I smoked a pork shoulder

I have had pulled pork so many different ways but I feel like they are all too common. Salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, brown sugar… maybe mustard as a binder, maybe some barbecue sauce, apple juice or apple cider vinegar. Some sweeter, some more savory. Nothing inherently wrong with that I suppose. Nothing really scratched that itch I was looking for.

I went with my dad and stepmom to my great grandmother’s 100th birthday years ago in Santa Fe. While we were there we ate one of my dad’s favorite dishes, carne adovada. Essentially its chunks of pork simmered or braised in red chile. The red chile is really the shining star with this. I’ve had red chile prior to having carne adovada. It’s perfect for tamales, enchiladas, tacos… you name it. As I got into smoking meat, I incorporated using the hatch red chile powder in my rubs. It really goes well with that smoky flavor. I started making red chile sauce and making carne adovada and had this thought of “shit… I should make this on the smoker.” As I thought more about that I came to the conclusion that pulled pork would be great to try using the sauce and overall idea of carne adovada. So I did. It was nothing short of magical. To me, its an homage to my dad and our family and where we come from, our past.

Making my pulled pork this way turned out to be what I was looking for in so many ways. It’s the savory, smoky flavor but its also a connection to my heritage and culture. Every time I make it, I am reminded of my dad and his family.