Pulled Pork Sandos

Alas! I am too late for Labor Day, but for good reason.  Elizabeth and I enjoyed yet another “epication.”  What is an epication, you might wonder?  It is what the infamous Scott Sutherland (my father) has dubbed an epicurean vacation—a food-centric journey through a new place with people who love food and enjoy learning about different regions' flavors.  And so it is that we found ourselves in Seattle, indulging in local lore and dishes of the Pacific Northwest. But more on that later…

Bringing me back to my original point:  I had intended to post this for Labor Day, but time slipped away as it tends to do.  In the last six or so months, I've found myself consistently craving pulled pork sandwiches, for no apparent reason.  Truly, I'd never eaten them in my youth, nor had I previously given them much thought.  My, was I missing out!  Aside from the delicious flavor and wonderful texture of this dish, my favorite thing about it is it can feed about ten mouths rather inexpensively—ultimately, the perfect thing to serve when entertaining large groups.  Which is exactly what my good friend Kelsey and I did.  She was probably the biggest motivator in getting me to begin the pulled pork sandwich train. We enjoyed these on a perfect summer afternoon before a baseball game... a truly patriotic day!  Kudos Kels!

As I dined on pulled pork sandwiches this past week, my Grammy pointed out that pulled pork is just as satisfying (if not more) in the winter months. Dually noted, Grammy!  I like that this recipe can be done indoors, and therefore, enjoyed year round; there's no need to reserve this meal exclusively for summer. I find it satisfying and comforting, and have decided it would be equally enjoyable on a cold February night.  In fact, if you season the pork with just salt and pepper and omit the rub, the pork can be used for tacos, enchiladas, and plenty of other recipes.

Interestingly enough, it seems it was fate I post about pulled pork sandwiches after the holiday weekend.  While we did enjoy many of Seattle's culinary offerings, we had actually come to town for a fabulous wedding.  A post-wedding picnic was hosted the day after the festivities and, as luck would have it, what do you think was served? You'd be right if you guessed pulled pork sandwiches. As previously mentioned, I also had pulled pork sandos at my Grammy's house 4 days later. Must be pulled pork season!

Happy eating,

Lindsay

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw

1 boneless pork shoulder roast, about 7 lbs.

3 tablespoons dry mustard

1 ½  tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Hamburger buns

½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced

½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

½ cup green onions, thinly sliced

Cilantro-Lime Aioli (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine dry mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl, breaking up any lumps.

Using a sharp knife, score the fat (but not the meat) of the pork in a diamond pattern.  Dry pork with paper towel and rub spice mixture all over the roast. 

Place pork, fat side up, in a large dutch oven with a ½ cup of water. Roast until some fat has rendered, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce temperature to 350°F. Put on lid, or if using a roasting pan tightly cover with foil. Cook until meat is very tender, about 4 hours. Remove from oven and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, remove fat from top of roast. Using two forks, shred meat into bite size pieces, removing any large pieces of fat. Toss with your favorite barbeque sauce*.

While pork is cooking, prepare the coleslaw. Generously salt the cabbage and drain in colander for 3 hours. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Mix red and green cabbage, carrot and green onion in a large bowl until well incorporated.  Starting with a half cup, add the cilantro-lime aioli to the cabbage mixture and toss until evenly coated.  Add more sauce to taste.

Toast the hamburger buns, if desired (this is a recommended step as it adds a crunchy texture to the other soft components of the sandwich).  Spoon a generous helping of the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom bun.  Top with coleslaw, and top half of bun.  Enjoy amongst friends!

*Unless you prefer homemade, I recommend using Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce... again.

Cilantro-Lime Aioli

Adapted from She Eats Bears*

1 egg yolk**

1 tablespoon Dijon

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

¾ cup cilantro, chopped

In the bowl of a blender, combine the egg yolk, Dijon, lime juice and zest, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil of until the right consistency is reached (about 3/4 cup, but taste as you go!). Start adding the oil drop by drop as the mixer is going, then add as a slow stream. Toss in chopped cilantro just before serving. Add more lime juice if desired.

* She Eats Bears is a blog Elizabeth introduced me to as we began our research for Knife and Fork Adventures.  Some people like mayonnaise, others don’t.  I’m on the team that does, and I think this recipe is great.  Marysol, who writes the blog, suggests pairing the Cilantro-Lime Aioli with pork skewers, sweet potato fries and gai lan.  Next time I prepare this, I will definitely try it with the aforementioned goodies. 
** If you do not want to use raw egg, you can substitute for a 1/4 cup of mayonnaise.  If you wish for the aioli to be thinner, just add a little more lime juice.