This homemade pulled pork is my favourite autumn celebration dinner. It needs 6-8 hours in the oven, and fills the house with the lovely aroma of its sweet mustard glaze. You definitely need a meat thermometer for this recipe; the internal temperature needs to reach 88°C. This is the magic number when the collagen in the tissue breaks down and you get that lovely moist falling-off-the-bone meat. Mmhmm!

Ingredients

1-2 pork shoulders, bone in*

Marinade:
1/2 C ketchup
1/2 C wholegrain mustard
1/4 C dijon mustard
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C oil
2 tsp salt

Barbecue sauce:
1 C ketchup
2/3 C maple syrup
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Any leftover marinade

*the size is quite variable; we used 2 x 2kg shoulders (bone in) for 6 hungry people.

Method

Heat oven to 140 °C.

Rinse pork and pat dry. Use a very sharp knife to score the pork. I always leave the skin on because it turns in to a lovely chewy caramelised treat which my brothers snatch away as soon as it reaches the table!

Line an oven tray with tinfoil or baking paper. The glaze tends to run off the pork and stick to the bottom of the tray, so be sure to line it thoroughly. It’s a messy process.

Place pork shoulders on the lined oven tray skin side up.

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl or glass jug. Spoon generously over the pork, making sure that all sides are coated. This usually uses up about 1/2 – 2/3 of the marinade.

Place in the oven for at least 6 hours. Baste with the remaining marinade around 3 hours in to cooking.

I usually start checking the internal temperature after about 5 hours. Remember, 88 degrees is the magic number! That’s when the meat should be able to be pulled off with a spoon.

While the meat is cooking, make the sauce: gently fry the garlic in a small saucepan until fragrant. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the saucepan. Stir until combined and season to taste.

When the pork has reached the magic temperature, remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes until it’s cool enough to handle. Then remove the skin in one big piece – you can cut or tear this up to serve alongside the pork. Use 2 forks to pull the meat off the bones. I often do this in stages – removing a big chunk which I then place in a bowl and pull apart once it’s off the bone.

Pour the maple barbecue sauce over the pulled meat. Serve immediately – with veggies, salad, wraps, or buns. Anything you want really!