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Two boldly flavored Asian ingredients transform traditional pulled pork
Miso-Gochujang Pulled Pork
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This Asian-inflected take on barbecue pulled pork was inspired by the “Pigalicious” wrap served at Bird & Ewe in Sydney. White miso and gochujang provide deep, savory-sweet notes and lots of complex flavor to oven-braised pork butt. Miso usually is sold in the refrigerator case; gochujang, or Korean red pepper paste, does not require refrigeration until the container is opened. Both are available in well-stocked supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. The pork cooks for about three hours; use this time to prep and cook the miso-seasoned onions that are combined with the meat after shredding.
5 pound boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
3/4 cup gochujang, divided
6 tablespoons white miso, divided
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems minced, leaves left whole, reserved separately
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 3 chunks
2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
Ingredients
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5
pound boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
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¾
cup gochujang, divided
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6
tablespoons white miso, divided
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1
bunch fresh cilantro, stems minced, leaves left whole, reserved separately
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¼
cup hoisin sauce
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3
ounces fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 3 chunks
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2
tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
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2
large yellow onions, thinly sliced
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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3
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
Recipe
Gingery Pickled Carrots
Recipe
Gochujang Sour Cream
Directions
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01Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven, combine the pork, ½ cup of gochujang, 2 tablespoons of miso, the cilantro stems, the hoisin, ginger and 1 cup water; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover and place in the oven. Cook until a skewer inserted into the meat meets no resistance, about 3 hours.See Demo
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02Meanwhile, in a nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt, then reduce to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons miso and cook, stirring frequently, until the miso begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.See Demo
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03Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a large bowl. When cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding any fat; set aside. Remove and discard the ginger chunks from the cooking liquid. Tilt the pot to pool the liquid to one side and use a wide spoon to skim off and discard as much fat as possible from the surface. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half and a spatula drawn through the sauce leaves a trail, 5 to 7 minutes.See Demo
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04Whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons gochujang. Stir in the pork and onions. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in the vinegar, then taste and season with pepper. Serve with cilantro leaves, pickled carrots and pickled jalapeños.See Demo
Tip: Don't forget to skim the fat off the cooking liquid so the pulled pork doesn't end up greasy. But make sure to allow the liquid to settle before skimming so all the fat has time to rise to the surface.
In the store
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Buy now
Chung Jung One Premium Gochujang
One of the most complex—and the most popular in the U.S— soy-based condiment. Gochujang, a spicy paste similar to Japanese miso, is a powerhouse ingredient
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Buy now
Kyoto-Style White Miso
Savory, sweet and flavor dense, we consider white miso an absolute pantry staple.
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Buy now
Iio Jozo Pure Rice Vinegar
Rice vinegar is essential in Japanese cooking. This is one of the best we’ve tasted for its neutral, clean flavor and how it pairs with delicate flavors.
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Buy now
Christopher Kimball by Regal Ware 12-inch Premium Stainless Steel Skillet
Fry up some chicken, saute´ a few vegetables, mix up pasta dishes… Whatever the job, if you’re only going to purchase one skillet, this is it.
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Amazing flavors- so good! I followed the recipe exactly but did not notice the gochuang paste I bought was very hot and not mild. I also made the pickled carrots and sour cream as well as pickled cucumbers. Definitely will make again!
This was amazing! I used a 5 pound pork shoulder and cooked it in a crock pot for 8 hours. Followed the rest of the recipe for the onions and reduced the liquid as stated. It was delicious! Would definitely make this again, hopefully with the boneless pork butt!
Joan, what liquid did you cook the pork in in the crock pot? Did you put the shoulder in whole or cut it into pieces?
Kate P.
I was disappointed that the final result of this was an overly salty dish. Quite an investment of time and effort. Probably too much miso. If I try again, I’ll leave much of the miso out, rather than add to the finished onions.
This looks so good! But I've been trying to eat a lot less meat. I wonder how this recipe would taste with Jack fruit instead of pork.
Hi Jennifer,
Please let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I just tried the recipe, swapping a 14 1/2 oz. can of jackfruit (in brine) for the pork and halving the ingredients. After draining and rinsing the jackfruit, I added it to the gochujang mixture and baked it for only two hours (rather than the instructed three). I then proceeded, following the rest of the recipe (shredding the jackfruit in place of the pork). The resulting dish was wonderful. My husband, who is not a fan of jackfruit, stated that it was delicious and would gladly see it in our regular rotation. Thank you for a very successful meal.
Made this today and was very impressed. I'm familiar with gochujang but rarely cook with it and was slightly concerned about it overwhelming the flavor of the pork. This wasn't the case, and it melded well with the pulled pork without being overly harsh or too saucy. The pickled carrots and gochujang sour cream really rounded out the sandwich.
This is an interesting recipe, but we liked the meat much better before adding onions with so much miso. Will omit next time. Be careful with gochujang too, better add it gradually at the end. Also I increased the temperature to 340 F and the meat was ready in 2 hrs 20 min. I think this dish will translate very well into pressure cooker.