Slow-Roasted Pomegranate Pork Appetizer with Tangy Veggie Slaw

Serves: 50

Ingredients

1 1/2 T avocado oil
4 lb. Becker Lane Pasture-Raised Bone-In Skin-On Pork Shoulder
1 large onion, chopped
1 granny apple, cut into 1/2" dice
1 serrano chile, stems and seeds removed, diced
Juice of 1 navel orange
2 C organic pinot noir or other light red wine
2 C pomegranate juice (fresh pressed is best)
1/2 t whole cloves
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Although most folks in this country are scared of eating too much fat, the fact is that animals who live on pasture gain a lot of vitamins, such as Vitamin D, from living outside, which gets stored in the fat. Besides that, the flavor is vastly improved with this dish when you slow-roast it with the fat intact and then skim it when concentrating the flavors of this delicious sauce at the end. The tangy veggie slaw is a perfect, high-fiber contrast to the stick-to-your-ribs nature of this dish. You can serve the pork as a main course with the slaw alongside it or sandwiched between a slice of steamed potato topped and slaw as a tasty appetizer.

Directions:
TWO DAYS BEFORE SERVING:
Rinse pork and pat dry. Season pork GENEROUSLY with sea salt and pepper on all sides. Refrigerate overnight, covered in plastic wrap.

ONE DAY BEFORE SERVING:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Take out pork from fridge and pat dry. Let sit out for 30 minutes to come somewhat closer to room temperature
2. In dutch oven, heat avocado oil until hot but not smoking. Sear pork shoulder on all sides except skin on top, about 5 minutes each side until a golden brown char forms. Remove pork from pot, place on dish and set aside.
3. Saute onions with 2 generous pinches of sea salt until soft, about 7 minutes. Add serrano and saute 2 minutes. Add wine, juices, apples, 1/8 t salt, 1/8 t fresh pepper and whole cloves. Bring to a gentle rolling simmer and then add pork with accumulated juices. Liquid should come up about halfway up pork. Cover pork and sauce with parchment paper to keep meat as moist as possible and then cover with lid.
4. Roast for 3 hours, turning every 45 minutes or so. When meat pulls away from the bone and is very tender, breaking apart, it is done. Remove pork and set aside. Strain solids from sauce and defat. Reduce sauce in half with a brisk simmer (check the level first with a toothpick and then later to see when it reduces by half). Sauce will be really sweet, therefore, add a dash or more of cayenne to balance it out. It should be balanced with a slight hint of heat, but not spicy at this point.
5. While sauce is reducing, remove bone and fat from meat and compost. Using your hands or a fork, pull pork into strips. Set aside. Once sauce is reduced, add pork and combine. Taste for salt and pepper. If it is too sweet, add cayenne to taste. Let cool and store in glass or other non-plastic container with a sheet of parchment paper covering the top to retain moisture. Store overnight for one to two days, up to a week.

For Red New Potatoes:
Scrub potatoes to remove topical dirt, keeping skins intact. Steam potatoes above a boiling water bath for about 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender all the way through. Slice horizontally into discs 1/4" thick, about 2" wide to accommodate a pinch of pulled pork that will go on top. This can be made ahead and stored 1 day before in fridge until ready. When ready to assemble appetizers, line cookie sheet with parchment paper and place potato discs at least 1" apart. Sprinkle a dash of sea salt on each potato disk.

For assembly:
Warm pulled pork in a large heavy skillet. Caramelize until slightly brown to intensify the flavor. Bring potato disks to room temperature or slightly warm them in the oven on a lined cookie sheet. Top each disk with a pinch of pulled pork. Top with Tangy Veggie Slaw. Serve immediately.

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