Slow-Roasted Honey Soy Pork
Slow-Roasted Honey Soy Pork is a wonderful dish to enjoy this summer (or winter). It’s really very easy to make (even if it is a touch time-consuming) and it can be used for so many different dishes. Serve it over rice; use it as a filling for tacos or quesadillas; top a pizza with it!
The flavor, as expected, is a delicious combination of soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger infusing the pork. Slow roasting allow the sauce to permeate and caramelize the pork so that when you shred it, it’s utterly fabulous!
Let’s begin with buying the pork. You want to get pork butt as it’s well marbled and has a uniform shape. It’s often called Boston Butt. I highly recommend the pork butt, but in a pinch you can buy pork shoulder. It’s fattier and sometimes has skin on it so you’ll want to trim it.
I also try to get as much fat off of the pork butt as I can. Sometimes there are large chunks of fat, so I like to remove those. Then, cut the pork into two pieces.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a Dutch oven that has a lid. Place the pork in the sauce and coat it all over. Cover the pot and roast for 2 1/2-3 hours. Turn the meat over every hour or so.
After 2 & 1/2 hours, check the pork to see if it shreds easily. If not, continue to cook another 30 minutes or so. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and skim the fat off the sauce that’s in the Dutch oven. I like to use a degreasing measuring cup to aid this process.
Pour the degreased sauce back into the pot and simmer until it’s reduced and slightly syrupy. That will take 6-8 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, shred the pork using two forks. Sprinkle lime juice over the pork and then drizzle half of the sauce over the meat and toss to combine.
Some delicious accompaniments are pickled cucumbers and red onions. They are so easy to make. The instructions are in the recipe.
Serve the pork over steamed rice. Top with sesame seeds, fresh herbs, lime wedges and the pickled red onions and cucumbers. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.
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Slow-Roasted Honey Soy Pork
Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours & 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours & 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Pork:
- 3 & 1/2-4 pounds boneless pork butt, sometimes called Boston Butt
For the Sauce:
- 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
For Finishing:
- finely grated zest from one lime
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- lime wedges for garnish
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- fresh cilantro and/or basil leaves, for garnish
- Pickled red onions & cucumbers (see recipe at bottom of instructions)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 300˚F. degrees. Remove any large areas of fat from the pork and discard. Cut the roast into two halves.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a large Dutch oven that has a lid. Stir well to combine. Taste, and if you’d like more heat, add another 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
Add the two pieces of pork to the pan. Using tongs, turn to coat all sides of the pork in the sauce, and spoon some over the top. Cover, transfer to the oven and roast for 2 & 1/2-3 hours. Turn the meat to the opposite side after one hour. Repeat, turning after the second hour.
Check the meat after 2 & 1/2 hours. It should shred easily with a fork. If it’s not super tender, return to the oven for another 15-30 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the pork to a serving platter or a large shallow serving bowl. Use a ladle or large serving spoon to skim off (and discard) the excess fat on the surface of the cooking liquid remaining in the Dutch oven,
Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and let it simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 6-8 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, coarsely shred the pork using two forks. Sprinkle the lime zest and juice over the top of the meat. Drizzle about half the sauce over the top of the shredded meat, then toss to combine.
Serve over rice or noodles. Top with sesame seeds, fresh herbs, lime wedges and quick pickled red onions and cucumbers. Pass the remaining sauce at the table, You can also use this pork in sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, tacos, lettuce cups and on pizza.
Pickled Onions & Cucumbers:
Slice half of a red onion into thin wedges and slice 3-4 mini seedless cucumbers into thin slices. Place them in separate storage containers with lids. Combine ¼ cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Divide the rice vinegar mixture between the two containers and cover each one. Allow each of the containers to sit for 30 minutes, shaking occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, divide the onions and cucumbers among bowls with rice, Slow Roasted Honey Soy Pork, fresh herbs, sesame seeds and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Recipe by The Cafe Sucre Farine
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