Ingredients
Units
Scale
- For the pulled pork:
- 1 1/4 lb. boneless Gloucestershire Old Spot (preferred) or heirloom pork shoulder
- 1/4 lb. skinless pork belly
- 2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
- 3/4 Tbsp. Marion-Kay Chicken Seasoning Plus
- 3/4 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp. granulated garlic
- 3/4 tsp. onion powder
- 3/4 tsp. freshly ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp. English mustard powder
- Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- about 2 Tbsp. corn oil per batch of pork
- 11.4 oz. bottle of London Porter
- ***
- Sauce for the pulled pork:
- 1 Tbsp. corn oil
- 3/4 cup sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
- Pinch Knorr Aromat
- 1/2 cup diced small red bell pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. freshly ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 cup chipotle tomato salsa
- 1/2 cup pan drippings from the roast pork
- 1 orange, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 Tbs.)
- ***
- 1/4 cup Venezuelan Mojo Isleño sauce as part of the pulled pork sauce:
- 3/4 of a medium Onion
- 4 peeled Garlic Cloves
- 3/4 cup Cilantro Leaves (no stems)
- 1/4 cup Parsley Leaves (no stems)
- 1 red Fresno pepper, stem discarded, remove veins and seeds
- 1 Tbsp. Bread Crumbs
- 1/4 cup Beef Stock, preferably homemade or low-salt commercial
- 1/8 cup Corn Oil
- 1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. Knorr Aromat
- 3/4 tsp. Paprika
- ***
- 8-10 Venezuelan arepas:
- 2 cups Harina P.A.N. (white corn meal)
- 2 1/2 cups bottled water
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. corn oil
- ***
- Garnishes:
- 1 large heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 Haas avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup minced cilantro
- a LOT of shredded aged Gouda, TFD prefers Beemster Vlaskaas
- the remaining mojo sauce
Instructions
- Make the pulled pork: preheat oven to 300°. Trim excess fat from pork and cut into largish pieces to fit in a large Dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, Marion-Kay, mustard powder, paprika, cocoa powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin, then season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Rub all over pork. (This can be done the night before.)
- In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat oil. Working in batches, add pork and sear on all sides. (Spices can burn quickly so don’t let it go for too long!)
- Pour beer around pork and cover with lid. Transfer to oven and cook until pork is beginning to turn tender, about 3 hours. Remove lid and cook until pork is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork, about 45 minutes more. Remove pork from Dutch oven and let rest. Shred pork using two forks. Reserve. Can be made in advance and reheated.
- Make the mojo: using a food processor, blend the onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and the Fresno chili pepper. After you have blended all the ingredients very well and obtained a green paste, mix in the breadcrumbs with a spoon.
- Place the mixture in a pot and add the beef stock, vegetable oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook to a boil, and then continue cooking over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes or until it turns a yellow-greenish color and has a thick consistency.
- Make the arepas: in a large mixing bowl, combine water, oil, and salt. Mix in Harina P.A.N. until you get until you get a soft dough-like consistency. Add more water or Harina P.A.N. as needed. Let the dough sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Shape the arepa: separate your dough and roll into small balls (size is up to you, start small and work your way up, depending on how big/thick you want your arepa).
- On your repurposed Harina P.A.N. plastic bag or a large beeswax wrap sheet, add some water to wet the sheet.
- Place your dough ball on the sheet and begin to pat it down going around the ball in circles until you have a flattened circle dough shape, you’ll want it to be about ¾ – 1 inch thick.
- Fry the arepas: on medium-low heat, add oil to a large pan. Once the oil is hot, peel the arepas off your sheet and add to the pan (careful, the oil may jump!). Once the side on the pan is golden brown and crispy, flip to cook the other side – about 7-10 minutes on each side.
- Give them an oven finish after frying (5–7 min at 350°F) to firm the interior crumb and improve their ability to hold the filling. Once your arepas are golden brown on each side, transfer them to a plate. Open by slicing carefully down the middle with a butter knife and reserve in a warm, open oven.
- Make the sauce: put the oil into a large sauté pan and sauté the onions with the salt, until just starting to pick up some color. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and sauté one minute more. Pull the vegetables to the edges of the pan and add the spices to the hole in the center. Cook them for 10 seconds before mixing them into the vegetables.
- Add the salsa, pan drippings, juices and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the volume is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved mojo. Stir in the pulled pork and heat for 5 minutes.
- Fill arepas with the sauced pulled pork and LOTS of gouda. Serve with tomato, avocado, and cilantro on the side and the extra mojo for dipping, if desired.