Pulled pork with coleslaw and tzatziki

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 ½ kg pork neck or pork shoulder
• Mustard for rubbing in
• 500 ml apple juice or water, more if desired
• 2 tbsp salt
• 3 tbsp cane sugar
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder, e.g. E.g. Madras
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tbsp cinnamon powder, to taste
• 1 ½ liters of cola
• 500 ml apple juice
• 150 ml bourbon whiskey
• 80 ml ketchup
• 25 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 20 g Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon(s), peel and juice, untreated
• 20 ml apple cider vinegar
• 15 g forest honey
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp curry powder, e.g. E.g. Madras
• 1 tbsp, leveled chili powder, more to taste
• 1 head of white cabbage
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 150 ml wine vinegar
• 150 ml rapeseed oil
• 150 ml sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp caraway seeds
• 400 g sheep’s yogurt, Greek
• 250 g cream cheese, 40% fat
• 2 garlic cloves, to taste
• 20 ml olive oil, cold-pressed, good quality
• ½ cucumber(s)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 3 hours; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 13 hours

prepared in the oven

Remove any tendons from the meat and rinse with water, then dry with paper towels. Add the spices for the dry rub to a pan and toast for about 1-2 minutes to release the flavors. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Then grind the mixture into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Rub the mustard thoroughly into the meat, including any cracks. It doesn’t matter what kind of mustard you use; it acts as a glue for the rub. Now apply the rub to the meat, making sure it gets a little bit everywhere. Even if not all of the rub sticks to the meat because it looks like there’s too much, add it right away when packing it. Now wrap the meat in cling film and roll it up tightly. This is important to prevent air from getting in and to prevent any meat juices from escaping. Wrap the meat in aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, preferably 36 hours. The longer it marinates, the more the rub will be absorbed into the meat. Depending on the size of the meat, you should start cooking it about 10 hours before eating. Preheat the oven to 100-110°C fan/convection oven. You should make sure that it is at 110°C; in my experience, every oven is different. So test the oven beforehand to see how you need to set it to 110°C, ideally with an oven-safe thermometer. Place the meat on a baking rack and put it on the middle shelf of the oven. Place a bowl with 500 ml of apple juice or water on the bottom rack, but refill it as it evaporates. The bowl is also there to prevent your oven from getting dirty from drippings from the meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the meat and wait until an internal temperature of 94°C is reached. For me, this was after about 9.5 hours. Don’t worry if the meat seems too dark to you, that’s how it should be; mine was almost black. Then take the meat out, wrap it in aluminum foil, and let it rest in a warm place for at least an hour. I used a cooler bag and put a hot water bottle in it; it worked really well. After that, you can take it out and pull it apart, i.e. pull it apart with forks. Then spread the barbecue sauce over the meat and mix everything together. For the barbecue sauce, put the cola and apple juice in a large saucepan; it shouldn’t be too small. Reduce the liquid by a third, then add the remaining sauce ingredients and continue reducing until it thickens. Don’t let it get too thick, as it will thicken a little more as it cools. I had about 300 ml of sauce. In total, it takes about 1 hour. For the coleslaw, cut the cabbage into thin strips and place it in a large bowl, then knead it vigorously for about 2-3 minutes. Cut the onions into small cubes and add them. Combine the sugar, oil, vinegar, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil briefly until the sugar has dissolved. Immediately pour everything over the cabbage and stir. Let it cool and refrigerate. Season again before serving. Takes about 20 minutes. For the tzatziki, chop the garlic and mix it with the yogurt, quark, and olive oil. Scoop out the core of the cucumber with a spoon to prevent the tzatziki from becoming watery, then finely slice the cucumber and add it. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate. Season again before serving. Takes about 10 minutes. Serve the meat separately on a plate or, as I do, eat it between a bread roll. Both are delicious. Notes: The coleslaw and tzatziki should be prepared a day in advance so they can marinate. The barbecue sauce can also be prepared in advance. In my experience, you should start preparing the meat at least 36 hours in advance. You can use pork shoulder on the bone or pork neck. I personally prefer pork neck because it has more fat, which tends to melt after the long cooking time.