FRUGAL RECIPES: epic pulled pork + leftovers

While this recipe is not cheap to make from start to finish, it yields so many portions and heaps of leftovers, so per head it is really very reasonable (veggies may want to look away for this one). Pork shoulder is an amazing, inexpensive cut of meat which needs a long cooking time - this dinner is my boyfriend's speciality and he insists on at least 6 hours - definitely one for the weekend!

For the pork: choose a nice big joint as the leftovers are even tastier. Tesco recommends about 120g per person, and you can usually get a 1.2kg joint that will feed 10 for around £6. I'm slightly embarrassed to say we got 3.5kg as it was on a special offer.

Marinade for a 2kg joint:
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp smoked paprika
140g tomato ketchup
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

Mix all the ingredients together, then score the skin of the pork and smother with the marinade. For extra flavour, stick a few garlic cloves in amongst the scores, if you have some. Dice two onions and scatter across the bottom of a roasting tray, then place the joint skin side up on top. Pour 200ml into the bottom of the tray, cover with tin foil and  bake at 160C in a fan oven for at least 4 hours. An hour before you're ready to eat, remove the foil and drain away all of the liquid. At this point, the meat should already be falling apart - if it's not, you might need to leave it in the oven under the foil for a bit longer. Pop back in the oven: everything will caramelise and you should get a nice crackling. When you're ready to eat, remove from the oven and shred the meat with a fork. Then mix in your preferred barbecue sauce (or homemade!) and you're good to go.

To serve: we always always make our own slaw as it's so easy and cheap and tastes so much better than the mayonnaise-y stuff you get from the supermarket. Even without a food processor, you can easily shred cabbage by finely slicing with a knife and grate carrots to get the same effect. Plus pickles - the sweet and sour sharpness perfectly cuts through the stodgy-ness of the meat, and crispy potato wedges are always a winner.

Leftovers: the best bit! We always make sure to make extra which we eat the second night running smooshed into a big white bap with melted cheese and leftover slaw. You can also serve it with lots of salad or with french fries if you're feeling extra naughty. Since our joint was made to feed more than 20 (!!), we froze individual-sized portions wrapped in tin foil in the freezer - pop one in the fridge in the morning and by the evening it will be ready to reheat in the oven with another slather of barbecue sauce for slow-cooked pulled pork any night of the week!