Pulled Pork with Pickled Watermelon Rind Salsa

By Recipe courtesy of Scraps
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Pulled Pork with Pickled Watermelon Rind Salsa
Serves
Makes 6 to 8 servings plus extra pickled rinds

Learn more about Scraps

Ingredients
  • Pulled Pork:
  • 1 (5-7 pound) pork shoulder roast or Boston butt or 1 (4-6 pound) boneless
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces lager beer (or water)
  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Pickled Watermelon Rinds:
  • 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ cups water
  • ¾ cups turbinado (raw) sugar
  • 1 small jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise and deseeded
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon whole coriander
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • ½ small seedless watermelon, cut into ½" thick slices

  • Pickled Watermelon Rind Salsa:
  • 3 cups watermelon flesh, diced
  • 2 cups Pickled Watermelon Rinds, finely chopped
  • Handful chopped cilantro, stems and all
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced


Procedure
Braise pork: Heat oven to 300°F. In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper. Rub pork with spice mixture. Add beer, vinegar and Worcestershire in a large Dutch oven or roasting pan. Place pork in pan. Cover with foil and bake until pork is tender and can be pulled apart with a fork, about 4½-5 hours.

Shred pork: Transfer pork to a large bowl and let cool slightly. While still warm, shred the meat with two forks, discarding the bone. Keep warm in pan juices.

Prep rinds: Remove the outer green skin from the rind and discard. Cut watermelon flesh from the rind and set aside for salsa. Chop rinds into 1 inch pieces.

Make brine: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil vinegar, water, sugar, jalapeno, salt, coriander and peppercorns.

Pickle rinds: Add the rinds to the brine. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to rinds to a large glass jar or two and add enough brine to cover (you may not need all of it, save for future pickles). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for deeper flavor.

Make salsa: In a medium bowl, stir chopped watermelon flesh, pickled rinds, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, salt, lime zest and juice.

Serve: When you’re ready to eat, rewarm pulled pork in pan juices. Serve pork with salsa.

Notes:
What’s left: Green watermelon skin, onion peels.

Use leftover pickled rinds to use on salads or as a stand-alone side dish. Since the pickled watermelon rinds are not canned they can only be stored in the fridge for 2 months. The flavor gets better as they sit.

You can also use a peeler to remove the green outer skin from the watermelon.

When using beer in this recipe stick with an ale or a lager.

Make the pork and pickled rinds the day before you plan to serve. Make the salsa the day you are planning to serve it.

Pulled Pork with Pickled Watermelon Rind Salsa

By Recipe courtesy of Scraps
Serves
Makes 6 to 8 servings plus extra pickled rinds

Learn more about Scraps

Ingredients
  • Pulled Pork:
  • 1 (5-7 pound) pork shoulder roast or Boston butt or 1 (4-6 pound) boneless
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces lager beer (or water)
  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Pickled Watermelon Rinds:
  • 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ cups water
  • ¾ cups turbinado (raw) sugar
  • 1 small jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise and deseeded
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon whole coriander
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • ½ small seedless watermelon, cut into ½" thick slices

  • Pickled Watermelon Rind Salsa:
  • 3 cups watermelon flesh, diced
  • 2 cups Pickled Watermelon Rinds, finely chopped
  • Handful chopped cilantro, stems and all
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced


Procedure
Braise pork: Heat oven to 300°F. In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper. Rub pork with spice mixture. Add beer, vinegar and Worcestershire in a large Dutch oven or roasting pan. Place pork in pan. Cover with foil and bake until pork is tender and can be pulled apart with a fork, about 4½-5 hours.

Shred pork: Transfer pork to a large bowl and let cool slightly. While still warm, shred the meat with two forks, discarding the bone. Keep warm in pan juices.

Prep rinds: Remove the outer green skin from the rind and discard. Cut watermelon flesh from the rind and set aside for salsa. Chop rinds into 1 inch pieces.

Make brine: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil vinegar, water, sugar, jalapeno, salt, coriander and peppercorns.

Pickle rinds: Add the rinds to the brine. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to rinds to a large glass jar or two and add enough brine to cover (you may not need all of it, save for future pickles). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for deeper flavor.

Make salsa: In a medium bowl, stir chopped watermelon flesh, pickled rinds, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, salt, lime zest and juice.

Serve: When you’re ready to eat, rewarm pulled pork in pan juices. Serve pork with salsa.

Notes:
What’s left: Green watermelon skin, onion peels.

Use leftover pickled rinds to use on salads or as a stand-alone side dish. Since the pickled watermelon rinds are not canned they can only be stored in the fridge for 2 months. The flavor gets better as they sit.

You can also use a peeler to remove the green outer skin from the watermelon.

When using beer in this recipe stick with an ale or a lager.

Make the pork and pickled rinds the day before you plan to serve. Make the salsa the day you are planning to serve it.