid creating holes or thin spots. If any thin areas or holes appear, you can patch them up with a bit of extra pastry. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the pastry, making sure it extends above the edges of the tin, and fill it with baking beans (not baked beans!) or uncooked rice to weigh it down. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then, lift out the parchment with the beans or rice and return the pastry to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to dry out slightly. Remove and your pastry is prepped!

Back to the Pork:

Step 6.

Once the pork has been in the oven for at least 4 hours, remove it. Check if it’s easily falling apart when you apply pressure. Transfer all the pork from the pot into a separate dish and shred it! This should be quite easy, given the long cooking time. I found I just needed to mix it about with a spoon, breaking up any tougher bits with the back of the spoon. You could use two forks to shred it if that’s easier for you—whatever method you prefer, as long as it results in nicely shredded pork! Make sure to remove any large pieces of fat, as these won’t be very pleasant in the pie. Turn the oven up to 180°C fan for the pie.

Step 7.

Pour all the liquid (keeping the onions!) from the pot into a measuring jug, so you can separate the fat from the juices. Let it sit for a moment to allow the fat to settle on top, then use a soup ladle or spoon to skim off the top layer of fat until you’re mostly left with just the juices. I ended up with around 400ml, but don’t worry if you have a bit more or less—just use whatever you’ve got!

Step 8.

Bring the sauce from earlier back onto the heat. I removed a couple of spoonful’s and set them aside, so I could control the flavour precisely to my taste. Slowly add in the pork juices, stirring constantly until all the juice is combined in the pot. This part is a bit of a taste-preference game! Add flour about a tablespoon at a time (I ended up adding about 3), whisking after each addition to avoid lumps. Keep the sauce on low heat and aim for a thickness you like. I prefer mine to be a silky, thick gravy. Taste as you go; if you’d like more of the original zing, add back some of the reserved sauce from earlier. If it gets too thick, don’t worry—you can just add a little water and stir until you reach the desired consistency.

Step 9.

Combine the sauce with the shredded pork, making sure it’s evenly coated. Transfer the pork mixture into the pastry-lined pie dish. Roll out a second piece of pastry for the top, place it over the filling, and press the edges with a fork to seal. Brush with egg wash, pierce the top to let steam escape, and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!