All Hail the Pig

June 29 – July 5, 2026

Monday:                  Waldorf Salad w/ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Tuesday:                  Pasta w/ Gorgonzola, Crostini, Salad

Wednesday:          Parmesan Chicken w/ Arugula and Sautéed Tomatoes

Thursday:                Asparagus Frittata w/ Parmesan and Anchovy Toasts, Salad

Friday:                      Dinner at Julie’s (patriotic appetizer above)

Saturday:                Pulled-Pork – Caprese Salad – Deviled Eggs – Coleslaw

                                      Potato and Chickpea Salad, Peach Cobbler

                                    Mad Apps of Chicken Liver Paté, Herbed Goat Cheese,

                                    Crackers, Salumi, Olives, Cornichons, Endive, Cucumber

Sunday:                   Leftovers of all sorts (Chickpea and Potato Salad from the 4th)

[An excuse:  As you can see, from the dates above, I’m a bit behind time publishing this post.  An amazing string of social obligations over the last two weeks has eaten up a lot of my time, as have reading and writing and cooking and watching the one program which Barbara and I like on HBO Max.  But, honestly, as a retiree, there is really no excuse for my tardiness.  But then again, there is no penalty for it either.  It’s nice being retired.]

All Hail the Pig

Suckling, Virginia-Baked, Ragù, Chops, Ribs, Shoulder, Isaly’s Chipped, Rosemary, Pulled-Pork, there is no way you can serve me ham or pork that I will turn down.  The prevalence of ribs and chops and pulled-pork sandwiches at restaurants across America indicates that I am not particularly original in my love for Sus Scrofa Domesticus.  (This is the odd case where both the Latin name – sus – and the English name – pig – sound a bit jarring.  But ‘sus’ (think of a pig snuffling) is just Latin for pig, and ‘scrofa’ for sow, and the zoologist who concocted the scientific name for that animal had a tin ear, obviously.)

So why am I telling you something you already know – that pork is good?  Well, because I’ve been experimenting with roasting dry-brined pig shoulder (pork butt – another off-putting name – is the tag in the meat case at our supermarket).  I’ve been doing this because Beez and I and so many people I know, lust for pulled-pork sandwiches.  And also because it was recently the Fourth of July and I needed to come up with a menu for very important people (our family).  And, finally, because Mère told Barbara that she loves pulled pork, and Mere and Hoddy and Rick and Billy were coming to dinner on the 4^th and, well, cooking is easier when you don’t have to make up the menu from scratch, just cook it.

And cooking is exactly what pork shoulder needs – a lot of cooking – seven to eight hours of cooking.  And finally, finally, most days most of us don’t have that kind of time to hang around the kitchen.  But the 4^th is a special day and since I no longer ride my bike in the Fourth of July Parade, with the red-white-and-blue streamers drooping from my handlebar grips, or the playing card mimicking a roulette wheel as it clicks against the spokes, I had plenty of time.  To be precise, the last time that I road a bike with streamers and that clothespin-clipped playing card would have been when I was 10 or so – 67 years ago.  And the Fourth of July is about memory and I trot out mine whenever I have the opportunity.  Indeed, if you keep reading this blog, you’re going to hear a lot about Frick Park and keggers in Point Breeze and the Thanksgiving football game between Point Breeze and Oakland, and maybe even some things about Camp Rosary and Mallow Cups.

Oh – and when you serve your pulled pork, find some nice rolls and add some coleslaw or potato salad or baked beans on the side and, above all, serve Klondikes for dessert.  Courtesy of Rick, we had the Klondikes.  Courtesy of me, we had inferior peach cobbler although with good vanilla ice cream it did the job.

Pulled Pork

(adapted from Ree Drummond)

Timing:                    Brine in the evening, one day before cooking

                                         The cooking will take 7 hours or more

Ingredients:

¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne

1 pork shoulder (pork butt)

4 onions, cut into halves

1 bottle good barbecue sauce

Good-quality hamburger buns for serving

Brine the Pork:

In the afternoon or evening of the day before cooking, stir the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt black pepper and cayenne together.

Pat the pork shoulder dry and rub the mixture – really work it in – all over.  Wrap in plastic wrap or put in a large baggie and refrigerate overnight.

Cook the Pork and finish the sauce:

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Place the halved onions in the bottom of a large pot and place the pork on top.

Roast until fork-tender (falling apart), about 7 hours.  Allow at least another 30 or 45 minutes.

Remove the pork from the pot and set on a cutting board.  Slice some of the onion to mix in with the pork.

Place the pot on the stove over medium-high and add ½ to 1 cup of hot water and scrape the pan to loosen up the bits and cook for 5 minutes to reduce.  Pour in the barbecue sauce and stir to heat.

Pull the Pork and Serve

Shred the meat with two forks, add the sliced onions to the pork and then toss in the pot with the barbecue sauce until fully coated.  Serve on a hamburger bun. Coleslaw, baked beans or corn are fine accompaniments.