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Beer Pulled Pork Polenta Bowls

Shanna
Hearty pork and polenta bowls. Similar to posole but in a slightly different form. Tender beer pulled pork over creamy polenta with posole style toppings.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the Pork

  • 5 pound pork shoulder/Boston butt
  • 1 package of Village Gourmet Pulled Pork Seasoning
  • One 12 ounce Negro Modelo Beer

For the Sauce:

  • Five each of dried Guajillo and New Mexico chilies
  • 1 dried ancho chile
  • 3 cups chicken broth divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ white onion peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt

For the Polenta:

  • 1 ¼ C quick cooking Polenta
  • 4-6 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Garnishes:

  • 1 ½ - 2 Cups Thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 1- 1 ½ C Thinly sliced radishes
  • ½-1 C White onion peeled and finely diced
  • ½-1 C chopped cilantro
  • 2-3 Limes sliced

Instructions
 

!For the Pork:

  • Sprinkle the Village Gourmet Pulled Pork Spice packet all over the pork shoulder, rubbing in well to make sure its completely covered. 
  • Wrap the pork tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 
  • Remove the pork from the refrigerator for at least an hour to two hours before putting in the smoker *
  • preheat the smoker to 250°
  • Remove pork from plastic wrap and place in smoker with either applewood or hickory woodchips.
  • After three hours in the smoker place pork in an aluminum pan and pour the Negro Modelo over the pork and then cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place back into the smoker for 3-4 hours, checking the internal temperature every 30 minutes until 190 Deg F is reached and pork shreds easily with a fork or tongs. 
  • You could also finish cooking in a Dutch oven in the oven if you'd like after the initial three hours in the smoker, oven temperature set to 250 Deg F. 
  • Remove pork from smoker or oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes then shred and and keep warm until ready to serve. Can be refrigerated and reheated in a 250 deg oven before serving. 

!For the Sauce :

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies
  • Toast chilies over open flame on the stove for about 10 seconds each side you will see the chili blister and small amount of smoke do not start on fire
  • Put chilies in blender with 2 cups of chicken broth, set aside
  • Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil, 
  • and sauté the diced white onion 
  • When onion begins to caramelize add the garlic
  • One garlic becomes fragrant after about one minute add in the cumin and oregano stir for another minute then add this all to the blender with the chiles and chicken broth
  • Blend until very smooth and any large chunks of chilies are pulverized then return to the sauce pan. If you want you can strain the mixture to get out any chunks of chili or seeds at this point if desired. If you have a high powered blender, straining isn’t necessary 
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sauce reduces to a thick almost tomato paste like consistency, stir in the third cup of chicken broth then add salt to taste. Keep warm if using immediately

!Polenta:

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add in the salt then slowly add in the polenta while whisking continuously. Keep whisking until it starts to thicken then add in more water one half cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. More water for a thinner consistency. It will thicken as it cools. Make the polenta right before serving the meal because it will thicken up quite a bit if left to cool for too long. 

!Assembly:

  • Spoon some of the polenta into a bowl - about a cup or so, then top with the shredded pork, about a cup or so. Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce up to one half a cup of sauce over the top then garnish with the cabbage, radishes, white onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve hot with a cold beer! 

Notes

  • If you don’t have a smoker the pork can be cooked in an oven or on a gas grill with a lid, making sure the temperature is kept at 250 deg F. If a smokier taste is desired you can add in a teaspoon or smoked salt or liquid smoke to the pork when it is cooking before shredding.
*The pork can be made a few days a head of time and so can the sauce. Make the polenta right before serving. 
*Use more garnishes if desired, these can be kept prepped a day ahead of time as well, keep in containers with lids and keep the cabbage and radishes in ice water to precent wilting.