Pulled Pork with Pear-Gochujang Sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the sauce and meat

   In a bowl, mix the pear, yellow onion, gochujang, soy sauce, 25 ml rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, stock, brown sugar, and black pepper. Pat the pork shoulder dry with a paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and sear the meat on all sides, for about 8–10 minutes in total.

   
2. 2

   Slow-cook the pork shoulder

   Place the seared meat in an electric slow cooker and pour the sauce over it. Cover and cook on LOW for 420 minutes. Do not open the lid during cooking. At the end, check the temperature in the center of the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer; for easy shredding, it should reach approximately 90–95 °C.

   
3. 3

   Cook the rice and prepare the cucumber

   About 25 minutes before the pork is done, rinse the rice in cold water. Bring it to a boil in a pot with 420 ml water and 2 g salt, cover, and cook over low heat for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes. Cut the cucumber into thin slices, toss with 15 ml rice vinegar and 2 g salt, and let stand for 10 minutes.

   
4. 4

   Shred the meat and thicken the sauce

   Transfer the cooked meat to a cutting board and shred it into strands using two forks. Mix the cornstarch with 30 ml cold water. Stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker, set the cooker to HIGH, and cook for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Return the shredded meat to the cooker and stir to combine; taste and check that the sauce is balanced between salty, sweet, and sour.

   
5. 5

   Serve

   Divide the rice among four bowls and top with the pork and plenty of sauce. Add the drained cucumber, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion. Serve immediately.