Monday, August 06, 2012

The "L" Word: Pulled Pork Sandwiches


When you braise five pounds of pork shoulder for tacos and have guests over, no matter how good it is, there's bound to be some left over. At least I was certainly hoping that would be the case.

You see, I had this nefarious, yet very simple, plan.

It had to do with my recent craving for pulled pork tacos, assuaged by the aforementioned dinner, which had compounded an earlier craving for pulled pork sandwiches. And that's where the planning came in.

It went something like this: We'd have pork tacos, necessitating the slow braising of a really big pork shoulder, enough that there was an almost certain likelihood of leftovers. Which allowed the sandwiches room to squeeze in a couple of nights later after the pork had mellowed in the fridge, its sublime flavor getting even better as the ingredients had time to get to know each other.

And on the appointed night, voilà! The appropriate elements were gathered—the slaw made, the buns toasted, the pork warmed and the beer poured. All it took was a nefarious, yet very simple, plan.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For the pulled pork:
1 recipe for pulled pork

For the slaw:
1 small head (6 c.) cabbage, shredded
1/2 c. carrot, shredded
1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. (1 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp.) white wine vinegar, to taste
1/2- 1 tsp. dill or tarragon, chopped very fine, to taste

For the sandwiches:
Whole wheat buns, toasted
Mayonnaise or butter for the buns, optional
Barbecue sauce or other sauce, optional
Lime wedges, optional

Make the pulled pork as directed, or have a clever plan like I did (see above).

Place the shredded cabbage and carrot in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and herbs. Stir until any lumps are gone. Pour over cabbage mixture and stir to combine.

Make the sandwiches by putting a good amount of pork on the bottom half of the bun and topping it with a good amount of slaw. At this point you can eat it as is, but some people like to pour copious amounts of their favorite barbecue sauce on it or squeeze some lime on top. Whatever. It'll be delicious no matter what.

By the way, The "L" Word refers to leftovers. Why, what did you think it meant?

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