PULLED PORK TWO WAYS: RAMEN

Yesterday we slow-cooked a pork shoulder, made pulled pork tacos, and started stock for today's ramen. Raise your hand if you have stock bubbling away in the slow-cooker and your house smells like magic. Now let's put that stock to use with some (disclaimer: not in the least bit authentic but plenty tasty) ramen.

If you didn't follow along yesterday but would like to try today's dish, that's OK. You can still come to this ramen party. Chicken or vegetable stock will do in place of the pork stock, and you can use grilled chicken, tofu, or even a poached egg as your protein in place of the pulled pork.

Now let's get to it.

Yesterday I gave you a grocery list for today's ramen, and here it is again:

Spicy quick pickled radishes (recipe via Cookie + Kate)
Pork stock
Ramen noodles*
Vegetables (I'm using kale and mushrooms, but bok choy, peas, and corn are also great here)
Shredded pork
Miso paste (about 1 tbs per cup of stock)*
Sesame oil*
Scallions, diced
Jalapeño, diced
Cilantro
​Lime wedges

*You can find these items at any Asian grocery. Richmonders, get thee to Tan A.

First up, pickle those radishes. Set them aside to cool and get started on that stock. If you started the pork stock yesterday, then turn off your slow-cooker (the stock should have had 12-24 hours to cook), and skim the fat off the top. Once you've skimmed off all or most of the fat, pour stock into a pot through a sieve or strainer and set pot on the stove top on medium heat. Throw out stock bones and vegetables.

(If you're using store-bought stock, then start heating this up on the stove. Add a couple of scallions, garlic cloves, and a piece of ginger if you have it to give some extra flavor to the stock as it heats.)

Start a pot of water on high heat on the stove for ramen noodles. Preheat broiler. Meanwhile, slice mushrooms thinly and tear washed kale into bite size pieces. You can arrange these vegetables into the bowls you'll be using for the ramen now (they'll cook some once you pour the hot broth over them), or if you like you can gently sauté or steam them first before adding them to the bowls.

​Once the water for the ramen is boiling, add ramen noodles and cook 3-5 minutes, or until al dente. Arrange shredded pork on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until ends are crispy and browned. While ramen noodles and pork cook, add miso paste to your stock according to package instructions (and remove vegetables if you added them to your store-bought stock), and stir until dissolved.

When noodles are done, strain and separate them into your ramen bowls. Add pork. Pour miso-stock mixture into the bowls last. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, and garnish with scallions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime wedge, and pickled radishes.

Hope you enjoyed our pulled pork two ways!