Pulled Pork Croquettes

Pulled Pork Croquettes

 nataliaspb / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Resting Time: 12 hrs
Total: 16 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 30 servings
Yield: 30 croquettes

Trendy pulled pork updates classic croquettes for an appetizer that'll have your guests begging for more. You can also serve these pulled pork croquettes on a soft white bread roll for lunch as a polished up version of the beloved broodje kroket.

We've adapted Marcus Polman's easy oven-baked pulled pork recipe from Het Perfecte Varken for our pulled pork croquettes. It's quite a lengthy process, but well worth the effort, and the pulled pork portion of the recipe can be prepared a day or two in advance. The salpicon (meat ragout) also has to rest overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.

If you're not a fan of deep-fried snacks, however, you can also enjoy this pulled pork with some crusty white bread or make a meal of it, as we often do, by serving the pulled pork over white navy beans tossed in the barbecue cooking sauce. 

Ingredients

  • 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) pork collar, or pork shoulder

  • 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) ketchup

  • 2/3 cup (100 milliliters) white wine vinegar

  • 2/5 cup (100 milliliters) chicken stock

  • 4 tablespoons pure cane demerara sugar

  • 1 tablespoon smooth mild mustard

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

  • 1 medium white onion, sliced into rings

  • 1 cup (220 grams) fatty bacon lardons

  • 1/5 cup (25 grams) finely chopped shallots

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch, or maizena

  • 5 1/2 cups (1.3 literschicken stock

  • 0.88 ounce (25 grams) leaf gelatin

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons salt

  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

  • 6 cups (900 grams) pulled pork

  • 1/5 cup (50 milliliters) pulled pork cooking sauce

For the Breadcrumbs:

  • 1 loaf sliced white bread

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • Lemon wedges and grainy Dutch mustard, for garnish

Steps to Make It

For the Pulled Pork:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 285 F / 140 C. Cut the pork into large pieces and place in a large baking tin. 

  3. Mix the ketchup with the vinegar, stock, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and thyme to create a barbecue sauce. Add the onion and pour over the meat.

  4. Cover the baking tin with foil and allow to cook for approximately 3 hours, or until you can cut into the pork with a spoon. (If you have a meat thermometer, the core temperature of the meat should be at least 158 F / 70 C. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the cuts of meat and the fat content thereof.)

  5. Remove the foil from the baking tin and place back in the oven for the final 30 minutes, turning the meat often.

  6. Remove the pork from the barbecue sauce and allow to cool.

  7. Once it has cooled, use two forks to pull the pork into juicy little threads.

For the Croquettes:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Fry the bacon lardons in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan to render the fat. Remove the crisp bacon bits from the pan and set aside.

  3. Turn the heat low, and sauté the shallots and garlic in the bacon fat. Add the flour and cornstarch and stir to form a roux, cooking for a few more minutes on very low heat, while stirring continuously so that the roux doesn't catch. 

  4. Meanwhile, warm the chicken stock and add to the roux little by little, whisking to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat.

  5. Soak the leaf gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes to soften, then remove and gently squeeze to remove any excess water. Add the gelatin to the mixture in the pan. Season with the salt, pepper, and thyme.

  6. Now add the pulled pork, the bacon bits and 1/5 cup of the barbecue sauce in which you cooked the pulled pork. Mix well and allow to rest overnight in the refrigerator.

  7. When rested, use a spoon to create evenly sized balls and roll these into sausage-shaped croquettes.

For the Breading:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Assemble three soup bowls: fill the first with flour, the second with beaten egg, and the third with fresh breadcrumbs (see Tips).

  3. Dredge the croquettes in the flour, making sure that they are evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour. 

  4. Dunk the croquettes briefly, one by one, in the soup bowl with the beaten egg mix, allowing any excess egg to drip off. 

  5. Transfer the croquettes, one by one, to the dish with the bread crumbs. Toss each one in the bread crumbs until it is thoroughly coated. Chill the croquettes for 15 minutes to help the coating adhere better. Now repeat the entire process so that each croquette gets a double coating of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.

  6. Deep-fry at 356 F / 180 C in a deep-fat fryer until golden brown. (If you don't have a deep-fat fryer, fill a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or wok with enough oil to come about halfway up the side of a croquette. Use sunflower oil or another oil suitable for high temperatures. Heat the oil until a few breadcrumbs sizzle when tossed in. To prevent overcrowding of the pan, fry the croquettes in small batches for a minute or two on each side, or until golden brown.)

  7. Drain the croquettes on paper kitchen towels and serve hot with wedges of lemon, pickles, and grainy Dutch mustard.

  8. Enjoy!

Tips:

Tips

  • How to make fresh bread crumbs: You will need one loaf of sliced white bread. Preheat the oven to 250 F / 120 C. Cut the crusts off the bread and arrange slices in a preheated oven. Allow to dry for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and use a rolling pin or bottle to create coarse breadcrumbs (or pulse in a food processor). 
  • The cooking time of the pulled pork can vary depending on the quality of the meat. Fatty, well-marbled cuts from the neck and shoulder tend to ''pull' better, and can stand longer cooking times, while leaner cuts may dry out. The so-called "Boston butt" does particularly well. For more information, see this cuts of pork diagram.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
333 Calories
13g Fat
34g Carbs
20g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 30
Amount per serving
Calories 333
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 925mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 20g
Vitamin C 13mg 64%
Calcium 74mg 6%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 401mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)