Pulled Pork Ramen

With Fall approaching, soup is ALWAYS on my mind. Perhaps that and boots are one of the only true perks of colder weather?

So with cooler weather is when lots of roast chickens and roast porks show up in my slow cooker. They don’t require much attention, they always have lots of leftovers, but the biggest part is the soup that follows!

Homemade broth seriously is the best part of soup! When you have a homemade bowl of soup and you have a sheen of chicken broth fat on your upper lip, you know you're eating something good. 

So anytime you roast chicken, pork, or beef, take those bones and make a bone broth or put them in a Ziploc bag into the freezer until you're ready to use them but don't throw them away!!

Pulled pork

Pork bone broth

1 package chopped mushrooms

4 scrubbed and grated carrots

1 package fresh spinach, chopped

1 package frozen soybeans (Edamame- look for the Non-GMO brand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh grated ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (optional)

Salt to taste (I use A LOT in mine, so salt to your liking in yours)

Roasted pork using your favorite rub recipe, pulled and set aside ***Make sure you buy a bone-in pork! They are usually cheaper too!

Using a bone-in pork shoulder cooked with your favorite pulled pork recipe, pull the meat from the bones and set aside. Place the bones and any remaining fat in a large crockpot and fill to the top with water and a splash of apple cider vinegar (optional). Turn to low and simmer overnight or about 10-12 hours.

Turn off and let cool. Strain the bones from the broth using a fine mesh strainer. Discard bones. Set broth aside. 

In a large stockpot on med-high heat add a heavy swirl of olive oil and sesame oil. Add in carrots and mushrooms and let cook 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic and ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add in soybeans, spinach, broth, soy sauce, fish sauce and salt. Turn heat up and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes. This is also the best time to adjust seasonings and add more salt if necessary.  Add in ramen noodles and cook JUST until the noodle blocks begin to come apart then turn off the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook them.

***If you’re cooking for leftovers the next night then make sure you use stronger noodles like rice noodles or even wheat flour spaghetti. If you use instant ramen noodles they will not be good the next night as they continue to absorb all of the broth = soggy noodle!