Smoky BBQ Sauce & Pulled Pork Sammich

I ran out of BBQ sauce before my latest batch of pulled pork was done. What's a girl to do? Make her own. Or in this case, be incredibly manly, and also make his own. So, that's what I did. And it turned out pretty well.

I started by hydrating some smoked medium hot chilis I picked up in Kensington market a couple weeks ago by soaking them in in half cider vinegar and half late autumn riesling (sweet white wine) for 2 hours. I forget what the peppers are called. Morenos maybe? Maybe not. Anyways, I chopped them up in my food processor and started them on the stove with the other ingredients.

I used Barbados style molasses rather than your regular fancy old fashioned kind. It is significantly runnier and I added water to give it a smoother consistency. The sauce was already quite strong, so a more flavourful liquid isn't needed. It was a bit chunky, so I used an immersion blender to make it as smooth as possible (still has a few small chunks). I imagine a bit more water would have evened it out a bit, but I don't mind a chunkier sauce. It turned out quite spicy, smoky, dark in colour, mildly sweet, more acidic, and generally packed with flavour. No ketchup or liquid smoke needed.

With my first BBQ sauce made, it was time to test it out. What better than on a pulled pork sammich? I loaded up a whole wheat Italian roll with a healthy slathering of sauce, old cheddar, cucumber, tomato, spinach and, of course, pulled pork (sauteed). I'm salivating just thinking about it. Sooooooo good! This is making a victory lap for lunch tomorrow.

Squeaky Cheese Pulled Pork Poutine in Ottawa

While visiting some friends of mine in Ottawa, we decided to make pulled pork. In a bit of a time crunch, we skipped the brine step. It turns out this is a really important one. Not only does it make the meat taste better in the end, but it cuts down the cooking time. It still worked out, you just have to season and flavour your meat more than otherwise.

Barbeque sauce is also really important. While I used a smokey Texan BBQ sauce when I made it, in Ottawa we used a sweet garlic sauce. The flavour was completely different, so choose your sauce wisely. In the end, my favourite dish of the weekend was a poutine with squeaky curd cheese, homemade beer gravy, caramelized onions & peppers, baked homemade fries, and our hero pulled pork.

The next morning we broke our fast at a French Bistro with handmade croissants and amazingly delicious jam.  The French sure know their food.

 Unfortunately, my morning shot of double espresso left much to be desired.

Pulled Pork Pita Pizza #4 & Pulled Pork Recipe

I've been stuck in a loop like a skipping record. All I've made for days now, it seems, has been these pulled pork pizzas. I'm not complaining, they are absolutely delicious! The smokiness of the Texan BBQ sauce compliments the tender pulled pork perfectly. And you can put pretty much whatever you have laying around on top of that as I've shown here.

Avocado was really fantastic, and red pepper has really tied some of the other ingredients to the pulled pork and I missed it when I left it out. One of the best toppings I've found is thinly sliced zucchini. Its delicate freshness with a touch of sweet against the smoky sauce was fantastic. Mixed with spinach, red pepper, and cheddar cheese, this is what I ended up with:

The moisture of the pulled pork keeps the pita from getting fully crispy as it often does as a pizza bottom. It is far from soggy, finding a balance in the chewy zone. Especially when made using a pizza stone. The stone heats from the bottom, preventing any possibility of sogginess. Putting cheese on the bottom as well as the top helps keep its structural integrity and holds the toppings in place. Don't over do the BBQ sauce, a very light coating, about a tablespoon and a half, is all you need.

Spinach worked better pre-wilted than just thrown on under the cheese. This was really easy when blanching a vegetable as you can put a handful in the bottom of the strainer before pouring off the water into it. I actually like that technique for spinach in a lot of dishes.

I highly encourage you to make this. But I suppose I need to tell you how to make pulled pork first. Brine a pork shoulder, one of the cheapest cuts of meat in the supermarket, for 12-24 hours in a mixture of half salty water and half cider vinegar. Drain off the liquid and slow cook for 10-12 hours on low in a mixture of salty red wine and cider vinegar. You could use beer too, that would be good. Pull apart pork with two forks. I saved the skin to use as a cooking fat, and scraped the marrow from the bones for extra flavour. That's it. Dead simple.

No more excuses, make this pizza already!!

Pulled Pork Pita Pizza

Over the weekend I made some pulled pork in the slow cooker. So far I've just been eating it in sammiches, but today I thought I'd do something a little different. Pizza.

Take a large pita bread, smother it in your favourite BBQ sauce. I'm using some that Ladypants brought be back from Texas, Ironworks. It is smokey, sweet and delicious. Top it with a small layer of cheese. I'm using old cheddar because I think mozzarella doesn't taste like anything, at least the cheap stuff I usually buy. Add pulled pork, soy sauteed mushrooms, spinach, red peppers, and hot sauce if desired (I did).

Top with more old cheddar and fresh grated parmesan. Broil for 5 minutes or until the top cheese turns golden brown and looks as below:

Oh yes, this does taste as good as it looks. The sweetness of the pork mixes with the smoky BBQ sauce balances the spiciness of the hot sauce. Red peppers, mushrooms and spinach are great, but they could easily be almost anything else. Next time (tomorrow) I think I'll replace the mushrooms with rapini to give it a bit more nutritional value.

*Update* This made a come back with red pepper rings, blanched rapini, and only parmesan cheese on top. Ladypants and the beard both enjoyed this quite a bit even though it is significantly healthier with less sodium and cheddar cheese fat.

*Update the second* I can't get enough of these. I made another version for supper today. I call it The Hulk because it is angry green. Blanched rapini, spinach, avocado, feta & old cheddar cheese, and pulled pork: