Italian Pulled Pork Food

PORCHETTA - ITALIAN MARKETPLACE SLOW ROAST PULLED PORK SANDWICH

Steps:

• Lay the pork on a large chopping board and cover with cling film. With a rolling pin, mallet, or other suitable blunt object, pound the meat as close to an even 1" thickness that you can manage.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high. Add all of the chopped onion, half the minced garlic, half the fennel seeds, all of the rosemary and bay, half of the ground cloves, salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until all the fragrance has been released from the herbs and spices. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Spread and rub this mixture over and into the pork, then roll the meat up as tightly and neatly as you can. Tie with kitchen string at intervals.
• Mix the remaining ingredients (minced garlic, fennel seeds, ground cloves, olive oil) and rub it over the outside of the pork. Cover it with cling film and refrigerate 24 hours, or at least overnight.
• Remove the meat 40 minutes before cooking to allow it to return to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/300F Take the cling film off the pork and place the pork joint in to a roasting tin.
• Cook the pork for 4 hours to 5 hours, until it is falling apart when you test it with a knife or fork. If the spices on the surface start to char too badly (a little blackness is a good thing), tent foil loosely over the roast. (I find I need to cover it for the last hour of cooking.).
• CROCK POT - at this stage, cook the pork in a crock pot for 4 to 5 hours on high, or on automatic for up to 8 hours.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest at least 30 minutes to one hour. Slice, pull or shred the meat and serve in warmed ciabatta rolls.

ITALIAN PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the fennel seed, steak seasoning and cayenne if desired. Cut roast in half. Rub seasoning mixture over pork. In a large skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides. Place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the peppers, onions and tomatoes; cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until meat is tender., Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred pork with 2 forks and return to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/2 cup meat mixture on each bun.

PORCHETTA - ITALIAN MARKETPLACE PULLED PORK SANDWICH (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Rub the roast all over with the olive oil, then rub with the seasonings. Place roast in bottom of crock pot, and top with the bay leaves and chopped onion.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 10-12 hours more until meat is falling apart, yet tender, and done.
• Remove to a large cutting board and let cool slightly, then use two forks to pull apart the meat into chunks, discarding the bay leaves.
• Stuff into warmed and buttered Italian ciabatta rolls, and dig in!