Portuguese Pulled Pork (Caçoila)

Portuguese Pulled Pork, known as Caçoila, is simply fantastic. Cubed pork is marinated in red wine, citrus, and spices, then cooked until super tender. Enjoy it on sandwiches, pizza, or just eaten with a fork!

What is Caçoila?

It’s a slow-cooked Portuguese pork recipe that originated in the Azores islands. This dish gets its distinctive and very delicious flavor from marinade ingredients that thrive in the mild, sunny climate of that region – including orange, lemon, allspice, bay leaves, and pimenta moida (spicy crushed red peppers with a unique flavor).

Along the southern coast of Massachusetts and into Rhode Island – where there are many long-standing Portuguese-American families drawn to this region from the whaling industry – you’ll find Caçoila on the menu in many sandwich shops and around many family tables.

After a 24 to 48 hour marinade, the pork is cooked – on the stove top in a covered Dutch oven. Or in the oven (also covered), or in a slow cooker.

Caçoila can be served as a stew with chunks of pork and potatoes, or pulled and shredded as we did and served on a crusty Portuguese roll, often with spicy piri piri sauce. It’s also delicious eaten as-is, with just a fork.

Caçoila is traditionally pronounced “ca-SOY-la” but here in Massachusetts and Rhode Island you sometimes here it pronounced as “ca-SUR-la.”  The name of the dish comes from the type of vessel it was originally cooked in, also called a caçoila.

We recently enjoyed a pizza dinner at our daughter Courtney’s house – and their local pizza joint included caçoila on pizza along with ham and hot honey. It was fantastic and inspired today’s recipe. Courtney’s husband, Kenny (who comes from an awesome Portuguese family), asked his mother for her recipe and she was kind enough to share it with us. (Thank you Maria!)

• The pork cooks up super tender and juicy with delicious citrus spiced flavor.
• This is a very easy recipe to make – and, in addition to sandwiches, you can serve the pork in many other dishes.
• This recipe makes a good amount of pulled pork so it’s great for feeding a crowd.

• Pork Butt – Buy a 4-to-5-pound boneless pork butt for this recipe. Sometimes, this cut of pork will be labeled as a pork shoulder roast.
• For the Marinade/Cooking Liquid: 
  • Red Wine – Choose any sweet red wine – many Caçoila recipes use Madeira wine.
  • Yellow Onion
  • Oranges – You’ll use the orange zest, pulp, and juice in this recipe.
  • Lemons – You’ll use the lemon juice and zest in this recipe.
  • Pimenta Moida – This is jarred crushed red peppers with a salty, spicy and very unique flavor – you can buy it at some supermarkets, or online. Use just a little for flavor or more to add some heat. If you can’t find this, another hot sauce can be substituted, or add some red pepper flakes to the marinade.
  • Spices – Including allspice, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, and bay leaves.
• Lard or Bacon Fat – Lard is rendered pork fat (sold in unrefrigerated boxes at the supermarket) with a mild/neutral flavor. Bacon fat can be used instead – it will give this dish a smoky flavor.
• Portuguese Rolls – Also known as papo secos, these are light and crusty rolls with an indentation down the middle of the roll. They are the ideal choice for serving Caçoila but bulkie, kaiser or other crusty sub rolls can be used instead.
• Sauce – Piri Piri Sauce is a traditional condiment on Portuguese pulled pork sandwiches. Be careful – this sauce is spicy! Piri piri are South African chili peppers that were introduced to Portuguese cuisine by explorers in Portugal’s former South African territories. If you’d like just a little bit of heat – try hot honey on these sandwiches instead!
• Fresh Garlic

1. Trim the pork roast (remove excess fat and connecting tissue), then cut into five or six pieces (any shape or size is fine).
2. Place pork and all the marinade ingredients into a large zipper seal bag. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
3. Add lard or bacon fat to a Dutch oven and heat to melt.
4. Add the pork along with all the marinade and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover.
5. Cook covered for 2 ½ hours. Remove cover and simmer just long enough to evaporate some of the liquid.
6. Remove bay leaves and shred the meat with the tongs.
7. Place shredded pork on Portuguese rolls and top with Piri Piri sauce or hot honey.
8. Serve immediately.

• Can I make Portuguese Pulled Pork Sandwiches ahead of time?  Yes, the entire dish can be cooked ahead and shredded then reheated when ready to serve.
• How do I store leftovers?  Store refrigerated in a covered container for up to three days.
• How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat in a saucepan, or the microwave before placing on rolls.
• Can I freeze?  Yes, freeze the cooked pork in a tightly-sealed zipper seal food bag.
• Can I make Caçoila in a slow cooker? Yes. Slow cook on low for 10-12 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours, or until the pork is fall-apart tender. (Every slow cooker is different so cooking times may vary.)

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