Slow Roasted Pulled Pork with Sherry Barbecue Sauce, for the Month of Graduations

Natacha Sanz Caballero Meat and Poultry a fuego lento, carne de cerdo, celebration, comfort food, cook for a crowd, FWFC, graduations, New York City, NYC, party food, Queen's, St. John's University 4 Comments

The month of May seems to always be full of events. For Catholics, it is the month of Mary and first communions; in Indiana, it is the month of the Indy 500; for many, it is the month of weddings. And here in the United States, it is also the month of graduations, both college, university and high school. After a number of years celebrating graduations, we are not having any at our house this May.

After attending many graduation parties over the years, I’ve found that one of the most popular dishes to serve at parties —at least in this part of the world— is pulled pork. There are many recipes for pulled pork, and I can tell you right now, all the ones I’ve tried are absolutely delicious. Because, apart from the marinade and the spices and different ingredients you will use in the sauce and the marinade, to me, the main secret or most important step in the cooking process for a delicious, succulent, pulled pork, is the number of hours the pork will cook (a hint: the more, the better).

I’ll share my recipe for slow roasted pulled pork with sherry barbecue sauce with you. I think it’s really good and pretty easy to make, and since I will not be making it this month of May, I hope you do.

Something I love about slow roasted pulled pork is that you can make as much of it as your oven capacity will allow, and it will feed a crowd. But even if you don’t have a big celebration with many guests, pulled pork freezes so well that I always make a large quantity of it and freeze it in smaller portions. That way, I can pull it out of the freezer as needed –for sliders, for tacos or for sandwiches. It’s such a lifesaver when you don’t know what to make for dinner! Make it once for a crowd, or enjoy it many times if just for the family.

My recipe for slow roasted pulled pork has, as usual, a Spanish twist. In this case, it’s the use of cumin and Pimentón de la Vera in the marinade, and lots of garlic and Sherry vinegar in the barbecue sauce (yes, even my barbecue sauce will have a Spanish twist!)

We don’t have a graduation this month of May, but it’s not a common one nonetheless, it being another milestone for our family. David graduated from high school in May 2024 and in August he left for St. John’s University in New York City. It was a year of great changes for our family, and particularly for David, who played soccer for the St. John’s team, worked as a tutor for student athletes, won first price for his research biochemistry project, and completed his first year of college with the highest GPA. Now back home for the summer, he will play soccer for the Fort Wayne FC team as a goalkeeper, like he did last summer. I can not tell you how proud I am of this accomplished, motivated and hard working young man.

For all the graduates out there, CONGRATULATIONS on your accomplishments, accolades and effort you placed in your education and formation. Enjoy your summer and have a very successful, blissful new stage in your life.

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SLOW ROASTED PULLED PORK WITH SHERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

Cerdo asado a fuego lento con salsa barbacoa al vinagre de Jerez

Course: Main Course

Servings: 30

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Ingredients

For pulled pork

• One 5 to 6 Lbs pork shoulder
• 1 Tbs cumin
• 1 Tbs pimentón de la Vera
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs dry thyme
• 1 Tbs sea salt
• 3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water

For barbecue sauce

• 1 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 cup sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp chili powder or cayenne
• 4 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

• In a medium bowl mix the cumin, pimentón, cinnamon, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper, thyme, sea salt, Worcestershire sauce and water. Paint the pork with this paste and let it rest, covered and refrigerated, for a minimum of 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
• Place the pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the roasting pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Roast for 3 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and roast for another 2 1/2 hours (add more water if necessary to prevent scorching.

Make the barbecue sauce

• Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Simmer gently, stirring frequently until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat source and set aside.
• When the pork is done, remove the roasting pan from the oven and set the pork on a cutting board or platter. Cover with aluminum foil until you finish the sauce.
• Place a sieve or colander over a fat separator and pour the liquid from the roasting pan. Discard the solids from the colander. Pour off the liquid over the previously made sauce and discard the fat. Place the saucepan on the stove over low heat and stir to mix. Set aside.
• With two forks, shred the meat (I like to do this by first cutting the pork shoulder into two or three smaller chunks).
• Place the pulled pork in a bowl or shallow platter and toss with about 1/2 of the barbecue sauce.
• Serve on buns or on flour tortillas, topping with a few leaves of cilantro and thinly sliced red onion.

Notes

1- I like to remove the large layer of fat from the pork before marinading

2- The shredded pork can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen! I like to freeze the pork and the barbecue sauce separate and in smaller freezer safe containers, that way I can thaw only what I need for a meal

3- To reheat a small quantity of pulled pork, place it in a microwave safe container, add a bit more sauce, cover and reheat for 2 minutes. To reheat larger quantities it is best to do it in the oven. Again, mix it with some more sauce, cover with aluminum foil and place in a 250ºF oven for about 30 minutes.