WINE & FOOD AFFAIR RECIPES

Main Dish

Smoky BBQ Pork Sliders

Martorana Family Winery

5956 West Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
martoranafamilywinery.com

The smoky barbecue sauce in these pork sliders enhances the boysenberry and white pepper flavor profile of the Martorana Estate Zinfandel.

Ingredients:
  • 1 boneless Boston butt pork roast, about 3 pounds
  • 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup sweet paprika
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground mace
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, about 1 inch wide and 2 inches across
  • 1 lemon slice, seeded
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 16 slider buns
  • 4 cups cabbage slaw (optional_

Directions:

Score crosshatch patterns into the thick fat on the topside of the pork roast. 

In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, the sweet paprika, the 1/3 cup smoked paprika, cumin, mace, salt and black pepper. Place the pork in a roasting pan. Sprinkle and rub 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the rub all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight so the meat will absorb the flavors. Store the remaining rub in a sealed container in the pantry for another use.

Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce: In a saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, the remaining 1 cup brown sugar, the mustard, chili powder, the 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, ginger, lemon, garlic and vegetable oil. Set over low heat and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the sliders.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. 

Remove the pork from the refrigerator. Pour 1/2 cup of the water into the roasting pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Roast for about 2 hours, basting the pork occasionally with the pan juices. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup water into the pan, cover again and roast until the pork is soft and giving to the touch and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 190°F, about 1 hour more. Let the pork cool and then shred the meat with a fork or your fingers. Toss the meat with the pan juices.  

To assemble the sliders, put about 2 tablespoons pork on the bottom half of each bun. Top the pork with 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce and 1 tablespoon coleslaw. Cover with the top bun and serve. 

Pour a glass of Martorana Zinfandel. Relax and enjoy the flavors of the sliders and wine.