Mains

Pork has always quietly been one of my biggest loves. I like it any time of day, hot or cold, pulled or sliced, on a sandwich, in a soup, next to my eggs, you name it.

James Beard said “If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.” It was this quote that led me to realize how deep my love for pork really runs. At first, I skeptically shook my head for a few moments (as I’m prone to do) – I mean, how is pork any different from other proteins? Surely beef and chicken are just as versatile…

Right?

Absolutely! NOT! After considering a life without pork as compared to a life without any other meat, I realized that the man is undeniably right. Between sinfully fatty pork belly, to the staple sausage breakfast sandwich, to bacon and eggs, to porchetta, to delicately smoked and pulled pork… this delicacy gets me up in the morning and puts me right back to sleep at night. I tip my hat to those who don’t consume pork on account of their beliefs, you folks are a lot stronger than I will ever be.

While I can ramble about my love for pork for hours, you came here with a purpose. That purpose was a sexy looking pulled pork sandwich. Pulled pork is particularly high on my list of delicious things in the world. From the Hawaiian Kalua Pork prepared in a traditional imu to Mayan Conchita Pibil prepared in a pit to the perfectly smoky pork shoulder prepared sous vide in my very unexotic kitchen, it’s a warm blanket of happiness for me that beats out Mac N Cheese, Meatloaf, Soup, Sloppy Joes, Mashed Potatoes, and any other comfort foods any day of the week.

The sous vide pork shoulder in this recipe comes from Mr Kenji Lopez-Alt, the man who, as my father puts it, “wrote the book that Matthew wishes he could’ve written”. It isn’t an untrue statement, but that doesn’t mean I like hearing it… The BBQ sauce is from the same recipe, I always use Bone Suckin’ Sauce as the base.

I warn you, the following sandwich is pretty addictive and perfect to prepare for any BBQ event – just as long as you make enough caramelized onion spread. If you asked a friend if they would ever eat half an onion in one sitting, I’m pretty confident they would give you a resounding “What?! No!.” Now slide some buttery caramelized magic in front of them and watch them devour enough onion and garlic to ward off a legion of vampires.

And now, enough chit chat – let’s eat some damn pig.

I haven’t written in a long time. Not for myself, anyway. I have an infinite number of ideas swirling around in my brain — fragments of intros, mounds of clever copy, poetic verses and lyrics galore. But what stops me? Excuses. Bottom line, lots and lots of excuses keep me from lifting the laptop cover or picking up a pen and paper. And an overwhelming, paralyzing fear that stems from that annoying monkey on my back: perfectionism. I’m a Type A control freak, and although I have the writing chops, I haven’t been able to dive into this blog. Matt and I have gone round and round the discussion board for two years now, developing our concept, our mission, our strategy, and it’s all there. But what we — or in all honesty, more so I — have struggled the most with is action.

Well, here’s action. Someone once told me that you should write what you know. I honestly cannot remember whom said what — maybe a professor at one of the many universities I attended during my academic rite of passage, but memory keeps aiming to a moment during much younger school years. Who stated it doesn’t matter as much as the words themselves do. Matthew will happily credit Stephen King here

So what do I know? Pasta carbonara americano, the way my mama makes it. (Tangent: Circling back to that perfectionism monkey, I just took ten minutes grappling with momma v. mama, and I’m still not content with my choice. Moving along…)

From the Mountains of My Abruzzo

Pasta carbonara americano is truly one of my biggest comfort foods. It’s a dish that will always take me back home no matter where I am, and it’s a meal that can bring me so much elation on even the gloomiest of days. Whenever my mom made it for me and my sister, I always felt like I was getting a tiny piece of my heritage. My maternal grandmother was from the Abruzzo region in Italy, born in the States but later moved back to Italy with her parents when she was eight. They experienced the trials of Ellis Island when immigrating to this country, eventually settling and making a home in Boston. As a typical, third-generation, Caucasian American, I am always grasping at whatever culture I can claim or learn about regarding my family. (I’ve taken two DNA tests by now and am already looking into a third.) My current personal project entails researching these Abruzzo roots, but enough on that for now.

Before I launch into a personal anecdote, I want to briefly note that this recipe is my mother and grandmother’s take on pasta carbonara americano. This is not to be confused with the more traditional pasta carbonara italiano and how the dish is typically prepared in Italy. Both are incredibly tasty dishes. My personal bias leans towards americano, but Matt is all about that pancetta used in carbonara italiano. 🙂

Obviously, this is a dish that means a lot to me. I’ll quit rambling so we can get to cooking.

Pulled Pork Open Faced Sandwich

American Pasta Carbonara

From the Mountains of My Abruzzo