Blueberry Barbecue Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
Blueberry BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup frozen blueberries, rinsed
- 1⁄3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
Pulled Pork
- 3 1⁄2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1⁄4 cup + 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Directions
Blueberry BBQ Sauce
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in tomato paste, oregano and chili powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until softened.
- Using a potato masher or fork, crush berries to release juices. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer sauce to blender and purée until smooth; set aside.
Pulled Pork
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut pork shoulder in half and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, black pepper, chili powder and garlic powder.
- Drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil onto pork shoulder and rub to coat. Rub spice mixture all over pork.
- In Dutch oven or large oven-safe saucepan set over medium-high heat, add remaining oil. In batches to avoid crowding, cook pork shoulder, turning, for 12 to 18 minutes or until seared on all sides; remove from Dutch oven and set aside.
- Add onions, smashed garlic and thyme to the Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened. Return pork shoulder to Dutch oven and add chicken broth.
- Cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, flipping pork halfway through. When pork is tender, let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer pork to another large bowl. Using 2 forks, shred pork and season with remaining salt; set aside.
- Return Dutch oven with cooking liquid to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half; set aside.
- Add 2/3 cup reduced cooking liquid to pulled pork. Set aside remaining cooking liquid for future use.