Pulled 'Pork' Sandwich
We genuinely can't stop making this one. There's something almost magic about taking a humble king oyster mushroom, shredding it up, and ending up with something that looks and pulls apart just like slow-cooked pork. Loaded into a soft bun with smoky peri peri seasoning and all the proper sandwich fillings, it's the kind of lunch that makes you do a little happy dance at the table. It takes about 40 minutes start to finish, which means you're not waiting long for something that tastes like it's been cooking all afternoon. Make it this weekend, trust us.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Baking dish
- Fork
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Peri Peri seasoning
- 3 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 8 king oyster mushrooms
- Pinch of salt
- bread or burger buns
- plant-based mayonnaise & BBQ sauce - we mixed ours together!
- 1 red onion
- 1 cucumber
Method
Prepare the mushrooms
- Use a fork to shred each of the king oyster mushrooms until they resemble the texture of pulled chicken or pork, and leave in a baking dish
- Coat the shredded mushrooms with the vegetable oil and peri peri seasoning, it helps to use your hand to ensure all the mushrooms are evenly covered
- Put the baking dish in the oven at 180℃ (356℉) for 30 minutes to dry the mushrooms out
Dress the pulled "pork"
- Warm a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan, and pour the shredded mushrooms into it
- Season with a decent pinch of salt and stir
- Next, stir in the BBQ sauce until it’s mixed evenly through all the mushrooms
- Remove from the heat and serve in burger buns with cucumber and red onion. We made a mix of BBQ sauce and egg-free mayo which went with it perfectly!
Tips & Variations
- Get your hands in there: When you're coating the mushrooms in oil and seasoning, use your hands rather than a spoon. It sounds obvious but it makes a real difference, you'll get a much more even coating and better results from the oven.
- Don't rush the roasting: 30 minutes might feel long but that drying-out time is the whole secret. If you pull them early they'll be too soft and you'll lose that lovely pulled texture. Stick with it.
- Sauce generously: Whatever sauce you're dressing these with, warm it first and don't be stingy. The mushrooms will soak it up and you want every bite to be saucy and flavourful rather than dry.
Why This Works
The trick is roasting the shredded mushrooms in the oven long enough to dry them out and get a bit of colour on them. That's what gives you those slightly crispy, chewy edges that really sell the whole pulled texture. The peri peri seasoning does the heavy lifting on flavour, so don't be shy with it when you're coating the mushrooms.