Lazy Sunday Pulled Pork

This is a batch of pulled pork I made. Actually, its more than pulled pork. Just calling it pulled pork doesn't hint at the sweet, spicy, smoky deliciousness that is this dish; perfect for a lazy Sunday in the middle of winter. It is great in a sandwich, or, as I had it tonight, as a sauce for pasta and greens. It originally blossomed from my desire to make a pot roast. But when I went to the store and beef was full price but pork shoulder was on sale, suddenly I was craving rich, smoky mole, and visions of chile peppers danced in my head.

I remembered the core element of a red pozole I made for New Year's. Toasted chiles softened with boiling water and pureed with softened garlic and onion made a thick paste for the soup base. I built on that chile base using the flavor profiles from a previous batch of tamales, anise scented black bean filling, and some of the more common ingredients in a red mole, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, chocolate, and toast, and came up with something completely new (at least I've never had anything like it).


When you break it down, this is just a braise. Braises are great because after you get them set up, they are pretty much hands off. First, you brown the meat, then, you add a base of flavors, and finally, you put it all together with some liquid and bake, covered, in the oven until done. I have independent verification from a discerning palate that these are some tasty vittles, and the recipe is nearly foolproof. I almost ruined it (twice) by trying to turn it into charcoal but pulled it back from the edge. That's okay, I'm not afraid of failure or a little carbon. It came together in the end and that is what matters.

If you can't find one of the ingredients, just improvise. I had never tried mulatto chiles before Sunday, and I picked them out by scent alone. They smelled smoky and fruity, which was just what I wanted so I went with it. I was originally going to include onion but 1) I only had red onions and I really needed a white or a yellow for this dish, and 2) when I did try to use the red onion I pretty much turned it into tar on the bottom of my pot (so much for my tasty brown bits). Ultimately I left the onion out, but you could certainly add it right back. Different kinds of sugar (molasses, brown sugar, or raw sugar) could easily be substituted, different chiles, and different proportions can all be played with. Have fun!


Lazy Sunday Pulled Pork

3.7 lbs Pork Shoulder (I used a bone-in picnic roast, but you can use whatever roasting cuts are available)
2 Tbs vegetable oil or Bacon Drippings
4-6 cups broth or stock (I used what was in the freezer, I think it was turkey stock)
3 or more Mulatto Chiles
2 or more Pasilla Chiles
2-3 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
4-6 cloves Garlic
Pinch of Cumin
3 Star Anise
1 stick Mexican Cinnamon (Canela)
1 oz Mexican Chocolate (approximate)
2 tsp quality Sugar (raw, natural, turbinado, brown - not plain granulted)
2 slices of leftover Bread, toasted
1/3 cup Orange Juice

Brown Meat
1) Prep your meat by removing any excess skin, fat, and bone. Cut into large chunks.
2) Heat aprox. 2 tablespoons fat of your choice (I used bacon drippings) over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed, oven safe dish, like a large fry pan or dutch oven (as I used). Covered is best, but its okay if there is no lid.
3) Brown the meat in small batches, remove from pan, and set aside.

Prep Sauce
4) De-seed and de-stem the chiles (not chipotle), and toast lightly in a dry pan or in the oven if you wish (I forgot).
5) Heat the stock or broth to a low simmer.
6) Bring Cinnamon, anise, and 2 cups of water to a boil. Turn off, cover, and steep for 5-8 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.
7) Put the chiles in a bowl, cover with the heated broth, and steep for 5-8 minutes.

Make the Sauce
8) Combine in a blender:
-the chiles and their soaking liquid
-the chipotles
-the garlic
-the cumin
-the cinnamon and anise flavored water
-the chocolate
-the sugar
-the toast
Pulse after every addition. Be careful, hot liquids expand in the blender and have been known to cause a blender spillover/burns. Taste. Adjust quantities of any ingredients and add salt to preference.

Put it Together
9) De-glaze the brown bits from your HOT pan with the orange juice and a bit of broth.
10) Add meat and chile sauce back to the pot, and add broth to just cover.
11) Put a tight lid on it and bake for 1-1.5 hours* at 350F degrees.

*Note, the exact amount of time it takes depends on the amount of liquid and the size of your chunks of meat. I used medium sized chunks (1.5-2 inch cubes) and an amount of liquid level with the top of the meat. 1.5 hours was a little too long, but larger pieces or meat or more liquid would have made it perfect. The dish you use will effect the cooking time.