Cemita Pulled Pork Pizza

Christmas week. The last Christmas where Mami is still in Bayamon — she will move to Hartford in the new year, in February, when Eduardo and I have the apartment ready. This is the last Christmas of phone calls instead of presence, the last Christmas of imagining Mami at her table while I sit at mine, the last Christmas of the distance. Next year she will be here. Next year she will sit at my table and criticize my pernil in person instead of over the phone, and the criticism will be so close I can feel her breath and I cannot wait. I cannot WAIT.

But this Christmas — this one — I am cooking for the family in Hartford and thinking about the family in Bayamon and holding both in my hands like two hot pots, one on each burner, and I am the stove, I am the heat source, I am the thing that keeps everything at the right temperature.

The pernil went in the oven at 4 AM on Christmas morning. I stood in my kitchen in the dark, basting, and I thought about all the Christmases — thirty years of Christmas pernil in Hartford, before that the Christmases in Bayamon with Mami and Abuela Consuelo, before that the Christmases I do not remember but that live in my DNA, the ones where Abuela Consuelo was young and the kitchen was new and the recipe was being invented. The pernil connects me to all of them. The garlic is the same. The oregano is the same. The vinegar is the same. Only the hands change, and the hands remember, and the hands are mine now.

Eighteen people at the table. Miguel Jr. and Jenny, their first Christmas as a married couple. Rosa and Carlos, who are very clearly in love and very clearly heading toward a conversation about forever. David from Brooklyn. Sofia. Eduardo. Neighbors. Church friends. Patricia with her pie. Everyone fed. Everyone full. Everyone carrying the year in their bodies — the hurricane, the wedding, the worry, the waiting — and setting it down at the table because the table is where you set things down. The table holds everything.

Called Mami. She and Ana ate pernil under the tarp. She said, The pernil was good, Carmen. Not as good as mine. I said, Nothing is as good as yours, Mami. She said, I know. Merry Christmas. Next year I will be there to show you. Next year, mi amor. Next year Mami will be at the table and the criticism will be live, in person, in stereo, and it will be the most beautiful sound in the world. Merry Christmas. Wepa.

The day after Christmas, with the pernil bones picked clean and eighteen people’s worth of love still humming in the walls, I found myself with leftover pork and a craving to make something new from something old. That’s what this cemita pulled pork pizza is to me—tradition pulled apart and laid on fresh dough, the same garlic and oregano hands doing what they’ve always done but reaching for a different shape. Mami would critique this one too, and next year, God willing, she’ll do it from my kitchen table.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 pound pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup refried black beans
1 and 1/2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella)
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup pickled red onion
Fresh cilantro, for topping
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat the pork shoulder dry and rub with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and minced garlic on all sides.
Braise the pork. Place the seasoned pork in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot. Add chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, chopped chipotles, and adobo sauce. Cover tightly and cook in a 325°F oven for 3 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
Shred and reduce. Remove the pork and shred with two forks. Skim excess fat from the braising liquid, then return the shredded pork to the pot. Simmer on the stovetop over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and coats the meat.
Prepare the pizza. Preheat oven to 475°F. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to heat. Stretch or roll the dough on a floured surface into a 14-inch round or rectangle.
Assemble. Spread the refried black beans in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter half the Oaxaca cheese over the beans, then top generously with the pulled pork and the remaining cheese.
Bake. Transfer the pizza to the hot stone or a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately top with avocado slices, pickled red onion, fresh cilantro, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Cut into 8 slices and serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cemita Pulled Pork Pizza — When the Table Holds Everything