Champagne at the Table: Lexington Pulled Pork
Welcome to Champagne at the Table, where we bring you monthly seasonal fair to pair with your fatcork bubbles. Whether you're sipping alongside a spicy curry or snacking on some coveted caviar, there's always a place for Champagne at the Table.
Piollot Père et Fils Les Protelles
Just 3,500 bottles of this incredible cuvée are made each year. Tantalizing eye-candy in a glass, it flaunts deep fuschia hues with flecks of gold. On the nose you’ll find earthy elements of wet limestone, dried herbs and red rose petals.
Your palate will be delighted by an unearthed treasure chest of berries and minerals, and the crisp minerality balances the body of this unique rosé. The red grape skins spend 24 hours macerating with the juice—creating red wine characteristics of velvety mouthfeel and tannic structure.
Lexington Pulled Pork
Soul food and rosé Champagne are a seemingly unlikely but incredible pairing. Both BBQ pulled pork and Champagne are icons of the drastically different terroirs they come from, yet the clash of cultures won’t appear unlikely for long. Rich and salty, fatty meat with a bold, bubbly rosé—Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Although we enjoy many styles of regional BBQ with bubbles, we especially love this Carolina style BBQ recipe for it’s tangy vinegar flavors that pique the palate. We think the Piollot rosé saignée is the perfect fatcork cuvée that's up to the task of unifying these contrasting and complex flavors.
Whether you’re plate is a pile of pulled pork surrounded by scrumptious sides of collard greens, slaw and hushpuppies, or served as a sloppy sandwich—the sweet and savory characteristics of the pulled pork will make this cuvée sing! Lexington, Kentucky pulled pork hits all the marks—Tender after hours of smoking, the meat is somehow sweet, tart, and tangy all at once with a kiss of applewood smoke in the finish. Piollot’s bubbles drink like a chilled, sparkling Beaujolais; juicy and fruity yet earthy and complex. It’s graceful acidity cut’s through greasy, bold flavors, and the body and tannins match the intensity and balance the full-flavored meat. The temperature of the wine and the effervescence act as a savior to the nipping cayenne pepper.
In this warm summer weather, there’s not much we love more than family and friends, enjoying the fruit of their labors and clinking glasses. Bellies full of delicious food, cool bubbles and soft scents of apple wood smoke linger on your clothes and in your hair. Cheers to summer and the joy it brings us all.
Ingredients
For the Rub:
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4 tsp. sweet paprika
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1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
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1 tbsp. kosher salt
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1 tsp. dry mustard powder
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1 tsp. garlic powder
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1 tsp. ground black pepper
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1 tsp. ground white pepper
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1 tsp. cayenne
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1 bone-in, skinless pork shoulder (about 6 lb.)
For the Sauce:
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3 cups ketchup
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2 cups apple cider vinegar
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2 cups water
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2 tbsp. sugar
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4 tsp. kosher salt
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2 1⁄2 tsp. ground black pepper
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1 1⁄2 tsp. cayenne
Preparation:
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Make the rub: Mix paprika, sugar, salt, mustard, garlic powder, both peppers, and cayenne in a bowl. Rub pork all over with spice mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together ketchup, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, and 2 cups water; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes; cool.
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Prepare your grill using apple wood chunks or chips. Place shoulder on grill grate. Maintaining a temperature of 225°-275° (if using a kettle grill or bullet smoker, replenish fire with unlit coals, as needed, to maintain temperature; see instructions), cook until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 190°, 4–6 hours. Remove shoulder from grill; let rest for 20 minutes. Shred pork, discard bones, and toss in a large serving dish with 1 1⁄2 cups of the sauce. Serve with remaining sauce.