Defining Asian, Middle Eastern, and European countries’ cuisine can be effortless because, oftentimes, their recipes were spun out of necessity way back in history using local indigenous ingredients at hand. The U.S.A, however, is a relatively young country made up of this vast land’s diverse Native Indian tribes and immigrants from other countries that jointly make “American Cuisine” extra challenging to define.

Despite all the debates and disputes among self-appointed experts over minutes, minutia, and semantics of ‘American Cusine’, several foods have gained both national and international fame and share enough historical presence to receive a unanimous vote for being uniquely classic “American”. These foods are mostly dense, meaty, and tend to be from the south.

Pulled pork is one of the more famous and iconic American dishes from the South where pork shoulder is slow-cooked on a barbecue. Upon completion, the meat is manually shredded and ‘pulled’ into threads and served with a side of pasta or potato salads, two remarkably delicious and also authentic American sides ubiquitous in American cookouts. 

The pork shoulder – more like the entire front leg and shoulder of a hog – is the preferred meat for this dish because long cooking would dry out leaner cuts of meat whereas the shoulder has an optimum fat content to build the foundation for a tender juicy meat that the infamous pulled pork is celebrated for.

When you’re cooking it is essential to cook the meat slowly to allow the protein and connective tissue to break down properly so you can actually pull the meat apart into strings. Just use two forks, stick them into the middle of a chunk of the meat, press down on a cutting board, and pull the forks outwards. Once you’re done, look for any large pieces of fat and discard them, unless you prefer to have more junk in your trunk. I can’t imagine anyone would, actually.

Today’s recipe isn’t a traditional Southern recipe you find in every corner of the internet. It is a “fusion”, a term coined to describe the hybridization of culinary ingredients or cooking techniques from various cuisines. After all, blending culinary contributions from around the world is also American.

Despite its more recent explosion in popularity, fusion cuisine isn’t unique to modern times. Swapping notes and exchanging tips on different ways to enjoy food has always been a noticeable aspect of most cultures’ ancient practices powered by trade routes as well as invasions and military conquests. However, we can say globalization and digital communication have given modern fusion cuisine its exponential growth so we can enjoy the genesis of succulent sui generis foods that chip away at our existing rigid culinary divides and makes us more open to the reinterpretation of tradition.

Today we are taking pulled pork, a beloved American food, and giving it an Asian twist with the help of Headwaters Ringing Rock Rub, Montana Rooster Vinegar Sauce, made with Arthur Wayne’s Hot sauce, hoisin, and fish sauce. The rub and the hot sauce are locally made by hard-working Montanans who specialize in transforming ordinary foods into extraordinary feasts. They spatialize in wooing and impressing your tastebuds.