Supersize Cemita

Ingredients

Pulled Pork
2 six-pound boned out picnic shoulders (Boston butts)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
4 tablespoons black peppercorns
6 tablespoons coriander
1 1/2 tablespoons canela
4 tablespoons Mexican oregano
4 pounds ancho chiles
4 tablespoons Seville orange juice
8 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 carrots
3 medium onions
2 stalks celery
4 serrano chiles
1/4 cup coriander
1/2 cup epazote leaves
2 small pieces of canela
1/4 cup black pepper
2 quarts chicken stock

Chipotle Sauce
4 ounces dried chipotle chiles
6 ounces cider vinegar
2 ounces fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 medium white onion, quartered
4 ounces honey
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
salt to taste

Six-foot semolina hero roll (available by preorder from Royal Crown, 6308 Fourteenth Ave., Bensonhurst; 718-234-3208)
1 quart refried beans
1/2 cup papalo leaves
2 pounds Oaxaca cheese, sliced
3 heads of iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 avocados, sliced

Instructions

Pulled Pork
(1) Toast whole spices in a dry sauté pan until fragrant. Combine in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Toast in a dry, hot cast iron pan, taking care not to burn them. Place in a bowl and pour enough boiling water over them to cover. Allow to soak for 15 minutes. Remove chiles from the water and combine with the spice powder, oregano, orange juice, and vinegar in a blender and process to a smooth paste. (2) Smear the paste over the pork butts, making sure to rub it in every crease, until it is well covered. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge overnight. (3) Preheat an oven to 250 degrees. Place all ingredients except for the chicken stock for braising the shoulder in the bottom of an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, grouping them together to create a raised base to place the butts on. Season the pork butts well with salt and place on top of vegetables. (4) Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat on stovetop. The stock should only cover the bed of vegetables and the very bottom of the shoulder. (5) As soon as stock simmers, remove from heat, cover and place in oven. Cook shoulder for approximately four hours, until a cake tester inserted into shoulder pulls out with no resistance. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (6) When just cool enough to handle, pull meat into fine shreds and set aside.

Chipotle Sauce
(1) Remove seeds and stems from chipotle peppers. (2) Bring a pot of water to a boil and heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. (3) Toast chiles in cast iron pan, taking care not to burn. Remove to a bowl and pour just enough boiling water to cover. Allow to rest 15 minutes. (4) Place cut sides into same cast iron pan and char until well blackened. Remove and set aside. (5) Strain chiles, reserving water. Working in batches if necessary, puree chiles with onion, vinegar, lime and orange juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender until a smooth paste forms. Add a touch of the chile water if needed, to keep the mixture moving. (6) Combine chile puree with tomatoes. (7) Season with salt and honey.

Slice the roll in half lengthwise, and spread 1 quart of refried beans on both sides. Cover bottom side with 1/2 cup fresh papalo leaves (optional). Combine pulled pork with chipotle sauce, spread on sheet tray, and top with 2 pounds of sliced queso Oaxaca. Bake meat-and-cheese mixture in a 300-degree oven until the pork is warm and the cheese is bubbly. Arrange the mixture on the bread, then top with 3 heads shredded iceberg lettuce and 3 sliced avocados. Close sandwich and slice. (Published 2009)