Cosy season is officially here! The evenings are drawing in, the jumpers are coming out and there's nothing quite like coming home to something delicious after a crisp autumn walk.
With Halloween and Bonfire Night just around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to share one of my favourite family recipes from The Bensons Table: slow-cooked pulled pork burgers with homemade apple sauce and crunchy red cabbage coleslaw.
This is proper comfort food, and one of those recipes that's well worth the wait. The pork cooks slowly with onions, mustard and our Bensons Cloudy Apple Pressed Juice until it's beautifully tender and ready to pull apart. Pile it into soft bread rolls with a generous helping of apple sauce and crunchy coleslaw, and you've got a delicious supper for the whole family.
The best bit? Once the pork is in the oven, you can leave it to do its thing while you get on with your afternoon.
Why I love cooking with apple juice
Apple and pork have always been such a lovely combination. The natural sweetness and gentle sharpness of apple work brilliantly with the richness of slow-cooked pork, giving it plenty of flavour without being too sweet.
I use our Bensons Cloudy Apple Pressed Juice twice in this recipe. First in the roasting tray, where it helps keep the pork tender and juicy, and then in the homemade apple sauce.
Made with whole-pressed apples, it's one of my favourite ingredients to have in the kitchen, and not just for drinking!
Made for sharing
I love recipes like this because they're so easy to serve when you've got family or friends coming over. There's no need for anything fancy. Just put everything in the middle of the table and let everyone build their own burger.
It's a great one for a Halloween get-together, something warming after a Bonfire Night walk or simply a cosy Sunday at home.
The recipe serves six, although I wouldn't count on there being much left over!
Let's get cooking!
Pulled Pork, Coleslaw & Apple Sauce Burgers
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours
Ingredients
For the pulled pork
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1 tbsp olive oil
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1.5kg boneless pork shoulder
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1 tbsp Dijon mustard
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1 tsp dried chilli flakes
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150ml cider or white wine vinegar
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3 onions, finely sliced
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Soft bread rolls
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the apple sauce
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40g butter
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1½kg Bramley apples
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2 tsp caster sugar
For the red cabbage coleslaw
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½ medium red cabbage, finely sliced (suggested quantity)
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2 carrots, coarsely grated
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1 red onion, very finely sliced
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125g mayonnaise
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1 tbsp white wine vinegar
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1 tsp Dijon mustard
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Salt and pepper
Method
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Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas Mark 3.
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Add the olive oil to a roasting tray and sit the pork on top. Spread the Dijon mustard over the pork, then scatter over the chilli flakes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Pour over the vinegar and Bensons Cloudy Apple Pressed Juice, then scatter the sliced onions around the pork. Place a piece of non-stick baking paper over the top, followed by foil, sealing it around the edges of the tray.
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Cook in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the paper and foil, then return to the oven for a further hour, until the pork is meltingly soft and pulls apart easily.
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Meanwhile, make the apple sauce. Peel, core and chop the Bramley apples, then put them into a saucepan with the butter, sugar and Bensons Cloudy Apple Pressed Juice. Cover with a lid and cook for around 10–15 minutes, until the apples have softened and are beginning to break down. Stir briskly for a smoother texture.
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For the coleslaw, mix the finely sliced red cabbage, grated carrots, red onion, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard together. Season with salt and pepper.
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When the pork is ready, use two forks to pull the meat apart, mixing it with the cooking juices and softened onions.
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Pile the pulled pork into split bread rolls, add a generous spoonful of warm apple sauce and serve with the red cabbage coleslaw.
Save the recipe for later!
If you're planning a cosy weekend in, a Bonfire Night supper or just fancy trying something new, I've also put together a handy recipe card that you can download and keep in your kitchen.
DOWNLOAD LEXI'S PULLED PORK RECIPE CARD
And of course, don't forget the most important ingredient! You'll need our Bensons Cloudy Apple Pressed Juice for both the pulled pork and homemade apple sauce.
SHOP BENSONS CLOUDY APPLE PRESSED JUICE
Happy cooking!
