On Saturday, August 8, the Hagarty Clan gathered to celebrate—nothing.

It’s late summer and the deck was calling so why not give the kids a call and see who’d be interested in a barbecue. “Did you say pulled pork, Dad?” Yep, they all showed up, sans our newly weds, who have not yet moved home from California.

The day started off with two of my sons joining me at the South Wales golf course. We all apparently set a course record because the pro said he’d never seen three higher scores. Just kidding. We shot in the low eighties. If it gets any warmer, we don’t play. My oldest son avoided any links embarrassment by spending the day with his son and wife, who is expecting in a few months.

About 4 PM, the entire gang began arriving and the evening of merriment commenced. My wife Jean unveiled her new recipe for pulled pork, coupled with her legendary potato salad. Two of my daughters-in-law contributed a homemade three-bean casserole, white wine sangria and apple cake. My third daughter-in-law spent the day outfitting her family of four with back to school clothes and arrived ready for a glass of wine. Whoa. We remember those hectic shopping trips for kids’ clothes. There’s a special place in Heaven for Moms, for sure.

So what wine goes with pulled pork?  Beer. At least that was the boys’ choice of libation and who’s to blame. It’s summer and a frosty bottle is hard to beat with barbecue. Jean and I, however, opted for a crisp, Hagarty Cellars Riesling. Not an obvious wine/food match but it underscores my number one wine rule. There are no rules. Fact is, I had a bottle of my Zinfandel at the ready but the evening was warm and the red wine urge never struck. My advice?  Always go with your wine instincts on dining occasions. It’s fun and one never knows what happy matches are out there waiting to be discovered.

So what’s the recipe for pulled pork?  I thought you’d never ask. 

CROCKPOT PULLED PORK

Ingredients:

• Pork shoulder roast, about 4 pounds
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ cups of water
• 1 bottle (16 ounces) barbecue sauce, or two cups of homemade sauce
• (Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Sauce is our favorite but the choice is yours)
• 1 cup chopped onion

Preparation:

Place half of the thinly sliced onions in the bottom of the crockpot; add pork and water, along with remaining onion slices. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or 4 to 5 hours on HIGH heat setting. Drain liquid from slow cooker; chop the meat coarsely and discard excess fat. Put the pork back in the slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce and chopped onion. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours on longer. Stir occasionally. Serve warm with split buns and coleslaw.

Serves 8 to 10.