How to make Joe Wicks’ pulled pork with mustard yoghurt slaw

“Slow-cooked pork is one of the most delicious things around. The way the low temperature breaks down the proteins and makes the meat beyond tender keeps me coming back to this recipe at least once a month,” says The Body Coach, Joe Wicks. “The sweet and smoky BBQ sauce and home-made mustard slaw combo here is quite literally da bomb! The person who invented the slow cooker must have had pork in mind, so I’ve included a method in case you have one.”

Pulled pork with mustard yoghurt slaw

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

For the pulled pork:

600g thick pork shoulder steaks or pork loin steaks
200g passata
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp garlic powder
½tsp dried chilli flakes
100g BBQ sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mustard slaw:

100g plain (natural) yoghurt, preferably Greek yoghurt
2tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tbsp wholegrain mustard
1tsp honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g savoy cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

To serve (optional):
4 seeded buns, buttered

Method:

Put the pork steaks in a large, deep saucepan and add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chilli flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, then cover with a well-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for two to three hours until the pork is tender and easy to shred. Use tongs to carefully transfer the pork into a large bowl. Cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes.

Cook the remaining sauce in the pan for three to six minutes over a high heat until reduced by half, adding the BBQ sauce in the last  one to two minutes. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat.

Once the pork has rested, use two forks to shred the meat. Add the sauce and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the slaw. Mix the yoghurt, vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, carrot and onion and toss well to coat and combine.

Serve the pulled pork with the slaw, or make sandwiches using seeded buns, filling them with the pulled pork topped generously with the slaw.

FOR THE SLOW COOKER:

Put the pork steaks  in a slow cooker and add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chilli flakes. Cover with the lid and cook on low for six hours. Once done, use tongs to carefully transfer the pork into a large bowl. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Transfer all the juices from the slow cooker into a large saucepan and cook for three to six minutes over a high heat until reduced by half, adding the BBQ sauce in the last one to two minutes. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Shred the meat and add the sauce, as above, then make the slaw and serve.

TIP: Double up the pulled pork mix, portion it out and freeze for quick, tasty meals, for throwing into wraps, salads, grain bowls or stirring through pasta or rice when you’re short on time.

Protein In 15 by Joe Wicks is published in hardback by LEAP, priced £22. Photography Mike English Photography. Available December 4