Cider pulled pork and ‘campfire’ mash
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Helen Cathcart
Cider pulled pork and ‘campfire’ mash
This recipe gives you a delicious, lip-smackingly good sauce, which is soaked up perfectly by the mash. If you're planning to eat this on Bonfire Night, then wrap the potatoes in foil and cook them in the embers for an even more special smoky flavour
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
641Kcal
Fat
21gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
65gr
Sugars
18gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
38gr
Salt
0.6gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 1.25kg boneless pork shoulder joint
- 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, plus 2 tsp extra
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 11⁄2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp plain flour - use gluten-free if required
- 450ml dry cider
- 150ml chicken stock - use gluten-free if required
- 2 tsp light brown sugar
- 3 unpeeled eating apples (we used Braeburns), cored and cut into 1-2cm chunks
- 6 baking potatoes, about 250g each
- 50g butter
- about 3 tbsp milk
Step by step
Get ahead
The pork will keep in the fridge for 3 days or freezes well. Reheat gently in a covered pan, adding a little extra water.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Pat the pork dry with kitchen paper and season generously. Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole or nonstick pan and once hot, sear the pork on all sides until well browned; 10-15 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- Reduce the heat and cook the sliced onions for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and golden brown. Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika and flour to coat the onions and then cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cider, stock, brown sugar and apple chunks. Bring to the boil, then return the pork to the pan. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 4 hours (allowing space for an oven shelf above), turning the pork every hour or so.
- After the pork has been in for 11⁄2 hours, prick the potatoes several times with a fork and rub 2 teaspoons of oil all over the skins. Place directly on the oven shelf, above the pork, and bake for 2 hours or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
- Remove the baked potatoes from the oven, carefully halve then scoop the flesh from the skin into a large saucepan (discard the skins). Mash together with the butter and milk until smooth, adding more milk if the mash looks too stiff. Season well. Cover and place over a very low heat to keep warm until the pork is ready.
- After 4 hours, the pork should be completely tender and almost falling apart. Transfer the joint to a chopping board and shred with 2 forks, discarding any chunks of skin or fat, before stirring the meat back into the sauce. Check the seasoning and serve the shredded pork and sauce on top of the campfire mash.
