Pork Shoulder Roast:

$13.49 per kgAdd to cart

Instapot version

Ingredients:

• 3 and a 1/2 lbs Ontario pork roast shoulder or butt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil canola, vegetable, avocado
• 2 onions largely diced
• 6 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 473 ml beer 1 tallboy or 1 1/2 regular cans

Cooking Instructions:

1. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute high setting and add in the oil. Allow it to heat up.
2. Season pork generously with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the salt and pepper pork to the Instant Pot to brown it on all sides. You want a nice crust. It’s okay if bits get stuck to the bottom. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.
3. Next, lower the pot to medium (still on saute) and add the chopped onions and garlic into the Instant Pot. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant – about 5 minutes. Next, add in the chili powder, paprika, coriander and bay leaves. Continue to cook for an additional 2-4 minutes.
4. Add tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and beer. Allow to come to a light boil and then return the pork to the Instant Pot. DO NOT MIX IN TOMATO PASTE – place it on top of the other ingredients.
5. Change the settings to pressure cook (high setting) and set the timer to 55 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to run its course, and once it’s finished, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for an additional 10 minutes. If you’re using a larger or smaller roast, you may need to add/subtract 5-10 additional minutes of cook time per pound of pork.
6. Once the meat is fork-tender, remove the pork from the Instant Pot to a plate and turn the Instant Pot back to “saute” on high. Allow the sauce to boil, then lower it to medium to maintain a simmer. Stir the whole time. If the sauce is too thin, you may add 1 tsp of cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water to form a slurry. Allow it to simmer until it has reached the desired thickness.
7. Take 2 forks and shred the pork into a pulled pork texture. Return it to the pot and allow it to absorb the sauce for around 5 minutes.
8. Serve with carb of choice (buns, mac and cheese, sliders, etc) and a vegetable side. Lauren recommends coleslaw or salad.

Credit: Ontario Pork (https://ontariopork.on.ca/recipes/ontario-pulled-pork-instant-pot)

Slow Cooker (crockpot) version

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 lb (1.75 kg) Ontario pork shoulder blade roast
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) EACH: salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chili powder
• 2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) tomato paste
• 1 14 oz (425 g) can tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) cider vinegar
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions:

1. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sear pork until brown all over. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. In the same skillet, add onions, garlic, chili powder, coriander and bay leaves. Fry ingredients while stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan; bring to a boil. Pour sauce into slow cooker, cover and cook on low until pork is tender, 8 to 10 hours.
3. Once cooked, transfer pork to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 10 minutes. With two forks, shred or “pull” pork.
4. Meanwhile, pour liquid from slow cooker into large saucepan and skim off fat. Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil vigorously until reduced to 3 cups (750 mL), about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves.
5. Add pulled pork to reduced sauce mixture and lower heat to simmer until hot, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve on crust rolls with a green salad. For an appetizer, place pulled pork on a crostini and top with caramelized onions.

Credit: Ontario Pork (https://ontariopork.on.ca/recipes/ontario-pulled-pork-slow-cooker)