Pulled Pork Sandwiches

It's going to seem like an epic recipe--probably because there are four recipes to deal with--but it's really not that much work. All told, it will take less than half an hour of actual activity to create this masterpiece and it time so well spent.

Without further ado, I give you...a slightly modified version of Emeril Lagasse's Pulled Pork Sandwiches (ta-da!)

Serves about 8

Printable version of all recipes can be found here: click

4-6 pound boneless pork butt or picnic pork

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Essence (recipe follows)

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper

Wet Mop Basting Sauce (recipe follows)

Barbeque Sauce (recipe follows)

Combine brown sugar, Essence, salt, cumin, paprika and pepper. Rub the seasoning into the pork, making sure you get it into every little nook and cranny. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours--overnight is ideal.

Drop that sucker into the crock pot and carefully pour the Wet Mop Basting Sauce into the crock pot without washing the rub off the pork. Cook on low for about five hours, basting occasionally (about once an hour).

Once the roast starts to crumble when slightly nudged with a fork, remove it from the crock pot, cover lightly with foil and allow the roast to rest for about 20 minutes before shredding it. In a large bowl, toss the shredded pork with enough Barbeque Sauce to coat, reserving some of the Barbeque Sauce for serving.

Serve on good quality rolls.

Emeril's Essence

2 1/2 Tablespoons paprika

2 Tablespoons salt

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

1 Tablespoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon cayenne

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Wet Mop Basting Sauce

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 Tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/2 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 Tablespoon salt

The night before you plan to serve the pork, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate until needed.

Barbeque Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

1 Tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk well to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate overnight for best results. Use part for mixing into the pork and the remainder for serving with the sandwiches.

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Whew! Sounds like a lot of work, right? Well, it's not. And the results will make your guests and loved ones think you toiled for days to produce such perfection. The Essence is available at most supermarkets (in the spice aisle), but it is soooo much better if you make your own. If you don't have the spices on hand, save yourself some major moolah and get what you need from the bulk section. No need to spend a pretty penny on an entire bottle of something if you are only going to use a fraction of that amount.

Splurge on the rolls, though. This is no ordinary sandwich. It's a King among sandwiches and deserves to be treated as such. Indulge a little--it's totally worth it.

We're going to make this as our Super Bowl meal (Go Saints!), so I'll have some pictures to accompany this recipe next week. It's great game day food--the majority of the work is done before it goes in the crock pot. All you have to do is jump up during the commercials to shred it and serve it.

Oh! And there's a great coleslaw recipe to accompany this, but I have to figure out where I wrote it down. I'll do that before the weekend and maybe we can all have a Pulled Porkalicious Super Bowl!

In other news, I figured out how to make printable recipes! It will take some time to go back and create printable versions of all the recipes posted prior, but I will make sure I create a printable version of anything from here on out. Just look for "Printable recipe here: click" and click on the "click". I almost sprained my elbow patting myself on the back for figuring that one out. I do have my moments...