Pulled Pork Egg Rolls

Fifty-one. I am fifty-one years old and my family threw me a birthday dinner on Friday that was supposed to be a surprise and was not a surprise but was perfect anyway because the food was my food and the people were my people and what more can a woman ask for on the day she was born.

Eduardo gave me pots. Two heavy-bottomed stock pots, professional grade, the kind I use at the hospital. I held them like babies. I may have kissed one of them. Eduardo looked at me and shook his head because he married a woman who kisses pots and he has accepted this and I love him for the acceptance. Sofia made me a card — yes, handmade, yes, glitter — and she also baked me a cake, which was lopsided and a little too sweet but was made by my daughter hands and therefore was the best cake ever created in the history of baking. Do not argue with me on this.

Miguel Jr. came with Jenny. Rosa drove from New Haven. David sent flowers from Brooklyn — actual flowers, not food, which shocked me because David usually sends food-related gifts. He called during dinner and sang happy birthday, which he inherited from his brother the inability to do, but the effort was beautiful. I cried. I always cry on my birthday. I cry because I am alive and my children are alive and my mother is alive and we are together even when we are apart, connected by the food and the phone calls and the genes that make us all too loud and too much and exactly enough.

Mami called from Bayamon at exactly 7:23 AM, which is the time I was born, because Luz Maria remembers the minute I arrived on this earth and she calls at that minute every year without fail. She said, Feliz cumpleanos, Carmen. You were the loudest baby in the hospital. I said, I am still the loudest, Mami. She said, I know. I hear you from Bayamon. Seventy-nine years old and she can still make me laugh until my stomach hurts.

I made my own birthday dinner because nobody cooks for Carmen on Carmen birthday except Carmen. Pernil, arroz con gandules, tostones, flan — the same menu I have made for every important occasion for twenty years. Eduardo asked if I wanted to try something different this year. I looked at him the way you look at someone who has just suggested you change the laws of physics. Different? The menu is sacred. The menu is doctrine. The menu is Delgado-Ortiz scripture and it shall not be amended. He went back to his newspaper. Smart man. I served twenty-two people on my birthday and I sat down last and ate last and I was the happiest woman in Hartford. Fifty-one. Wepa.

When you cook pernil for twenty-two people, you do not run out of pork — you end up with beautiful, tender leftovers that deserve a second celebration all their own. The morning after my birthday dinner, standing in my kitchen with Eduardo’s new pots gleaming on the shelf and Sofia’s glitter card still on the counter, I pulled that leftover roasted pork apart and made something crispy, golden, and completely irresistible. These egg rolls have become my favorite way to stretch a big party cook into one more reason to gather — because in the Delgado-Ortiz house, the party does not end until the pork is gone.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 12 egg rolls

Ingredients

2 cups pulled pork, shredded (leftover roasted pork or slow-cooked pulled pork)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for dipping
1 cup coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg, beaten (for sealing)
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 3 cups)
Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the pulled pork, BBQ sauce, coleslaw mix, shredded cheddar, green onions, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust salt as needed. The filling should be moist but not wet — drain off any excess liquid so the wrappers don’t tear.
Assemble the egg rolls. Lay one egg roll wrapper on a clean surface in a diamond orientation (one corner pointing toward you). Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling across the center. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, then fold in both side corners snugly. Roll upward firmly, then brush the top corner with beaten egg and press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Heat the oil. In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, heat 2–3 inches of vegetable oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. Use a thermometer for best results — oil that’s too cool will leave the egg rolls greasy, and oil that’s too hot will brown them before the filling heats through.
Fry the egg rolls. Working in batches of 3–4, carefully lower the egg rolls into the hot oil seam-side down. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and crispy all over. Do not crowd the pot. Adjust heat as needed to maintain 350°F.
Drain and season. Transfer fried egg rolls to a wire rack set over a baking sheet or a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt while still hot. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Serve. Arrange egg rolls on a platter and serve hot with extra BBQ sauce for dipping. They are best eaten immediately while the wrapper is at peak crispiness.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pulled Pork Egg Rolls — The Leftover Magic from a Birthday Table Built for Twenty-Two