A sweet, spicy jerk marinade is the perfect complement to the richness and tenderness of pulled pork. The jalapeños give it heat, the red pepper flakes and fresh ginger give it a little kick, the sweet apple jelly and the tang of the cider vinegar help to balance it all out. But it’s the jerk spices—cinnamon, cloves and allspice—that elevate the flavors to the next level. This recipe is large enough to feed a crowd—or make for dinner and have leftovers.
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Servings: 6
For the Jerk Pulled Pork:
3- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
½ bunch green onions, tops and bottoms, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup apple jelly
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1½ teaspoons dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Trim the fat off the pork, and cut it into a couple of pieces that will fit into a slow cooker. Place into a large freezer bag.
- In a food processor or blender, blend the green onion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, salt, vinegar and apple jelly until smooth.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining dry spices. Rub the dry spice mixture all over the pork to coat it completely, and put it back into the freezer bag.
- Pour the wet marinade over the pork and seal the bag. With the bag sealed, rub this mixture all around to make sure it completely covers the pork. Refrigerate, marinating 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Place the pork along with the marinade into your slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth over the top. Stir everything around to ensure the broth gets to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cover and set the slow cooker on high. Cook the pork 6-7 hours, or until it is very tender and easy to shred.
- Carefully remove the pork from the slow cooker. Place onto a cutting board and gently shred with a fork. Set aside.
- Using oven mitts, pour the remaining liquid out of the slow cooker through a strainer into a saucepot. Skim off the fat from the top of the liquid.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 5-6 minutes or until it begins to reduce down a bit.
- Place the pulled pork back into the slow cooker and pour the reduced liquid back over the pork. Keep the cooker on low or warm until you are ready to serve. Serve on toasted slider rolls (or your choice of vessel) topped with the Jicama Slaw.
For the Jicama Slaw:
1⁄3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups grated jicama
½ cup chopped green onions
1 cup grated carrots
½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, salt, hot sauce, oil and cilantro, if using. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, jicama, green onions, carrots and dried cranberries.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables. mix well.
- Cover and let slaw chill for at least an hour before serving.
ONLINE: Find the recipe for the Baked Yuka Fries at 225batonrouge.com/recipes.
Staff tips
(From editor Jennifer Tormo Alvarez)
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Try it in a taco. I plated the pulled pork in brioche sandwich buns instead of slider rolls, and as soon as I took my first bite I was imagining all the other ways to serve the leftover meat and slaw. It’d be great in a taco, or even paired with eggs in a breakfast burrito.
Practice ingenuity with your slaw. I went to two grocery stores and couldn’t find jicama, but I did spot fresh jicama taco wraps at Trader Joe’s. It turned out to be just as easy to slice those into slaw-sized slivers. I also grabbed a bag of shredded carrots, which shaved a few minutes off my prep time.
This article was originally published in the September 2022 issue of 225 magazine.