Molasses and rum barbecue pulled pork burger with chips and garlic mayo
After five hours slowly braising in molasses and rum barbecue sauce, this sweet, sticky pulled pork is just what you want in a brioche bun, with fat, golden chips and garlic mayo alongside.
Ingredients
For the molasses and rum barbecue sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 6 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp English mustard
- 1 tbsp Angostura bitters
- 1 lime, juice only
- 100ml/3½fl oz dark rum
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ orange, zest only
- 200g/7oz molasses
For the pulled pork
- 1kg/2lb 4oz pork shoulder, skinless, boneless, slashed a few times with a sharp knife
- 4 tbsp cider vinegar
- 100ml/3½fl oz orange juice
For the fat chips
- 1.5kg/3lb 5oz floury potatoes (like Maris Piper), unpeeled and cut into chunky chips
- 3 litres/5¼ pints sunflower or ground nut oil, for frying
For the garlic mayonnaise
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú mayonnaise
- squeeze lemon juice
- ½ garlic bulb, grated
- olive oil, to loosen
To serve
- mayonnaise
- 4 brioche burger buns, lightly toasted
- iceberg lettuce leaves
- handful tomatoes, sliced
- handful pickles or gherkins, sliced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the molasses and rum barbecue sauce, heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes, then add the garlic, bay leaves and spices, and stir until the aromas are released. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer with the lid off for about 30 minutes stirring regularly, until thick.
To make the pulled pork, preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Place the pork in a deep-sided roasting tin and rub with 4 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce and the cider vinegar. Pour in the orange juice and cover with a ‘tent’ of kitchen foil, ensuring that it's sealed at the edges of the dish but doesn’t actually touch the pork. Roast for 5 hours, until the meat is falling apart easily and can be shredded with two forks. Check occasionally to make sure the orange juice hasn’t dried out, topping up with extra orange juice if needed. Shred with two forks, then mix through the remaining barbecue sauce.
When you're ready to make the fat chips, prepare a kitchen paper-lined plate. Heat the oil to 140C in a deep-fat fryer (or in a wide, deep pan filled to the depth of 5cm/2in). CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Add the chips in batches and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the chips are soft but still pale in colour. Remove the chips with a slotted spoon onto the lined plate.
Increase the temperature of the oil to 180C and put a new piece of kitchen paper on the plate. Fry the chips again, in batches, for about 4 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto the lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
To make the garlic mayo, mix together all the ingredients, using the olive oil to loosen to your desired consistency.
To serve, spread the mayo on the bottom halves of the burger buns. Top with the lettuce, then the pulled pork, making sure to get lots of the barbecue sauce in the mix. Top with the tomato, pickles and the other halves of the buns. Serve with the fat chips and the garlic mayo to dip.
