Best Red Cooked Pork Shoulder Recipes

RED COOKED PORK (HONG SHAO ROU): GRANDMA'S VERSION

Steps:

• Start by cutting up your pork belly.
• Then fill a pot with cold water and submerge your eggs. Put the pot on the stove and gently bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Take them out and put them into a bowl of ice water to cool for 5 minutes before peeling.
• After that's done, boil some more water in a large pot. Add the pork to the boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes to get rid of excess fat and other impurities. Drain and rinse the meat.
• Make sure your wok is clean and dry. Over medium low heat, add about 3 tablespoons of sugar to the dry wok (no oil) and toss the sugar around. You'll see it start to turn an amber color. Let it melt until it becomes almost a syrup.
• Add the meat to the pan in 1 layer (still no oil necessary). Let the meat brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Then add ½ cup shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce and a cup of water. Stir.
• Cover the wok and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Check it periodically to make sure that it's not too dry, adding a little water when necessary.
• By then, your eggs should be cooled off. Peel them and score them lengthwise to let the sauce into the crevices of each hard-boiled egg. Add them to the pan and gently coat them in the sauce, being careful not to break them up. Simmer for another 15 minutes (add water if needed) and then take the eggs out of the pan. Taste the sauce at this point for salt. If it needs a little more, add a dash of soy sauce 1 teaspoon at a time, until it's right. We found that you didn't need much more beyond the initial 2 tablespoons, but use your own judgment.
• Then add your tofu and stir in gently. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Give everything another stir and add your eggs back in.

PRESSURE COOKER SPICY PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• To prepare pork, combine garlic, brown sugar, chile flakes, salt and pepper. Rub marinade all over pork. If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to up to 24 hours. Otherwise, proceed with recipe.
• Set electric pressure cooker to sauté (or use a large skillet). Add pork in batches and sear until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 cup water to pot (or to skillet to deglaze, then move to pot), cover, and set to cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Or cook in a slow cooker for 5 to 7 hours until tender.
• While pork cooks, prepare sauce: In a small pot, warm peanut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set sauce aside. (It can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
• Manually release steam. Let pork cool until you can handle it, then shred it into bite-size pieces. Pork can be made to this point up to 3 days ahead.
• While pork cools, strain liquid from bottom of pot. Pour off fat (or chill liquid, then scoop off solidified fat with a spoon). Reserve.
• Prepare cucumbers: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except sesame seeds, and let sit, tossing one or twice, for at least 20 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds.
• When ready to serve, heat broiler. Toss pork with sauce and 1 to 2 tablespoons cooking liquid - just enough so pork is evenly coated but not wet or runny. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil until crisped on top, 2 to 3 minutes; it will char in places, and that's fine.
• Serve pork over rice or on slider rolls, with cucumbers and kimchi, if desired.

BRAISED PORK WITH RED WINE

Steps:

• Combine pork, salt and pepper to taste, wine, stock, carrots and garlic in a saucepan, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so that mixture simmers steadily but not vigorously. (If using a slow cooker, just turn it to ''high'' and let cook for at least three hours.)
• Cook, stirring every half-hour or so, until meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour and most likely a bit longer. Use a slotted spoon to remove solid ingredients to a bowl, then turn heat to high. (If using a slow cooker, transfer liquid to a saucepan for this step.) Reduce to about a cup, or even less. Taste and adjust seasoning, then lower heat and stir in butter.
• Add solids to sauce and reheat. Serve over egg noodles, garnished with parsley.

BIG RED SLOW-COOKER PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Cook the pork:
• Mix salt, black pepper, cumin, paprika, and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub all over pork.
• Stir soda and barbecue sauce in slow cooker. Place pork in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low, spooning juices over top of pork or turning occasionally, until meat is very tender and falls apart when shredded with 2 forks, about 8 hours.
• Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool slightly. Shred pork with 2 forks. Discard large pieces of unrendered fat or gristle.
• Make the Big Red barbecue sauce:
• Stir barbecue sauce and 2 Tbsp. soda in a medium bowl. Taste and add up to 1 Tbsp. Big Red, depending on sweetness of barbecue sauce. Toss shredded pork in desired amount of sauce and drizzle more sauce over. You can also spoon some cooking liquid over pork for extra flavor. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve pork with Big Red sauce alongside, or make sandwiches with buns, pork, slaw, pickles, and an extra drizzle of sauce, if desired.
• Do Ahead
• Pork can be coated in spice rub 1 day ahead; chill. Pork can be cooked and shredded up to 3 days ahead; transfer to an airtight container and chill.

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rub roast well on all sides with liquid smoke.
• Combine salt, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
• Add 1 Tbs of the above mixture to the seasoned salt and sprinkle this mixture on all sides of roast---You may not need to use it all, use your own judgement.
• Place roast in a large roasting pan or dutch oven---add the onion, water (pour around roast, not over it) and bay leaves.
• Cover, place in oven and cook for 2 1/2- 3 hours, or until internal temperature of meat is 170 degrees F.
• Remove from oven and pan-- let roast cool for a few minutes.
• Slice meat or shred as for pulled pork (I usually do half sliced and half pulled).
• Serve on bread or buns with your favorite BBQ sauce or coat bread or buns with mayonnaise.

RED-COOKED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add scallions, garlic, and ginger and toss in the oil until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Add water (or stock and water mix), soy sauce, rice wine (or scotch or sherry), brown sugar, anise, and cinnamon stick.
• Bring to boil, then add pork picnic shoulder.
• Turn the meat to cover it with liquid and color it.
• Reduce the heat and cover the pan.
• Simmer, turning the meat every hour and basting it, until it's fork tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the pan and spoon off the fat from the pan juices.
• Slice the meat.
• Serve with the pan juices.

CAROLINA "RED" PULLED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix the rub ingredients.
• Coat the pork shoulder all over with the rub and press the spices into the meat. Allow the pork to stand at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes before grilling.
• Follow the grill's instruction for smoking with wood chips. With the lid closed, grill and smoke the pork, fat side up, over indirect low heat (250°F to 300°F) for about 1 hour. (Note: Smoke the pork for the first hour only.) Meanwhile, make the sauce.
• In a heavy-bottom saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and, if desired, add extra hot pepper sauce.
• After the pork has been grilling for 1 hour, baste it with the sauce and continue to baste every 30 minutes. Continue grilling until the temperature at the center of the meat registers 180°F When it is done, the meat should be tender enough to tear with your fingers. The total grilling time will be 5 to 6 hours.
• Transfer the pork shoulder to a baking sheet, brush liberally with some remaining sauce, and tightly cover with aluminum foil. Let the pork rest for 30 minutes before serving.
• To serve, pull the warm meat apart with your fingers or two forks and shred into pieces. Discard any large pieces of fat. Pile the seasoned pork on hamburger buns along with your favorite coleslaw and a generous amount of sauce.