Camp Pulled Pork Over Rice
Shelf-stable pork, tomato paste, and vinegar simmered down until it pulls apart, spooned over instant rice.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 65
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned pork shoulder or canned pork chunks | 2 lbs total | drain the packing liquid into the pot, it is broth |
|---|---|---|
| Neutral oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried minced onion | 1/4 cup | stands in for two fresh onions |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Ground coriander | 1 tsp | |
| Bay leaves | 2 | |
| Salt and pepper | 1 tsp each | |
| Tomato paste | 3 tbsp | the tube kind, no can to pack out |
| Tomato sauce | 8 oz can | |
| Brown sugar | 3 tbsp | |
| Worcestershire sauce | 2 tbsp | decanted into a small bottle |
| Apple cider vinegar | 2 tbsp | |
| Beer | 1/2 cup | whatever is in the cooler, or water |
| Instant rice | 2 cups dry |
Method
- Heat the oil in the pot. Add the dried onion, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and coriander and stir for a minute until the spices smell toasted. Do not let them scorch.
- Add the tomato paste and keep stirring for another minute. Cooking the paste first is what keeps it from tasting raw and metallic.
- Add the drained pork, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, beer, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir to loosen everything off the bottom.
- Simmer uncovered over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Pull the bay leaves. Mash the pork against the side of the pot with a spoon until it shreds.
- Push the pork to one side, or move it to a bowl. Boil 500 ml water, kill the heat, stir in the instant rice, and cover for five minutes.
- Spoon the pork over the rice.
This started as a slow cooker recipe and got compressed. Canned pork is already cooked through, so the thirty minutes on the stove are doing one job: reducing the sauce and breaking the meat down enough to shred. There is nothing to tenderize.
The fresh onions and garlic became dried, and the fresh pork became canned, which is where most of the weight savings live. Cook the tomato paste in the oil before any liquid goes in — that step is not optional, and skipping it is the difference between a sauce and a bowl of sharp tomato. The vinegar goes in at the same time as everything else and cuts the brown sugar.
Packing
Premix all the dry spices, dried onion, brown sugar, salt, and pepper into one bag at home. Worcestershire and vinegar go in small screw-top bottles inside a zip bag. Cans and the tomato paste tube ride upright.
Variations
- Swap the rice for tortillas and eat it as tacos. No second boil.
- Replace the beer with 1/2 cup water and a splash more vinegar.
- Two foil pouches of pulled pork instead of cans cuts about a pound of dead weight.
https://www.maritimeglutton.com/pulled-pork-recipe-instant-pot-slow-cooker