Simple but oh so tasty! Inspired by my recent travels through Central America, this recipe is all you need to enjoy some juicy pulled pork at home, Mexican style.

I was recently traveling through Central America where I got really sick with gastro (I was the only person in my group that got sick so please, don’t take this as a given). It wasn’t fun as I missed a lot of the cool activities we had planned for the trip, but looking back I took something away: inspiration for this recipe!

After a couple of days of barely eating I was finally able to introduce very plain foods like white rice, bananas and grilled chicken. I have a gluten sensitivity so I replaced the “toast” recommended in the BRAT diet, with corn tortillas (I mean, this was the best part of my sickness! corn tortillas all day long!).

I got to Mexico towards the end of my sickness, so for a foodie like me, it felt almost like a torture walking past all the street food, taco places, and amazing restaurants and not being able to try anything. Worst is that I had to eat out as I had booked hotels without kitchen facilities (wasn’t expecting to get sick plus I wanted to try the local cuisine!) so ordering in restaurants wasn’t easy. I had to keep asking people if they could please make me some plain grilled chicken and rice or boiled potatoes. They were very polite about it but most of the food would still come with spices and herbs as I don’t think Mexicans really know what plain means? 😀

Anyway, here it’s the takeaway, what I discovered over those few days is how to make simple food for an upset digestion, taste good. Obviously, the quality of the ingredients is a must, but then you can make the most boring food look appealing with very little. Enter, the honey & lime combo! I know, I know, this is not really breaking news, but for me it was a re-discovery of how to make food fun with these two staples.

How did I discover it? Most restaurants bring a side of lime wedges for customers to put on their tacos or Coronas (duh). So, when I saw them on my table and knowing that lemon is an astringent ingredient that would be good for my sick gut, I decided to just go for it and started adding lime to my plain corn tortillas (aka. simplest tacos ever).

Adding honey is something I only thought after a few days. One morning when ordering a banana and some plain tortillas to have with, they offered me jam or honey, and then I realised that honey was a great idea. Again, fruit is not recommended when you are sick so I had to pass on the jam but there’s nothing against honey in these cases… so there you go! Another yummy food to add to my very restrictive diet.

Soon I started putting that stuff everywhere! I had lots of nights of grilled chicken or fish with freshly squeezed lime, and many breakfasts consisting of corn tortillas with honey and lime. It got repetitive after a few days but it helped me add a bit of flavour and reduce the dryness of my meals during a very unpleasant time.

When I got back to London I started thinking a lot about my re-discovered love for honey and lime, and although I would like to add chili and a few other things, I stuck to my diet for a few more days. And this is how the idea for this recipe came to me!

It’s obviously gluten and dairy free, very simple and easy to make, and it has just the right amount of sweetness and tanginess to make it taste great without a long list of ingredients or additives (like in store-bought sauces).

You can try it with chicken, but I had enough days of eating chicken almost in exclusivity… and I am a pork and pulled pork lover… so here it is my zesty pulled pork 🙂

Hope you like it!

PS. If you are currently suffering from gastro, wait until you know you can tolerate solid food again before making this. I trimmed the pork to make it leaner and easier to digest, but that is optional and depends mostly on your fat tolerance and preference!

Also, if you are currently on a diet or eating plan that doesn’t allow for alcohol or any added sugar (even honey) like whole30, you can easily replace the white wine for more water or broth, and the honey for a couple of dates or a bit more coconut aminos.

Honey & lime pulled pork recipe:

Servings: 6   |   Cooking time: 45 min  |   Preparation time: 10 min

Ingredients:

  • 800 grams – Pork shoulder or gammon
  • 1 – lime, quartered
  • 1 – leek, sliced
  • 1 – brown onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 – garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 cup – boiling water or broth
  • 1/2 cup – white wine (optional)
  • 2 tbsp – honey
  • 1 tbsp – lard, coconut oil or preferred cooking fat
  • 1 tbsp – coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce
  • 1 tsp – salt
  • 1 tsp – ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp – ground mustard seeds or powder

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker, instant pot or any other stockpot deep enough to fit all ingredients. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 min until translucent. Add the leeks and sauté for 2 more minutes. Finally, add the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute.
  2. If you are using a regular pot cut the pork into 4 pieces. Place the pork in the pot and add the salt, pepper and mustard. Give everything a good mix.
  3. Pour the water, wine and coconut aminos. Add in the honey and the quartered limes (no need to squeeze). Mix again.
  4. Close your pressure cooker. Once the pressure has risen let it cook for 30 min. If you are using a regular pot allow for 60 min of cooking.
  5. Open your pot, remove the pork and limes. Keep the fire on and let the liquid reduce at high temperature whilst you shred the pork.
  6. Put shredded pork back in and squeeze the limes. Mix well and serve with some tortillas, white rice or cauli rice, and a sprinkle of coriander.