Pulled Pork Vindaloo Sandwiches
As the Goan side of my family would say, vindaloo must always be made with pork. Here, I present a version I often make for barbecue parties when I don’t want to barbecue. This recipe uses more vinegar than my chicken vindaloo because pork can handle it. Vindaloo is made with a lot of vinegar because the very low pH of the acid helps it survive lengthy journeys on the sea. I’ve left the slider serving portion up to you, but I love serving this vindaloo with coleslaw, crispy hot tater tots, and, oh yeah, lots of extra bread and butter pickles! You can also serve these in small portions by making sliders.
- Yield: 6 to 8 people
Ingredients
For the Vindaloo
15 whole/about 30 g stemless Kashmiri chillies
8 whole cloves
10 garlic cloves/total weight about 30g
2 in/5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 in/2.5 cm cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp black or brown mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups/480 ml malt or apple cider vinegar plus more as needed
½ cup/120 ml water
3 Tbsp/45 ml neutral oil, such as grapeseed
4 lb/1.8 kg boneless pork butt, excess fat trimmed and discarded
1 large red onions/total weight about 400 g, diced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sugar
Serve with
Coleslaw
Bread and Butter Pickles
Tater Tots/French Fries/Home Fries
Burger buns
Instructions
- Add the Kashmiri chillies, cloves, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cumin, 1 cup/240 ml of vinegar, and water. Blend until silky smooth. Keep aside.
- Heat the oven to 300F/150C.
- Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven or saucepan with a heavy lid over medium-high heat.
- Season the pork butt lightly with salt and sear on each side in the hot Dutch oven until it turns golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Some of the pork fat will render. Remove the pork butt and transfer to a large plate or tray. Do not clean or discard the fat in the Dutch oven.
- Add the onions to the Dutch oven and sauté until they turn light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Return the pork butt to the Dutch oven with any liquids from the plate.
- Add the ground spice mixture, turmeric, and sugar to the Dutch oven. Rinse the contents of the blender with the remaining vinegar to collect the spice mixture, and add the liquid to the Dutch oven. Stir to mix evenly and add 1/2 tsp of salt. Coat the pork in the mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove from the heat. Cover the top tightly with two layers of foil. Place the lid on top and place it in the oven. Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven.
- Pull the pork butt out using a pair of kitchen tongs and transfer it to a large plate. It should be very tender and nearly falling apart.
- Shred the pork and return it to the Dutch oven. Fold and let simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Taste and season with salt and more sugar if needed. Skim and discard any excess fat from the surface. Alternatively, refrigerate and skim off the hardened fat from the surface if you make this ahead of time. The vindaloo can be made at least one week ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or for up to 1 month in the freezer.
- Serve with toasted buns, pickles, coleslaw, and tater tots on the side. I like to serve the vindaloo liquid on the side in a bowl so people can add more to the sliders as needed. Be generous when making the sandwiches.
Notes
- Malt vinegar is a good choice here, but apple cider vinegar works great too.
- Feel free to use fewer chillies if you want it less hot or add more if you like it hotter.
- For those using a scale, 50 g of whole Kashmiri chillies gave me a weight of 30 g after I removed their stems.
- You can make these into burgers, sandwiches, and buns; you get the picture.
- I like to serve some liquid on the side so people can use it as a dipping sauce to drench their sandwiches.
