Pulled pork: A shoulder to celebrate | Taste, the Santa Fe dining scene | santafenewmexican.com - Santa Fe New Mexican

For years my go-to way of preparing pulled pork revolved around the idea of submerging caramelized meat in the oven with broth and aromatics (like onion, garlic, cilantro stems and a jalapeño) over low heat for many hours, sometimes even overnight in the Crock-Pot. I have always loved braising because eventually all of the toughness disappears, not only creating strands of tender meat, but just as much because of the luscious broth left behind that can be used for reheating meat, soup, stew or to freeze for a rainy day.

This recipe approaches pork shoulder in another effective way — through roasting. And even though we forfeit a few quarts of liquid gold that come from braising, we end up with melt-in-your-mouth shreds of tender meat and crispy pork skin speckled throughout, perfect for drizzling, dunking or tossing in red chile high desert barbecue sauce, a chile-based sauce spiked with a generous pour of mezcal and softened with a hunk of butter.

This recipe calls for pork shoulder (also called picnic shoulder or picnic roast), but pork butt (also called Boston butt) is technically part of the front shoulder and some might even argue is a better choice, so let's talk about it: Pork butt is not from the rear of the pig at all but a primal cut right behind the pig head. Late in the 19th century, the topsy-turvy name was coined and stuck. The shoulder, on the other hand, sits right below the butt and travels down the front leg toward the hoof. Pork butt has more fat marbling throughout the meat, which renders during cooking, adding more moisture and flavor. Pork shoulder has less fat throughout the meat, but often a thicker piece of fat on top, which crisps up beautifully during the final minutes of cooking. So either way, you can't lose.

I like to make pulled pork and barbecue sauce the day before a backyard barbecue, so when I wake up the next morning, all I have to do is sip on coffee and think about how all the big lifting for the day is done. The grill is also wide open, with plenty of room for grilling buttered buns, vegetables and fruit. Aside from making delicious sandwiches, this combo of roasted pork and barbecue sauce can be put to use in many ways. You could fill tortillas for tacos, sprinkle on salads, serve with rice or quinoa, eggs, etc. The barbecue sauce stands on its own, pairing well with shrimp, white fish, veggies, chicken or drizzled on burgers and brats.

High Desert BBQ Pulled Pork

Makes: 10-12 servings; total time: 4-5 hours

For the pork:

3 teaspoons whole coriander seed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried juniper berries

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon red chile powder, whatever heat you prefer

1 tablespoon High Desert Herbs or herbes de Provence

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder

For the high desert barbecue sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced onion

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup mezcal

2 cups (1 pint) mild red chile purée

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon black pepper

11/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preparation: The night before, make the spice rub: In a small pan over medium heat, toast the coriander, peppercorns and juniper berries until they are lightly toasted and you start to smell their fragrance waft out from the pan. Transfer this to a dry blender, along with the brown sugar, red chile powder, herbs, salt, garlic powder and lavender. Blend until pulverized into a fine powder. Lightly score any thick areas of fat with a sharp knife. Using all the spice rub, massage the pork all over and refrigerate overnight in an ovenproof baking dish.

To make the barbecue sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and let simmer until the onions turn translucent, around 10-15 minutes. Add the mezcal and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the chile purée, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, black pepper and salt. Let this mixture simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender and purée until smooth.

The next day when you're ready to roast the pork shoulder, pull the pork from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a half-hour. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Roast pork in the oven, uncovered, for around 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 190 degrees on a thermometer. Turn the heat up to 500 degrees and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the skin is a deep golden brown and crispy. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Pull apart the meat and crispy skin into strips and serve warm with barbecue sauce on the side.

Marianne Sundquist is a chef and writer who in 2020 co-founded Stokli, an online general store. Find her on Instagram @chefmariannesundquist, and email her at marianne@stokli.com.