Sticky Asian-style Pulled Pork (Slow-cooker, Oven and Pressure Cooker!)

Sticky Asian-style Pulled Pork (Slow-cooker, Oven and Pressure Cooker!)

Servings:

Calories: 666kcal

Sticky Asian-style Pulled Pork is cooked until fall-apart tender in the oven, slow-cooker or pressure cooker, coated in a rich , garlic and ginger sauce, then stuffed into Peking duck-style pancakes (my favourite!), rice paper wrappers, mini tortillas or , or served with rice or noodles. Made with an affordable cut of pork and simple supermarket ingredients, it’s perfect for family dinners, entertaining, meal prep, and easy leftover meals all week long.

Cook Time4 30

Total Time4 45

Ingredients

Pork

2 kg pork Scotch roast (pork butt roast) or boneless pork shoulder, rind removed if required (see note 1)

Sauce

185 ml hoisin sauce
80 ml light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
60 ml oyster sauce
55 g brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, julienned or roughly chopped
1 large piece ginger (about 8 cm/3¼ inches), finely sliced or roughly chopped
250 ml reduced-salt chicken stock
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

To Finish

1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 tbsp water

To Serve

2 x 130 g (4½ oz) packets (20 wrappers) frozen Peking duck pancake pastry (see note 2)
2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers, cut into thin strips lengthways
2 carrots, julienned
3 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced into long thin batons
¼ bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
½ red onion, finely sliced
Fresh red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
Sriracha mayo (optional)
Sesame seeds

Instructions

Oven method

Preheat the oven – Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) (140°C/275°F fan-forced).
Prepare the pork – Pat the pork dry with a paper towel and place it in a large heavy-based ovenproof pot or Dutch oven with a lid (see step 4 if you only have a baking dish).
Make the sauce – In a large bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients, except the star anise and cinnamon, until well combined.
Add the sauce – Pour the sauce over the pork. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick. Cover with the lid (or tightly cover with a double layer of foil if using a baking dish), ensuring it is well sealed so no steam can escape.
Cook the pork – Cook for 4 hours, turning the pork halfway through, or until it easily pulls apart with two forks. If needed, continue cooking in 30-minute intervals until tender.
Caramelise the pork – Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the pork is lightly caramelised around the edges.
Thicken the sauce – Stir the cornflour mixture into the cooking liquid until well combined. Transfer the pot to the stovetop over medium heat and simmer for 2–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened into a rich, sticky glaze. Ladle 185 ml (¾ cup) of the sauce into a small bowl and set aside for serving.
Shred the pork – Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise. Shred the pork directly in the pot using two forks, gently tossing it through the remaining sauce in the pot as you go, until well coated.
Serve – Prepare the pancakes according to the packet instructions. Arrange the pancakes, sticky pulled pork, reserved sauce, cucumber, carrot, spring onion, coriander, red onion, fresh chilli, sriracha mayo and sesame seeds in the centre of the table and let everyone build their own pancakes.

Slow-cooker method

Prepare the pork – Pat the pork dry with a paper towel and place it into the base of a slow-cooker.
Make the sauce – In a large bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients, except the star anise and cinnamon, until well combined.
Add the sauce – Pour the sauce over the pork. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick.
Cook the pork – Cover and cook on Low for 8–10 hours or High for 5–6 hours, or until the pork easily pulls apart with two forks.
Shred the pork – Carefully transfer the pork to a tray. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise if they have come out with the pork. Shred the pork using two forks, then loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
Thicken the sauce – Skim any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Ladle 500–750 ml (2–3 cups) of the cooking liquid (or whatever remains if there is less) into a saucepan (see note 3). Transfer to the stovetop over medium heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir through the cornflour mixture and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened into a rich, sticky glaze. Ladle 185 ml (¾ cup) of the sauce into a small serving bowl and set aside for serving.
Combine the pork and sauce – Return the shredded pork to the slow-cooker. Pour over the thickened sauce and gently toss until well coated.
Caramelise the pork (optional) – For extra caramelised edges, transfer the pork to a baking tray, spoon over a few tablespoons of the sauce and grill (broil) on high heat for 5–8 minutes, or until lightly caramelised around the edges.
Serve – Prepare the pancakes according to the packet instructions. Arrange the pancakes, sticky pulled pork, reserved sauce, cucumber, carrot, spring onion, coriander, red onion, fresh chilli, sriracha mayo and sesame seeds in the centre of the table and let everyone build their own.

