Pork has always quietly been one of my biggest loves. I like it any time of day, hot or cold, pulled or sliced, on a sandwich, in a soup, next to my eggs, you name it.
James Beard said “If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.” It was this quote that led me to realize how deep my love for pork really runs. At first, I skeptically shook my head for a few moments (as I’m prone to do) – I mean, how is pork any different from other proteins? Surely beef and chicken are just as versatile…
Right?
Absolutely! NOT! After considering a life without pork as compared to a life without any other meat, I realized that the man is undeniably right. Between sinfully fatty pork belly, to the staple sausage breakfast sandwich, to bacon and eggs, to porchetta, to delicately smoked and pulled pork… this delicacy gets me up in the morning and puts me right back to sleep at night. I tip my hat to those who don’t consume pork on account of their beliefs, you folks are a lot stronger than I will ever be.
While I can ramble about my love for pork for hours, you came here with a purpose. That purpose was a sexy looking pulled pork sandwich. Pulled pork is particularly high on my list of delicious things in the world. From the Hawaiian Kalua Pork prepared in a traditional imu to Mayan Conchita Pibil prepared in a pit to the perfectly smoky pork shoulder prepared sous vide in my very unexotic kitchen, it’s a warm blanket of happiness for me that beats out Mac N Cheese, Meatloaf, Soup, Sloppy Joes, Mashed Potatoes, and any other comfort foods any day of the week.
The sous vide pork shoulder in this recipe comes from Mr Kenji Lopez-Alt, the man who, as my father puts it, “wrote the book that Matthew wishes he could’ve written”. It isn’t an untrue statement, but that doesn’t mean I like hearing it… The BBQ sauce is from the same recipe, I always use Bone Suckin’ Sauce as the base.
I warn you, the following sandwich is pretty addictive and perfect to prepare for any BBQ event – just as long as you make enough caramelized onion spread. If you asked a friend if they would ever eat half an onion in one sitting, I’m pretty confident they would give you a resounding “What?! No!.” Now slide some buttery caramelized magic in front of them and watch them devour enough onion and garlic to ward off a legion of vampires.
And now, enough chit chat – let’s eat some damn pig.
Ingredients
- Jalapeno-Cilantro Coleslaw
- Caramelized Onion Garlic Spread
- Serious Eats Sous Vide Pulled Pork and the accompanying BBQ sauce
- Ciabatta
Instructions
- Toast Ciabatta, spread garlic spread on bottom half, heap on the pork, add a few healthy dabs of BBQ sauce, top with the slaw, enjoy with a good cider or beer!