A good story is all about layers. Full of suspense, secrets, and complex and ever changing characteristics. A good story can make or break an author, and can change the readers view on the world.
So can a good sandwich.
Similar to a complex story, the elements of a good sandwich must work together in such harmony that they combine delicately yet powerfully in your stomach. Although that may seem like a stretch, over my Holidays, I have been looking at many different 2 act plays for a drama project. Each one is different from the next, some lacking the basic ingredients of suspense or romance, while some adding too many different combinations, none of which seem to work out quite right.
In the midst of my search for the perfect play, I chose a random number and ended up with pulled pork. Well, I am a baker – pies are my specialty, and I have never attempted to do anything more with pork than a simple pork chop, but I was up to the challenge. On the list of ingredients was something I had never even heard of – “Pork Butt”. I went to 3 different local grocery stores (who’s butchers all seemed to be on their lunch breaks), and finally found one who told me, chuckling a little, that pork butt was in fact the more crass name for pork shoulder. Because as he said, “who’s going to want to buy something’s butt?”
In a perfect sandwich, as with a perfect story, there are a number of elements that must be covered.
First, the setting – the opening scene, and introduction of characters.
In the first bite, the sweetness of the brown sugar and the tang of the mustard powder comes through, with the melt-in-your-mouth sensation of the pork quickly following.
Once you’ve stopped picking bits out of the crock pot, you meet a new character – the toasted bun. I was going to make the buns, but then got lazy and used the store bought ones we had sitting on the counter. I toasted them grilled cheese-style, browned to perfection.
Now add a little bit of the sauce of your choice, I chose a little HP sauce for the kick, and you have an amazing pulled pork sandwich, the perfect conclusion to a perfect story of flavors.
By Drew Kime @ How To Cook Like Your Grandmother
Before you start, turn the crock pot on high. (Alternatively you can do this in a dutch oven. If you do, for the rest of these directions “high” means “medium”.) Season the pork with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and lay it in the crock pot fat side down. If there’s any fat at all on the roast, you won’t need any oil for it to brown up nicely. If your cut is very lean, put a few tablespoons of bacon fat in the bottom first. Coat the top of the pork liberally with mustard powder and cardamom.
I held off on the cardamom, not my favourite spice.
Don’t worry about measuring, just cover the meat completely. Check after about 15 minutes, and once the bottom starts to brown up flip it over. Season the other side with mustard and cardamom.
Here is where I start to stray – instead of putting it fat side down in the crock pot to brown, I put it in a frying pan to brown up for a couple minutes.
Fill the crock pot with liquid until the pork is halfway submerged. Start with the pureed onion, then make up the rest with water.
Although missing in these directions – I found out later that you add the apple cider vinegar to the onion mush. About 2-3 tbsp worth.
Turn the crock pot to low, put the lid on, and leave it for at least eight hours. Twelve is better. You can turn the meat over once about halfway through, but it’s okay if you don’t. It’s better to leave it completely alone than to keep checking on it. That means you can start this before work and let it cook all day. Or put it in at night and have it for lunch the next day.
I waited 24 hours, maybe even more.
When you’ve waited as long as you can, pull the meat out and put the lid back on the crock pot. Shred the meat with a pair of forks. If you managed to leave it in for twelve hours or more, you should be able to do this with your bare hands.
Remove any pieces of fat or gristle, put the shredded meat back in the pot and add a cup of
brown sugar.
More brown sugar.
Check the salt and pepper. Decide if it needs more sugar. Put the lid back on and let it simmer on high for another half hour. Serve on kaiser rolls with cole slaw.
In the words of Mr. Chirman’s Uncle,
ALLEZ CUISINE.
xo Bex
Tags: brown sugar, buns, How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, pork, pork butt, pork shoulder, pulled, pulled pork, The Fickle Foodie, theficklefoodie
Hi Beckyyyy