Indian-Style Pulled Pork

30 Comments

Indian Style Pulled Pork by Ashley of myheartbeets.com

Who doesn’t love barbecue? Juicy, slow-cooked meat smothered with sauce… oh it’s so good. Well, all you barbecue lovers are in for a treat because this Indian-Style Pulled Pork is going to be unlike any barbecued pulled pork you’ve had before. Like all great barbecue, the secret is in the sauce.

This tender, slow-cooked meat is covered with a thick tomato-based sauce prepared using Indian spices and sweetened with honey. To make the sauce, you have to first caramelize the onions – get them realllly nice and brown. This will add so much flavor and will create the base for the spiced tomato sauce. This recipe also calls for my homemade meat masala, made with cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, cinnamon and black pepper. Trust me, after you make a jar of this spice, you’ll use it ALL the time.

I made this pulled pork in my slow cooker – because I don’t own a smoker or a smoke pit and turning on my oven for hours in this heat just wasn’t going to happen. I put the pork shoulder roast in the slow cooker and seasoned it well with salt, pepper and a bit of turmeric. Once my sauce was done, I poured it all over the roast. A few hours later, I found myself with plenty of perfectly cooked, pullable pork.

Make this, love this and impress your friends this summer (or any season) with delicious and different barbecued pork.

Indian Style Pulled Pork by Ashley of myheartbeets.com

Indian Style Pulled Pork

Indian Style Pulled Pork by Ashley of myheartbeets.com

Indian Style Pulled Pork

4.88 from 8 reviews
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Ingredients
 

Season the Roast

  • 3 pound pork shoulder roast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric

Spiced Tomato Sauce:

Instructions
 

  • Put the pork in the crock pot and season both sides with salt, pepper and turmeric - let it sit while you prepare the sauce.
  • Heat 2 tbs ghee in a pan and add red onions. Once the onions turn brown (realllly brown), add ginger, garlic, and the spices. Stir for a few minutes.
  • Add the can of tomato sauce. Stir for about 5 minutes and then stir in the honey.
  • Add ½ cup water to the sauce and then dump the sauce on top of the pork in the crockpot.
  • Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours).
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just for fun, here’s a picture of this dish from 2014:

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About Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley. Thanks for being here! I truly believe that food brings us closer together. Gather around a table with good food and good people, and you’ll have the ingredients you need to create some happy memories. My hope is that you find recipes here that you can’t wait to share with family and friends.

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Comments

  1. Mary Ann says

    I want to make this for a dinner party and was thinking about serving it with papadums for something different. What garnishes should I serve with it to dress it up? Is there a chutney that would be good with it? cucumber raita? cilantro? Any other side sauces to dress up the plate? Thanks

  2. Dani Sthel-Hawkins says

    5 stars
    Amazing taste! Very easy to make and looks great. Made it last night, left cooking in the oven for 3 hours.
    I added 2 cans of tomato for extra creaminess and paste/sauce. I also added a bit more of the spices due to the extra can of tomato, it tastes amazing. Big hit with the hubby! 😋😋😋😘
    Picture posted on Instagram.

  3. Beatrice Groene says

    I can’t wait to try this!
    I haven’t made this yet because I have a question about the Homemade Meat Masala. I see where you are to toast the green cardamom pods (which have those lovely fragrant black seeds inside the fibrous green pod) then you grind it all. Do you grind the GREEN CARDAMOM PODS that are the fibrous hull along with the seeds inside the pod? Or do you crack open the green pod and just grind the black seeds with the other spices?
    Thanks!

  4. FrugalHausfrau says

    I just randomly came across this post and the title was so intriguing! What a great flavor combo! I’ll be trying this at some point this summer!

    Mollie

  5. Lora says

    After the pork is done, there’s a lot of liquid. What do you suggest? Boil it down and add it to the pork?

  6. Crystal says

    5 stars
    I have made many of your wonderful recipes and this one is a favorite. I normally make a cauli rice side, but am wanting to try something new. What would you suggest for this puled pork?

  7. Katherine says

    5 stars
    My parents (both almost 70) recently tried Indian food at a restaurant, and they really enjoyed it. My brother loves Indian food. He wanted me to introduce his youngest kids (14 and 15 years old) to Indian food. So on my trip home to visit them all last week, I made this pulled pork, saag paneer (gave them all real paneer and just left it out for me), and aloo filling (no access to an oven, so no samosas), plus tamarind chutney all from your book. Rave reviews all around! They especially loved the pork. It is amazing! I made a batch overnight last night for me now that I’m home. This is hands down my favorite pork recipe ever.

    • My Heart Beets says

      Katherine, that’s so great to hear!! I’m so glad you like the recipes and that you shared them with your family 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know how they turned out for you all!!

  8. Al says

    Hey Ashley,

    I was looking at this and another one of my indian cookbooks and I had an idea. What do you think about adding some vinegar (maybe 1/4 cup) to this to make it vindaloo-ish? A lot of southern bbq sauces use vinegar anyway.

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Al, vindaloo isn’t typically made with tomato sauce so I’m not sure this would really taste like vindaloo – but I bet it would still be good! I love vinegar based bbq – if you try it, let me know. I do have a lamb vindaloo recipe in my soon to be released Indian eBook but maybe one of these days I will share a pork version too 🙂

  9. Lisa Marie Davis says

    This looks so good! Have you made this in the Instapot? I’m new to the Instapot and wonder which buttons to use for this!!

    • My Heart Beets says

      Lisa, I haven’t but I’ll have to try at some point! It’ll probably be awhile though because I just made this dish late last week and we’ve got leftovers in the freezer right now. I’m sure the Instant Pot would be easier to use than the slow cooker – because you’d be able to make the sauce right in the Instant Pot. Just press the “saute button” and then follow the directions for the sauce. Then, press “cancel” and add the pork shoulder. Once the meat is in, click the “meat/stew” button. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to cook but if you try, please let me know!

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