Smoked pulled pork with chestnut honey, dark soy sauce, and Corsican maquis

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg boneless pork collar
• 16 g fine salt
• 18 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 c. à café rase Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• selon le réservoir du fumoir smoker wood pellets (apple or chestnut)
• 180 ml artisanal apple juice
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp Corsican chestnut honey
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 Corsican clementine
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 180 g instant polenta
• 650 ml chicken broth
• 180 g fresh brocciu cheese
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 35 g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1 petit bouquet fresh mint
• 1 petit bouquet fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tbsp fig confit

Method

1. The day before or at least 3 hours before cooking, combine fine salt, brown sugar, black pepper, five-spice, and smoked paprika. Rub the pork collar evenly on all sides. Refrigerate uncovered, if possible, to lightly dry the surface while seasoning deeply throughout.
2. Take the pork out 45 minutes before cooking. Set up the electric smoker with apple or chestnut wood pellets. Set to 120 °C (250 °F) on smoker mode.
3. Place the pork in the smoker with 2 sprigs of rosemary and 2 sprigs of thyme nearby, keeping them away from direct contact with the heating element. Smoke for 3 hours at 120 °C (250 °F), until the exterior develops a rich mahogany bark.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together apple juice, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, chestnut honey, finely grated lemon zest, clementine juice, red wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp olive oil. The sauce should taste savory, sweet, tangy, and deeply aromatic.
5. After 3 hours, transfer the pork to a smoker-safe baking dish or tray, pour half the sauce around it, and seal tightly with parchment paper followed by aluminum foil. Return to the smoker at 135 °C (275 °F) for 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes, until the meat shreds without resistance.
6. Check for tenderness: a fork should slide in like butter. If the meat offers resistance, continue cooking in 30 minute increments with a splash of apple juice in the bottom of the dish.
7. Remove the pork and let it rest covered for 30 minutes. Pour off the cooking juices, skim off excess fat with a spoon, and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes with the remaining sauce until glossy and reduced without becoming sticky.
8. Shred the pork by hand or with two forks. Gradually fold in the reduced pan juices: the meat should become glossy and exceptionally juicy, never soupy. Add a few drops of lemon juice if it tastes overly sweet.
9. Make the polenta: bring chicken broth to a gentle simmer, pour in the polenta in a steady stream, and whisk for 3 to 5 minutes according to package directions. Off the heat, fold in unsalted butter, fresh brocciu, 1 tbsp olive oil, and a touch of lemon zest.
10. Toast pine nuts and white sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly golden.
11. Coarsely chop fresh mint and flat-leaf parsley. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to create a quick fresh herb topping.
12. Spoon the brocciu polenta into serving bowls as a base, mound a generous portion of juicy pulled pork on top, dot with fig confit, and scatter with toasted pine nuts, sesame seeds, and the fresh herb mixture. Finish with a drizzle of reduced pan juices.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

669.6 kcal

Protein

38.16 g

Carbohydrate

38.29 g

Fat

40.95 g

Fibre

2.31 g

Calcium

33.26 mg

Iron

1.14 mg

Magnesium

29.41 mg