Pulled pork is a barbecue thing here in the States—it comes out tender and sometimes smoky, but it is almost always enhanced with a barbecue sauce and other toppings, then served next to a stack of cheap supermarket white bread that turns into sodden pulp unless one eats quickly. Hard to beat.

In a visit with Paola Briseño-González (a friend and top-notch expert on the food of Mexico) in Los Angeles, I was introduced to a whole new way to think about pulled pork through a recipe from Colima, located on the west coast. The pork is flavored during cooking and not just with the usual spices. The key ingredient is vinegar—in this case, coconut vinegar—alongside coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chilies and spices. Once the pork is done, it is crisped up under a broiler. Now you have a dish that blows past everyday barbecue.

Rice vinegar is a solid substitute for coconut vinegar, and we ditched the marinating step, since most marinades do not penetrate deeply into meat, especially when dealing with a five-pound-plus pork shoulder. The flavoring ingredients, including the softened guajillo chilies, are pureed in a blender and then rubbed over the pork before braising for 5 or 6 hours. The pork is then shredded, tossed with the braising liquid and quickly broiled.

I love American barbecue, but the cooks of Colima know more than a thing or two about how to cook pork.

Christopher Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."