Scallops with Pulled Pork
At Joe Beef, we serve this dish with East Coast scallops, about 5 or 6 per person, with a few tablespoons of hollandaise and a nice spoonful of pulled pork on top. Such a portion is a food-cost disaster and intimidating to some*, but the scallops go down easily and they’re better topped with pork than some foamy composition. To make this dish, you are going to work on the pulled pork first, then the hollandaise, and lastly the scallops, as they take only minutes. You will end up with an excessive amount of meat, which you can use to make some pulled pork sandwiches (page 151).
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
PULLED PORK
Preparation
Step 1
To make the pulled pork, preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Rub the meat all over with the mustard and then with the paprika mixture.
Step 2
Put the pork in a large roasting pan and add the water to the pan. Place the pork in the oven and roast for up to 9 hours. Check the pork after 5 hours and every hour after that to make sure it isn’t burning or drying out. If the meat starts to dry out or feel like cardboard, cover it with foil. Remove the pork from the oven at 9 hours and verify that it shreds easily with a fork. The best way is to press it against the side of the pan. If it is not shredding easily, put it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes. When it’s ready, remove the pork and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Step 3
While the pork is still warm, shred it by hand or with a fork and place in a bowl. Mix the pork with as much BBQ sauce as you like and keep the bowl warm until you are ready to serve.
Step 4
Make the hollandaise and reserve, then immediately set to work on the scallops. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Do not season them at this point. Outfit yourself with long sleeves and long tongs. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, pour in the oil to a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3 to 6 mm). When the oil is almost smoking, carefully place the scallops in the pan, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. After 1 minute, wiggle each scallop ever so gently with your tongs. After another 2 minutes, flip ’em away from you (“away” is important, so you don’t propel vast amounts of scalding oil toward you if you drop a scallop!). Remove from the heat and season the scallops with sea salt and pepper.
Step 5
To serve, divide the scallops evenly among 4 plates. Top each serving of scallops with a few spoons of the hollandaise and then a big spoonful of the pork. Serve right away.
A Note on Pork
Step 6
Boston butt (échine in French and coppa di spalla in Italian) comes from the upper part of the shoulder. It lends itself to both braising and smoking. It is a good idea to test your oven with a thermometer before attempting the long cooking called for here. You would be surprised how much effect just fifteen degrees of difference can have to a long cooking time. Put the thermometer in the oven, turn on the oven to the specified temperature, and then wait for it to preheat. Check the thermometer and adjust the oven setting accordingly
Step 7
- This is true for most people, except for our friend Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, who we have seen eat four Joe Beef main courses, followed by a “snack” of Big Ed burgers, poutine (fries, gravy, and cheese curds), and hot dogs four hours later at Montreal’s Moe’s diner. By himself, he can decimate the food reserves of a small nation, bringing famine upon its inhabitants. Sir, we tip our hat to you.
