It’s hard to imagine a Britain without pulled pork, but it only came to our shores relatively recently. It’s certainly here to stay, which is good news for butchers as sales of pork shoulder must have sky-rocketed in the past few years. It’s the perfect fatty cut for slow-cooking, slowly breaking down into perfectly tender and juicy meat that absorbs the flavours of seasonings and marinades with ease.

Our collection of pork shoulder recipes shows you exactly how to turn this hunk of pork into something truly special. Matt Weedon shares his recipe for the ubiquitous pulled pork, while Danny Kingston gives it a Mexican twist with his Cochinita pibil with pickled onions. You don’t have to shred it to bits before serving, however – just look at Helen Graves’ Organic Mexican roast pork shoulder with grapefruit and Scotch bonnet chilli.

As with all meat, higher quality means a better end result, so it’s worth stopping off at your local butchers to get the very best. Make sure you leave your pork shoulder cooking for long enough, too – especially if you’re planning to pull it afterwards.