From Pork
Super Bowl Pulled Pork
What could be better than walking your local farmers market on a balmy winter’s day? Here in NYC the temperature just hit 60 degrees & the Union Square Market is glistening in the morning sun. I have my favorite Saturday vendors and today I was on a hunt for a pork shoulder.
Nothing says a lazy winter afternoon to me more than a slow cooked pork roast. The aroma of the spices and the warmth of the oven as filling your home is as good as it gets. I usually make a traditional roast but next week is Super Bowl Sunday & I decided to try something different. This recipe takes a bit of planning – but is has the Sartor family seal of approval and that is good enough for me.
My dear friend Forrest Sartor recently shared this recipe with me. She is an excellent cook – who has taught me a thing or two about Southern Fried Chicken, Cheese Grits, Pecan Pie and Life. Raising her family in Monroe, Louisiana she continues a long-standing tradition of good food and Southern hospitality.
Forrest explained that she & her husband would get up at 5:00 in the morning to cook a pork roast on a smoker for her pulled pork sandwiches. Her mother in law passed on this recipe to her and as Forrest said, “It is just as good and so much easier and quicker. I thought you may want to try it. It is great to have for a crowd, and both the sauces are good for sandwiches.” I feel like I have the Pope’s blessing!
One note, the recipe calls for pork shoulder but Forrest suggest pork butt. I prefer an organic pork butt preferably from your local farmer’s market. I have never matched the flavor and quality of pork from Violet Hill Farms or Flying Pig Farms. Each is unique and their sausages are sensational.
Sartor Family Pulled Pork
Makes 14 cups of Pork
Total Time: About 8 hours plus Resting
¼ cup kosher salt – JF Natural Gres Salt even better
¼ cup Ground Black Pepper – JF Butchers Grind Black Pepper
¼ cup Chili powder – JF Rough Rider Chili
1 T Dried Oregano
1 T Dried Thyme
1 t Cayenne Pepper
1 Bone in Pork Shoulder – or Pork Butt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Combine salt, pepper, chili, powder, oregano, thyme, & cayenne in a bowl.
Place a large sheet of foil on a roasting rack, then layer another sheet on top of it perpendicular to the first. Place the pork in the middle of the foil; rub the spice mixture on all sides of the pork, crimping the foil closed at the top to ensure a tight seal. Crimp all sides of the foil closed
Roast the pork for 5 to 6 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Open the foil to expose the pork, roast until the crust is dark and crisp, another 20 minutes. Remove the roast from the oven. Let the pork rest until it is cool to the touch – about 30 minutes.
Transfer the pork to the cutting board and pull out the large bone from the roast. This should slide out easily with no resistance.
Using two forks, pull pork apart and discard any visible pieces of fat or gristle before serving. Serve pork with Mustard Sauce or Vinegar Sauce.
Mustard Sauce
Makes 1 3/4 cup
Total Time 15 minutes
1 cup Prepared Yellow Mustard – or Dijon
½ cup White Vinegar
1/3 cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 T Unsalted Butter
1 T Molasses
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
½ Cayenne Pepper
To Make: Simmer Mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, butter, molasses, Worcestershire, & cayenne in a sauce pan over a medium heat stirring often.
Vinegar Sauce
Makes 2 cups
Total Time: 5 minutes
1 ½ c Cider Vinegar
½ cup Organic Ketchup
2 T Brown Sugar
2 T Molasses
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T Ground Black Pepper – – JF Butchers Grind Black Pepper
Kosher Salt to taste – – JF Natural Gres Salt
Whisk vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire, pepper & salt until smooth.
What to Cook when the Snow Falls and the Wind Blows.
I am always inspired by traditional cooking in the winter. The forecast of snow and the wind chill factor well below freezing has me yearning to slow roasting something wonderfully fragrant.
Today I am cooking in a Basque tradition, a piece of pork smothered in spices and slow roasted at 300 degrees. Slow roasting has its roots in rural cooking where few people had ovens and meats were placed at the back of the fire pit, fire place or bakers oven and heated all day long. When a roast is cooked in this manner, all the luscious fats render into the meat – self basting the roast. This is a rich and delicious meal, a guilty pleasure that brings friends and family together for a memorable feast!
Seek out the best piece of pork that you can find – I have made this with a supermarket pork picnic and is is delicious . But if you are lucky enough to have an organic or heritage pork producer the result is so much better. Here in NYC I shop at the Union Square Farmer’s Market and the gentleman at Violet Hill Farms or Flying Pigs have OUTSTANDING pork. Nothing comes close in my book. The end result exceptional with heritage producers. Here is the deal, the pork is more flavorful and the fat is well – out of this world.
Pork Roast
Josephine’s Feast Pork Spice Rub
Josephine’s Feast Natural Sea Salt
Pepper
Bottle of apple cider
Preparing the meat could not be easier. Unwrap the roast. Wipe it down. Cut slices of garlic and use the sharp end of a pairing knife to create a slit in the skin and push the sliced garlic into the skin. Rub the roast with a mix of fragrant spices – in my opinion , paprika is key, mustard, cumin, salt & pepper are some of my other favorites. Some of you have no problem playing with spices – others need a formula. I’d like to recommend Josephine’s Feast Pork Spice Rub. it has at it’s base Spanish Smoked Paprika, with Black Mustard Seed, Cumin, & Garlic. The rub has no salt – just before placing the roast in the oven rub it down with natural salt – also available at JosephinesFeast.com or in your kitchen shelf
When the roast is ready for the oven, place on a rack and pour 2 to 4 cups of apple cider in the baking pan. Just enough to cover the bottom but not touch the roast.
Slow cook for at 325 for the first 30 minutes then drop the temperature to 300 for the next 3 to 6 hours.
Check the roast every hour making sure there is enough apple cider under the roast to keep it from drying out
When the roast is ready the meat should pull away from the bone, there should be a crispy crust, and the internal temperature should read 160 degrees.
Tent the roast under foil for 10 to 15 minutes.
It is best served with roasted potatoes – I like to quarter organic potatoes – Yukon gold or other small sized spuds. Drizzle with olive oil, rosemary, whole garlic cloves, and salt. Roast in the oven with the pork for 2 hours. While the meat is resting – turn the temperature up to 350 for 15 minutes.
Garlicky greens or a wild arugula salad dressed with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil are a great addition.
As a condiment Josephine’s Feast! Apple Compote cooked with Dijon Mustard is the perfect match. Made with Organic Heirloom Apples it is a tradition accompanyment with roasted meat in Normandy.