Cuban Pork Sandos with Pinot Noir

In the past I have expressed my fascination with garlic and onions when it comes to cooking. I almost never make a dish with out them. Recently, I have been experimenting on different ways to prepare onions in a dish. I generally love cooking them in a saute or caramelizing them with wine, butter, and thyme; however, the heat of the summer has me craving items on the lighter side that are crisp and refreshing. I decided to pickle some red onions. Preparing the onions is actually much simpler and requires no heat or pan in the kitchen. Slice the onions thin, sprinkle salt, and pour white wine vinegar over them. I try to let them sit in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving them as a topping and they can last for days stored with your other opened sauces in the cool box. Adding them to deli sandwiches can transform a boring everyday turkey and cheese into a delicious mid-day treat. In addition to all of the grilling I have been doing, I realized crock pots are a great summer tool to keep the temperature down in the kitchen. I created this crock pot shredded pork to build Cuban style sandwiches with picked red onions. See recipe below wine recommendation.

Many people refer to pork as the other white meat. For me, this meat really stands in the middle of white meats like chicken and red beef. Can be lean like chicken or hearty like a beef. As a wine pairing I had to choose the gateway red as I call it... Pinot Noir. Many of my friends that started as sweet white consumers and now enjoy a dry red were at some point lured into this other side by Pinot Noir. Notes of red fruits like plum and cherry with a light to medium body, Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir provides the perfect match for this dish. From Mendoza in Argentina, I sell this wine by the glass at multiple restaurants and it is a BYOB favorite. It was actually just mentioned on the FOX TV show "Lie to Me" as one of the only great value Pinot Noirs from Argentina.
$10-$15 retail, 2010 vintage available soon


Cuban shredded pork sandos

-1 lb. Boneless pork shoulder

-1 tsp Cumin

-1 tsp Oregano

-Salt and pepper

-1 tsp chipotle chile powder

-1 tsp Sugar

- 1/4 cup lime juice

- 1/4 cup orange juice

- 1/2 cup water

- 3 garlic cloves

- 1/2 spanish onion sliced
Put all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Discard garlic cloves. Shred with fork and ready to dress on sandwiches.

To Dress sandwich

-Kaiser rolls

-Pickled red onion: sliced red onion salted and soaked in white wine vinegar

-Equal parts mayo and Dijon mustard

-Swiss cheese