CI's Mexican Pulled Pork

So, at the grocery store a few days ago, I saw a beautiful bone-in pork shoulder on sale. I figured with the holiday weekend approaching, I would make the oven Kahlua Pig we like so much. Then I ran across an intriguing method in Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2008, which I finally got around to reading). It called for braising the pork (cut into chunks) until tender, then shredding it slightly, reducing the braising liquid to a syrup, tossing the syrup with the shreds and broiling slightly until the edges were crispy. This sounded great to me, especially since it called on some of the flavors of Cuba that I miss so much from my years in Florida. (Orange, lime, onion.)

Since I was lazy yesterday morning, I actually cooked the shoulder in one piece vs. cutting it into chunks. I knew it would take longer but that didn't matter to me. I turned it several times throughout the process so it would be moist and flavorful all over. The final step worked the same as the recipe dictated, since I shredded/chopped it into pieces of about 2 square inches after it was finished braising.

The result was delicious. I never would have thought of tossing the finished pork with the reduced braising liquid. The onion and fruit juices added a tiny bit of sugar to the mix which really carmelized the pork nicely under the broiler. I originally thought we would serve it on soft flour tortilla's but decided soft, sesame hamburger buns would be better, with a bit of the reduced liquid drizzled on the inside of the top bun. I loved the contrasting crispy pieces of tender pork with the squishy bun.

For those of you who have CI's online subscription (I don't), you can access the recipe from the website. Happy to type it up for this forum if anyone is interested.

Carrie,

Is "pulled" or "shredded" meat like this is a common method of cooking beef/pork? It certainly isn't something we make here as a stand alone dish (you might shred meat for a lasagne etc), but I've read recipes in the Silver Palate cookbook where it's made as a main dish. Is it a bbq special? From memory, Silver Palate had it as a superbowl dish - something you could cook in a big stockpot and then nibble at over a couple of days - an idea I find really appealing. I love the idea of having a pot of shredded meat in the fridge - might make for nice sandwiches for school etc.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Celia

Carrie,

Is "pulled" or "shredded" meat like this is a common method of cooking beef/pork? It certainly isn't something we make here as a stand alone dish (you might shred meat for a lasagne etc), but I've read recipes in the Silver Palate cookbook where it's made as a main dish. Is it a bbq special? From memory, Silver Palate had it as a superbowl dish - something you could cook in a big stockpot and then nibble at over a couple of days - an idea I find really appealing. I love the idea of having a pot of shredded meat in the fridge - might make for nice sandwiches for school etc.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Celia

Celia, I'm certainly no expert, but do know pulled or shredded meat is fairly common. In fact, pulled pork is pretty much the cornerstone of Southern (US)-style barbecue. It can involve a whole pig, or just the shoulder. I think it is similar to the Hawaiian version of Kalua Pig, but that might be more of a "steaming" vs. "smoking." I'm sure others are more versed. I also know there is a Cuban dish called Ropa Vieja in which I think a beef flank is cooked stovetop until the meat can be pulled apart or shredded. (Never made this but have always wanted to.) Also, Carnitas which is a Mexican specialty that is like pulled pork but with different spices and cooked in the oven. That is basically what the CI recipe is. I'm not sure why they called it Mexican Pulled Pork rather than Carnitas.

I think it's a great thing to have on hand. Dish a little out, zap it in the microwave or eat it cold.
I'm going to have to look at my Silver Palate cookbook when I get back to CA. I don't remember seeing that recipe in there but I'd be interested to see how they do it.

You are in Australia, right?

Carnitas.

You are in Australia, right?

Yep. Howie and the two Bobs were giving me advice this morning in chat. It sounds like a loooong process! I'm going to hunt out my American cookbooks now...