If you’ve been around here for a while you might have noticed I don’t have many pork recipes that don’t involve bacon somehow.
To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of regular pork — you know, pulled pork, pork loin, pork chops and the like. It wasn’t until I wrote my cookbook that I finally learned to love (some of) it. And the chapter I dreaded the most became the home of some of my most favorite recipes in the entire book!
This orange pulled pork is one of them. Well, a tweaked version of it. I made it Whole30 compliant, and I added Instant Pot instructions!
By the way, one of the reasons why I hesitated diving into pork until now was because it was terribly hard to find clean pork. Lately we’re fortunate to be able to buy grass-fed/pastured beef, pork, and lamb from our local university, and I’ve been noticing antibiotic-free Open Nature brand pork popping up in our Costco.
Another discovery I made during recipe development was that Frank’s Original Hot Sauce is paleo and Whole30 friendly!
(This isn’t a sponsored post, I promise.)
Now you can buffalo everything to your heart’s content!
You’ll love this spicy-sweet pulled pork! I love how the hot sauce plays off the bright, citrusy orange. You can make it as spicy or as non-spicy as you want. Frank’s isn’t as spicy as regular Chalula-like hot sauces, so you can be more liberal with it.
This is such a versatile recipe! Throw it on some baked sweet potatoes with a drizzle of paleo ranch (my personal favorite!), serve it over salad greens, or with squash noodles, jasmine rice, or cauliflower rice.
Hot & Sweet Orange Pulled Pork
This sweet and (slightly) spicy meat is a fun twist on pulled pork! It's great in tacos, wraps, on baked potatoes, or any way you'd eat BBQ pulled pork.
Ingredients
- 1 large orange
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4-5 pound pork roast (loin or shoulder)
- 2/3 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce, divided
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 2 pitted dates, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Combine the zest from the orange, the pepper flakes, sea salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Rub everything together with your fingers.
- Cut the roast into 3-4 pieces; rub the spice mixture all over the pieces of roast.
- Place the roast pieces in a 6 quart Instant Pot, fat-side up. Pour 1/3 cup of hot sauce over the roast.
- Close the pot, set the steam release handle to "sealing", and set it on meat/stew for 60-75 minutes, depending on how much meat you're cooking.
- While the roast is cooking, combine the juice from the orange (about 1/4 cup), coconut aminos, dates, and rice vinegar in a small skillet. Cook it over medium heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced and thickened some. Smash the dates so they incorporate into the glaze better -- it won't be completely smooth. Set the glaze aside.
- When the Instant Pot is finished cooking, use either the natural or quick steam release method. The meat should pull apart fairly easily.
- Transfer the roast to a large plate or platter, shred the meat, and return it to the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Stir in the glaze, the remaining 1/3 cup hot sauce, and the juice from 1/2 of a lime. Taste, and add more lime juice or salt, if necessary.
- Serve with cauliflower rice, salad greens, squash noodles, baked sweet potatoes, or paleo tortillas.
Notes
Slow Cooker Variation: Cutting the roast into pieces is optional. Follow the directions for preparation and place the pork in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (for a loin roast) or low for 7-8 hours for a shoulder roast.
Note: If you don't have or don't want to use dates, substitute 1/4 cup honey.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
