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Cemita Pulled Pork Pizza

Cemita Pulled Pork Pizza - A Family Feast
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Note: Prep time listed includes time required to brine the pork before roasting. Also note: This pizza is made with chipotle peppers. If you have never had these before, please be aware that chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are about as hot as you get! If you can stand the heat, they are great on this pizza, but if you prefer a milder pepper (like my New England taste buds prefer), soak dried pasilla peppers (found at many local supermarkets) in boiling water for two minutes. Seed and stem and use as described in the recipe.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3-4 pound pork butt

For the Brine

  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 1/2 quarts water
  • Juice from one lime
  • 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons Agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Southwest Blend
  • 2 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Ground Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Cloves
  • 1 tablespoon McCormick Gourmet California Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Saigon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Smoked Paprika

For the Dry Rub

  • 2 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Southwest Blend
  • 2 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Saigon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Smoked Paprika

For the Lime-Coriander Crema

  • 1 cup Crème Fraiche (or sour cream)
  • Zest from one lime
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Coriander

To Prepare the Pizza

  • 20 ounces Pizza dough (see our recipe here or your favorite store-bought pizza dough)
  • 1/4 cup McCormick Gourmet Sesame Seeds
  • Flour for dusting
  • Corn meal for dusting
  • 3 cups shredded Italian Scamorza cheese, or Mexican Oaxacan cheese. (Note - These cheeses are typically sold in solid form, about 1 1/2 pounds in weight. If you can’t find these types of cheeses, a standard mozzarella cheese may be substituted)
  • 1 fresh tomato, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced
  • 1 can of canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce seeded and cut into strips. Or for less heat, dried pasilla peppers, reconstituted and chopped or shredded. (See note above.)
  • 1 Haas avocado, sliced into 12 slices
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Instructions

  1. Place pork in a gallon zip lock bag and add all brine ingredients. Brine pork overnight or at least 8 hours.
  2. The next morning drain and discard brine.
  3. If you are using our pizza dough (see recipe here), that should be placed in the refrigerator overnight to work the gluten. If you are using store bought dough, pull to room temperature just before using.
  4. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
  5. Mix dry rub and coat the roast. Place pork roast in a foil lined roasting pan, fat side up with 1 quart of water and roast uncovered for 8 hours or until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. (A probe thermometer is very useful for this.) Cover with foil, shut oven off and leave in the oven for 2 hours more until the internal temperature of the roast reduces to 175 degrees.
  6. If you are using our pizza dough, pull to room temperature two hours before making the pizza. If you are using store bought, pull to room temperature just before you prepare the pizza.
  7. Use two forks and shred the pulled pork and set aside.
  8. While the roast is cooking, prepare all of the toppings.
  9. Mix the crema ingredients and place half in a squirt bottle. Place the other half in a bowl which will be used as a pizza sauce. Set aside.
  10. Place a pizza stone in the oven and turn heat to the hottest it can go. Most can go as high as 550 degrees.
  11. On a floured surface, divide dough into two balls and work into circles 13 inches wide leaving a high ridge on the outside. While still on your counter, brush the edges with water and sprinkle the sesame seeds.
  12. Lift one of the circles onto the peel which has been dusted with corn meal.
  13. Spoon half of the bowl of crema over the dough, 1 ½ cups pulled pork, half the shredded cheese, half the diced tomatoes, half the sliced red onion and enough hot or mild peppers to your liking.
  14. Slide onto the pizza stone and cook 7-9 minutes, checking after 7 minutes for doneness. While the pizza is cooking, prepare the second pizza.
  15. Using tongs, slide the cooked pizza out onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet and then onto your cutting board. Then slide the second pizza from the peel onto the stone and repeat.
  16. After the pizza’s are cut into 6 each, place an avocado slice on each slice, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle the crema over each whole pizza.

Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/cemita-pulled-pork-pizza/