Pressure cooker method

Prepare the pork – Pat the pork dry with a paper towel and place it into the pressure cooker.
Make the sauce – In a large bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients, except the star anise and cinnamon, until well combined.
Add the sauce – Pour the sauce over the pork. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick.
Cook the pork – Secure the lid and cook on High pressure for 90 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure. The pork should easily pull apart with two forks. If needed, cook on High pressure for a further 10–15 minutes.
Shred the pork – Carefully transfer the pork to a tray. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise if they have come out with the pork. Shred the pork using two forks, then loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
Thicken the sauce – Skim any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Ladle 500–750 ml (2–3 cups) of the cooking liquid (or whatever remains if there is less) into a saucepan (see note 3). Simmer over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir through the cornflour mixture and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened into a rich, sticky glaze. Ladle 185 ml (¾ cup) of the sauce into a small serving bowl and set aside for serving.
Combine the pork and sauce – Return the shredded pork to the pressure cooker. Pour over the thickened sauce and gently toss until well coated.
Caramelise the pork (optional) – For extra caramelised edges, transfer the pork to a baking tray, spoon over a few tablespoons of the sauce and grill (broil) on high for 5–8 minutes, or until lightly caramelised around the edges.
Serve – Prepare the pancakes according to the packet instructions. Arrange the pancakes, sticky pulled pork, reserved sauce, cucumber, carrot, spring onion, coriander, red onion, fresh chilli, sriracha mayo and sesame seeds in the centre of the table and let everyone build their own.

Notes

Note 1 – Pork Scotch roast (pork butt roast) is my preferred cut because it's easy to find and usually comes with the rind already removed. Boneless pork shoulder is another excellent option and is often more affordable. If using pork shoulder, remove the rind before cooking.

Note 2 – You can find frozen Peking duck pancake pastry in the freezer section of most major supermarkets in Australia or at Asian grocery stores internationally – make sure you buy the packets that only include the round pastry wrappers (not the full kits that include the duck). They’re the same style commonly served with Peking duck in Chinese restaurants. I usually let them thaw in the packet at room temperature, then place them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 1 minute before serving. Don’t worry if you can’t find these pancakes as there are many other things you can use. See the Leftovers section below for other ways to serve the pork.

Note 3 – The amount of cooking liquid will vary depending on the cut of pork used. Use no more than 750 ml (3 cups) of the cooking liquid to make the sauce. If you have less than this, simply reduce and thicken whatever remains.

Make Ahead

This recipe is perfect for making ahead because the flavour only gets better with time.

Cook the pork up to 2 days ahead.
Store the pork and sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
Reheat the sauce in a saucepan or microwave until hot.
Reheat the pork in a covered baking dish at 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced) for 20–25 minutes, stirring through a little of the sauce to keep it juicy.
For caramelised edges, place the pork under a high grill (broiler) for 5–8 minutes before serving.
The pancakes can be thawed overnight in the fridge and reheated according to the packet instructions.

Leftovers

Store the pulled pork and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

To reheat

Microwave – Reheat the pork and sauce together in 30-second bursts, stirring occasionally, until piping hot.
Stovetop – Warm the pork and sauce gently in a frying pan over medium–low heat until heated through. Add a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Oven – Place the pork in a covered baking dish, spoon over a little extra sauce and bake at 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced) for 20–25 minutes, or until hot.

Leftover ideas

This recipe is just as good the next day! Try serving the leftover pulled pork in:

Rice bowls – Jasmine rice, edamame, avocado, cucumber, carrot, spring onion (scallion), kimchi and sriracha mayo.
Fresh rice paper rolls – Rice paper wrappers with vermicelli noodles, cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, coriander (cilantro), mint and extra sticky sauce.
Lettuce cups (san choy bow-style) – Iceberg or cos (romaine) lettuce, cucumber, carrot, spring onion (scallion), coriander (cilantro), fresh chilli and sriracha mayo.
Fried rice – Stir through homemade fried rice with peas, carrots, egg and spring onion (scallion).
Noodle bowls – Egg noodles or rice noodles with wombok (napa) cabbage, bean sprouts, spring onion (scallion) and coriander (cilantro).
Bao buns – Steamed bao buns with quick pickled cucumber, coriander (cilantro) and sriracha mayo.
Loaded fries – Crispy fries topped with the pulled pork, sriracha mayo, spring onion (scallion) and sesame seeds.

Nutrition Facts

Sticky Asian-style Pulled Pork (Slow-cooker, Oven and Pressure Cooker!)

Amount per Serving

Calories

666

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Sodium

2572

112

Potassium

1178

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

114

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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