Cacoila Sandwich (Portuguese Pulled Pork)

This Cacoila Sandwich features tender, slow-cooked pork butt seasoned with a flavorful dry rub, then braised in white wine and orange juice until juicy and fork-tender. Packed with savory, aromatic flavor, it’s traditionally served on Portuguese rolls (papo secos) but works just as well on any crusty bread. Perfect for an easy, satisfying meal or crowd-pleasing sandwich.

Note: Original images were replaced, and step-by-step photos were added on October 19, 2022.

Hello everyone! Today, I want to share one of my top ten favorite foods: the Cacoila sandwich, which introduced me to Portuguese cuisine. I was hooked on this delicious blend of slow-roasted pork and spices the first time I tasted it. It reminds me of the pulled pork sandwiches I enjoyed as a child in Vietnam. 

I first tried a Cacoila sandwich in college and instantly loved it. It’s a simple sandwich made with Cacoila, a Portuguese pulled pork, served in a roll or bun. Although simple, the flavor is remarkable! If you give this a try, you’ll understand why this savory, aromatic, salty, tender, juicy, slow-cooked pork ranks among my favorite dishes.

My recipe is an adaptation of one I found by Richard Methia (I removed his link because it’s no longer working). I have made it a couple of times, making adjustments along the way. As with any slow-cooked meat, the optimal cut for cacoila is one with plenty of marbling and fat. I use a boneless pork butt, as Richard recommended.

One notable deviation from his recipe is the marinating process. I marinated the pork in a dry rub overnight—the original recipe did not. Another adaptation I made was lowering the oven temperature to 250° F instead of the recommended 325° F. I find that I get more tender, more consistent results when cooking meat at a lower temperature.

In the past, the only time I could enjoy these sandwiches was when I visited my favorite Portuguese take-out restaurant 90 miles away. I would only have it a couple of times a year. Now that I have very closely replicated the recipe, I should be able to enjoy cacoila whenever I want! 

Recipe Highlights:

• Trim some excess fat off the pork. Cut pork into about 1.5-inch chunks.
• Combine dry rub ingredients.
• Place pork chunks into a large zip-lock bag. Add dry rub. Massage to work the rub into the pork.
• Then refrigerate overnight.

• Preheat oven to 250° F.
• Combine wine, orange juice, red wine vinegar, and salt in a bowl.
• Place pork into a Dutch oven. 
• Add the liquid mixture and a bay leaf.
• Bake for 3 1/2 hours or until fork-tender.
• Remove pork and shred using two forks. 
• Skim fat off the dripping/marinade. Return the pork to the Dutch oven.
• Serve on Portuguese rolls or bulky rolls.
• See the recipe card for more details and slow cooker instructions.

View the how-to video or save for later with this Pinterest Pin.

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or are highly rated.)

• This enameled cast iron Dutch oven is perfect for slow-cooking the pork. I love taking it straight from the oven to the table.
• A slow cooker can also be used. This is a 4-quart capacity and is programmable.
• These jumbo-size storage bags are convenient for marinating, and cleanup is a non-issue!
• This fat separator makes skimming fat easy. It is handy when you don’t want to skim fat the old-fashioned way.

UPDATE: I provided a link to Richard Methia’s site when this post was originally published. Unfortunately, the link no longer exists, and I have since removed it. But I want to thank Richard for inspiring this recipe.

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Cacoila Sandwich (Portuguese Pulled Pork)

Author: In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Slow Cooked Oven Baked/Roasted Cuisine:Portuguese Courses:Main Dish

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time:3 hours 30 minutesRest time:8 hours Total time:11 hours 45 minutesServings:6 ServingCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

This Cacoila Sandwich features tender, slow-cooked pork butt seasoned with a flavorful dry rub, then braised in white wine and orange juice until juicy and fork-tender. Packed with savory, aromatic flavor, it’s traditionally served on Portuguese rolls (papo secos) but works just as well on any crusty bread. Perfect for an easy, satisfying meal or crowd-pleasing sandwich.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. boneless pork butt
• 1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp. thyme or oregano (either one works well)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 cup white wine (I use Casal Garcia Vinho Verde)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 bulky rolls or buns

Instructions

1. Trim some excess fat off the pork. Don’t take too much off—it is needed for flavoring. Cut into 1.5-inch cubes. Combine all the dry rub ingredients (use only 1 1/2 tsp. salt) in a small bowl. Place pork into a jumbo zip-lock bag. Add dry rub and massage it into the pork. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
3. Combine wine, orange juice, red wine vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Place pork into a Dutch oven. Pour liquid into the Dutch oven. Tuck in a bay leaf. Cover and bake for about 3.5 hours or until fork-tender.
4. Remove pork from oven. Shred using two forks. Skim the layer of fat off the pork dripping/marinade. Return the pork to the Dutch oven.
5. To cook in a crockpot: instead of placing everything in a Dutch oven, place it in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6- 8 hours or until fork-tender.
6. Serve sub rolls or bulky rolls.

Keywords:Slow Cooked Pork, Cacoila Sandwich, Portuguese pulled pork, Slow Roasted Pork, Cacoila Sandwich (Portuguese Pulled Pork), Portuguese rolls, Papo Secos, Pulled Pork Sandwich

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