I’m not a massive fan of leftovers. As a general rule I love to enjoy a meal on the day and am ready to move on to a brand new culinary day. Of course, ‘they say’ that many meals are even better the next days curries in particular. This is true, but as someone who enjoys the cornucopia of eating and drinking, I’m ready to head to a different country, protein and rarely eat the same thing two days in a row.

The sous chef is less fussy. Plainly from the “when you’re on to a good thing’” school of eating he would have Mexican every day if you let him. And this dish in particular.

It’s Pulled Pork Sunday at our house. I’ve already mentioned how Sunday is the perfect day for a relaxing day of slow cooking, and this dish is a prime candidate.

Not only is the pulled pork the most incredible, smoky and melt in the month bowl of deliciousness, but the selection of accessories to the meal make this a fabulous home made Mexican feast.

PULLED PORK WITH APPLE SLAW & MEXICAN RICE (Serves 8)

The Pork
2.3kg pork shoulder, de-boned
Olive oil for frying
Salt & Pepper
2 dried chipotle chillies
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 fat garlic cloves
2 tbsp brown sugar
300ml apple juice
500ml tomato passata
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp raw sugar
60ml apple cider vinegar

The Rice
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
½ jalapeno chilli
400gm black beans, rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cup basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
Olive oil for frying

The Slaw
2 green apples, cored, halved and thinly sliced.
½ white cabbage, shredded
1 small bunch radish, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, chopped,
½ bunch coriander, chopped,
½ bunch mint, chopped,
Juice of 2 limes
Drizzle of olive oil

The Salsas
Tomatillo Salsa
450 gm tinned tomatillo, drained
2 spring onions, chopped
½ jalapeno chilli, seeded and chopped
½ bunch coriander
½ lime juice
¼ tsp sugar

Toasted Guajillo Chilli Salsa
2 dried guajilo chilli
3 garlic cloves
3 large tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees. Remove the skin of the pork reserving for crackling of you’re so inclined.

2. Brown the pork all over in a little bit of olive oil

3. Prepare a dry rub by toasting the chipotle, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, chilli flakes in a frypan until fragrant.

4. Drop spices into a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder. Then add garlic cloves, brown sugar and smoke paprika and combine with the mortar and pestle until combined.

5. Take paste and grab all over your browned pork shoulder taking care to massage into all the nooks and crannies of the meat.

6. Return piece of pork into the cast iron pot with the 2 cups of apple juice and roast in oven (no lid) for 25 minutes.

7. Reduce oven heat to 140 degrees, pop a lid on the pot and return pork to the oven for 4-5 hours depending on your patience.

8. Once the cooking time has expired and the pork is fall apart cooked and golden, remove from the pot and place pot and juices on the stove top.

9. Make a sauce by adding the passata, raw sugar, dijon and cider vinegar to the pot and cook for 15 minutes until it reduces and thickens.

10. Shred the pork ready to serve with sauce.

Mexican Rice

1. Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in olive oil untiled softened. Add the rice and cook until covered in oil

2. Add tomato paste and cook for one minutes, stirring into rice.

3. Add the chicken stock and rinsed beans and clamp on lid for 12 minutes (absorption method) cooking low-medium heat.

Tomatilla Salsa

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor and blend.

Toasted Guajillo Chilli Salsa

Toast the dried chillies and garlic in a dried pan until chillies are toasty and the outer skins of the garlic skins are charred and the inside cloves are tender. The garlic will take longer then the chillies.

Place chillies in bowl with hot water for minimum 10 minutes.

Add to the bowl of a food processor with all ingredients except tomatoe and blend. Add tomatoes and blend again.

The Slaw

1. Toss vegetables, herbs with lime juice and olive oil and serve.

To Serve

A spoon of rice, a serving of pork and a pile of slaw with a dash of each salsa and your done! Sides of guacamole and jalapeno can complete the spread if you haven’t run out of puff.

WATCH OUTS: Keep an eye on the oven. When you’re browning the meat on high it’s fine for the dry rub to darken, but not too much. Similarly the juice shouldn’t run out but keep an eye just in case. The chipotle chilli is like bark to grind. Just chop and grind down as much as you can.

HOT TIP: If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers do not panic. All the ingredients, though great on its own, are equally delicious wrapped into a heated tortilla. Yum. Also, the slaw is great with my Fish Tacos switching the apple for capsicum and a heaped couple of tablespoons of greek yoghurt.