Korean Pulled Pork
I had a happy accident happen when I ordered two packages of country style pork ribs and got three delivered. Because I needed to do something easy with 15 pounds of pork that would make a lot of meals, I decided to make pulled pork. I can put quarts of pulled pork in the freezer and take them out whenever I need them to serve it on rolls or tortillas. I used a vinegar based BBQ sauce for a few quarts so that we wouldn’t get bored. The rest I made into everyone’s real favorite, Korean pulled pork.
Korean pulled pork is by no means an authentic recipe, but I use some Korean flavors. I keep a tub of gochujang in the refrigerator. Gochujang is a spicy and sweet fermented red chili paste used in Korean cooking. I like that it has a thin sauce that is not as thick as barbecue sauce. Crazily, I usually serve Korean pulled pork on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage on top, taco style. Sometimes I toss the cabbage with a little lime juice, other times I can’t be bothered. I have no reason why I decided on this combination. I’m pretty sure the flavor of corn tortillas is not a flavor in Korean cooking. Let’s just call it fusion.
In the past, I have usually cooked the pork in a foil covered baking dish in the oven. This time, I decided to use my Instant Pot. The pork came out well and tasted fine in the end, but everyone agreed that they didn’t like the smell in the house while it was cooking. It was a lot easier for me in the Instant Pot. Since everyone likes to eat this dish, they are just going to have to suck it up while it is cooking. I made the pulled pork about 3 weeks ago and froze it in quarts. I needed to break up the activity of making it from the actual prepping of the dinner. I’m thinking about trying this recipe with some sort of beef like a chuck roast. Maybe I will do that when we run out of the many quarts of Korean pulled pork in the freezer.
Korean Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Pork
- 9-10 lbs Country Style Pork Ribs
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 cup Apple or White Grape Juice
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger minced or ginger paste in a tube
- 1/4 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
- 1/4 cup Gochujang
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Unseasoned Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons toasted Sesame Oil
For Serving
- Corn Tortillas
- Shredded Cabbage
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Remove the trivet from Instant Pot liner.
- Put juice, brown sugar and garlic clove into the liner. Give it a quick stir.
- Add ribs on top of the mixture.
- Put on the lid with the vent in sealed position and manual cook for 55 minutes. Natural release for 15 minutes.
- Remove ribs into a bowl and cool. Shred with forks or fingers. (Remove any bones!)
Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to 325°
- Put juice, brown sugar and garlic clove into a deep sided roasting pan. Stir to distribute and dissolve sugar.
- Lay the ribs evenly in the pan. (Can be in a double layer)
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 2 hours
- Remove ribs from the oven and remove the foil. If the meat isn’t falling apart tender cover it again and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Move the ribs into a bowl and cool. Shred with forks or fingers. (Remove any bones!)
Sauce (make while ribs are cooking)
- Whisk chicken broth, garlic, ginger, oil, hoisin sauce, gochujang, honey, soy sauce,rice vinegar, ketchup and sesame oil in a medium bowl.
- Pour over shredded pork and mix well.
