Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Recreating Momofuku's Pulled Pork

Pin It
momofulu's pulled pork

 When Other Half and I went to New York last year, I spent hours developing a "must eat" list.  I even mapped it out so that we could maximize our few days in the city with great eats. Of all the things we ate that long weekend (and there were A LOT - we ate enough for about a week in just 4 days), there are three absolute stand outs.

One is the Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie from Levain Bakery on the upper west side.  These were so good that I have considered flying back to New York specifically to get a cookie.

Another, is the food cart we encountered at 53rd and 6th.  This was our first meal in the city and after eating it, we contemplated ditching the food list and just eating there every day.

And the last was Kimchi Stew at Momofuku Noodle Bar. It featured kimchi (obviously) and the super tender pulled pork shoulder. Drool.

momofuku's pulled pork

I'm not sure that I'll be using this pulled pork in a kimchi stew, but I will be fondly remembering our days in New York as I devour all this delicious-ness.

I. Cannot. Stop. Eating. This. 

The prep and process for this recipe couldn't be easier. And the results couldn't be tastier. If you're a meat eater, I highly recommend grabbing a pork shoulder (or butt) and making this ASAP. 

Momofuku's Pulled Pork
slightly adapted from Lucky Peach Magazine (Momofuku's new publication) - I found it on Yummy Supper

3-4 pound pork shoulder (I used a pork butt with great results)
1 Tbsp sugar per pound of pork
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt per pound of pork
a few pinches of ground black pepper


  1. Prepare the pork the night before: rub with sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator over-night.
  2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F - this is a low and slow method of cooking and totally worth it!
  3. Place pork in a roasting pan and toss in the oven *edit: without the lid - this creates the most sublime crispy outer layer!
  4. Cook for 6 hours - feel free to baste half way through the cooking time, but this is not 100% necessary
  5. When it's finished cooking, let stand for 30 minutes and then pull, or shred, with two forks
  6. Voila! Enjoy!
This works great on tacos, mixed with some BBQ sauce for sandwiches, on grilled cheese, or if you're feeling adventures in a delicious kimchi stew!


  1. "Drool" is the right word for this pulled pork....and its drool that I'm trying to wipe off my keyboard right now.

  2. "Pork butt" is actually pork shoulder. The shoulder has two ends, the picnic (nearer the ground) and the butt (farther from the ground). Just thought you might be interested.

    Also, I'm SO trying this recipe.

    1. You will not regret trying this!

      Thanks for the tip! I always knew they were interchangeable I just didn't realize how closely!

    2. I finally got around to trying this recipe today. Wow. I know why the redhead said "I. Cannot. Stop. Eating. This." As I was putting away leftovers, pieces kept "accidentally" getting into my mouth. Delicious!

  3. Can you just stick this in a crock pot instead of the low oven? Maybe on the low setting for a longer time so it'd be possible to let it cook while one went to work for the day? Thanks!

    1. Great question - because you are roasting it in the oven without a lid, you get this amazing crispy outer layer that is pretty awesome, if you're okay not having that crispy goodness, then a crock pot should work just fine! If you try it out, please let me know how it goes!

  4. If you are in a hurry, which I know is counter to the whole concept here, you can also use a pressure cooker. Mine has a smoker built in. I put a rub on the meat, add some mop sauce, cook for about 50 minutes and it is delicious. (no crispy crust, though, just very tender, juicy and smoky.

  5. This looks so darned good!! I'm pinning it right away!



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...