Sticky Asian-Style Pulled Pork

Name: Sticky Asian-Style Pulled Pork
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 kg pork shoulder or boneless pork butt, rind removed if needed; 185 ml hoisin sauce; 80 ml soy sauce; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 60 ml oyster sauce; 55 g brown sugar; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 6 cloves garlic, julienned or roughly chopped; 1 large piece fresh ginger, about 8 cm, finely sliced or roughly chopped; 250 ml low-sodium chicken stock; 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; 2 whole star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 tablespoons water; 2 cucumbers, cut into thin strips; 2 carrots, julienned; 3 green onions, finely sliced into thin batons; 1/4 bunch cilantro, leaves picked; 1/2 red onion, finely sliced; Thai chiles, finely sliced, optional; Sriracha mayo, optional; Sesame seeds, for serving; Peking duck-style pancakes, tortillas, bao, cooked rice, or cooked noodles, for serving

Fall-apart pork shoulder braised with hoisin, soy, garlic, ginger, and warming spices, then shredded into a thick, glossy glaze.

By Thiago Temple Published Sep 21, 2026

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Prep

15 min

Cook

4 hr 30 min

Total

4 hr 45 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Slow braising turns pork shoulder into tender shreds while hoisin, two kinds of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and whole spices build a savory-sweet sauce. A final uncovered roast caramelizes the edges before the braising liquid is thickened into a glossy glaze.

Serve it family-style with Peking duck-style pancakes, tortillas, bao, rice, or noodles and let everyone add their own crunchy vegetables and toppings.

Adapted from Simple Home Edit.

Ingredients

Tap to check off as you go · 27 items

Serves

Amounts as written — this recipe serves 8.

Steps

1
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C), or 275°F (140°C) for a fan-forced oven.
2
Pat the pork dry with paper towels and place it in a large, heavy-based Dutch oven or another ovenproof pot with a lid.
3
In a large bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, chicken stock, black pepper, and Chinese five-spice.
4
Pour the sauce over the pork. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick, then cover the pot tightly with the lid.
5
Bake for 4 hours, turning the pork halfway through. It is ready when it pulls apart easily with two forks. If needed, continue baking in 30-minute intervals until fork-tender.
6
Remove the lid and return the pork to the oven for 30 minutes, until lightly caramelized around the edges.
7
Mix the cornstarch with the water. Stir the slurry into the cooking liquid, place the Dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop, and simmer for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid becomes a thick, glossy sauce.
8
Remove 185 ml (3/4 cup) of the finished sauce and set it aside for serving.
9
Discard the cinnamon stick and star anise. Shred the pork directly in the Dutch oven with two forks and toss it through the remaining sauce until thoroughly coated.
10
Prepare your chosen serving base according to its package instructions. Serve the pulled pork with the reserved sauce, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cilantro, red onion, optional Thai chiles, optional sriracha mayo, and sesame seeds.

Two things that matter

Use care when moving the heavy Dutch oven between the oven and stovetop; its handles remain extremely hot.

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them in a covered container.

Ingredients

Steps

Two things that matter

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