Pork picnic's are on sale again. Today its two for the freezer and one for the pot. Pork shoulders (aka picnic) are a great meat for a slow cook, whether it be BBQ'ed (smoked) or roasted or braised. While it is still a bit cold to use the smoker, braising brings both heat and moisture into our house.

This Pulled paprika pork uses Hungarian paprika and tomato paste to make a rich dark sauce that is both great with the meat, and useful later too. My wife and daughter like the shredded pork over toast with the sauce. That's good, but I can't pass up a pulled pork BBQ sandwich mid winter. If you have any (or all) the sauce/gravy left you can freeze it, then pull it out later for use over some mashed potatoes on a night were you don't want to go to the trouble of making gravy.

Another variation of this uses the pork and the gravy as a start to make a rich stew to warm your insides on a cold winter day.