Apple cider glazed pulled-pork sliders

The now ubiquitous slider is like the moreish mini-me of a burger — just a few bites and it’s gone, leaving you wanting more! And trust me, it’s impossible to stop at only one of these amazing pulled-pork sliders. As an added bonus, you can create other dishes with the leftover pork, like a wrap, a cheese bake, or even just stir it through pasta.

INGREDIENTS

2-3kg deboned pork shoulder or forequarter

130g salt

110g sugar

110g soft brown sugar

handful jalapenos, to serve

APPLE CIDER GLAZE

40g butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

345ml apple cider

250ml smoky barbecue ketchup

80ml apple cider vinegar

45g soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

MINI BRIOCHE BUNS

410g plain flour

100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon instant dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

80ml milk, lukewarm

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

handful sesame seeds

RANCH SLAW

300g white cabbage, finely shredded

1 carrot, shredded

150g mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch cayenne pepper

salt, to taste

METHOD

Remove the skin from the pork shoulder, roughly score the fat with a knife then place the pork in a roasting tin. Mix the salt and sugars together then spread the mixture all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Remove the pork from the refrigerator, discard any juices in the tin and brush off any salt residue on the pork. Let the pork come to room temperature while you prepare the glaze.

To make the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium–high heat, then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the apple cider to deglaze the pan, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. Pour into a heatproof jug and set aside to cool.

Pour half of the cooled glaze over the pork and give it a good rub to make sure it’s well coated. Put the pork in the oven and cook for 5 hours, basting with the remaining sauce at 30-minute intervals. The pork should be tender and yielding — you should be easily able to pull the meat apart using a fork.

Meanwhile, start making the mini brioche buns after the pork has been in the oven for 2 hours. Put the flour, butter, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer. With the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on low speed and gradually pour the milk into the bowl and mix until combined. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Turn the speed to medium–high and keep kneading for another 5 minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. When you hear the flapping sound of the dough slapping against the side of the bowl, it is ready.

Cover the dough and leave it to rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Punch the air out, tip the dough onto a floured work surface, then knead the dough gently and shape into a log. Divide the log into 12 even portions, then roll them into balls. Place the balls on a baking tray lined with baking paper, about 6 cm apart. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the ranch slaw, mix the cabbage, carrot, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar and cayenne pepper together in a bowl, taste and season accordingly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavours develop.

Once the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and increase the temperature to 220°C. Let the pork rest until it is cool enough to handle, basting it occasionally.

Just before cooking the brioche, beat the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water together in a bowl and brush the top of each dough ball with the egg wash. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and bake for 18–20 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Wearing kitchen gloves and with a fork in each hand, pull the pork into shredded meat and let it soak up all the beautiful sauce in the tin. Discard any fat or gristle.

To serve, split the buns horizontally, place the pulled pork on the bun bases, top with the slaw and a few slices of jalapeño. Close the buns and serve.

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