Pulled Pork Sandwiches

(Please excuse the darkness of the picture.) Everybody likes their pork a different way - this is how I like mine. Tender chunks of pulled pork, drizzled with BBQ (not swimming in it), topped with coleslaw and pickles on a homemade bun. The bun may look big and stiff, but it squishes down to the perfect thickness and softness.

Pulled Pork

Ingredients
1 Pork Shoulder
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Olive oil
1 Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (You will actually need 2 bottles, but you won't use the other until later)

Method
Bring your pork shoulder to room temperature. Heat a few Tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven, or a large heavy saucepan on high heat. Season the shoulder liberally with salt and pepper, and brown in the pan on all sides. 30 seconds to a minute each side - enough to develop a crust.

Place the shoulder in a slow cooker and pour your BBQ sauce on top. Cook on low for 10 hours. NEVER touch the lid. Every time you peek into your crock pot/slow cooker it will increase your cook time by 30 minutes. RESIST the urge!

If you don't have a slow cooker, put your meat in a dutch oven, or large heavy pot with the sauce, covered, in the oven at 225 for 10 hours. Same thing goes for the peeking - just leave it alone.

When the meat is done, turn off the heat, and allow is to rest for 30 minutes. Then remove the meat from the pan(leaving the drippings in the pan), and begin pulling it apart, separating the fat. It should be very tender, and falling to pieces in your hands. Put all the pulled pork in a separate bowl.

Strain the sauce out of your slow cooker into a separate bowl. I like to use just a little bit of this sauce to moisten the pork, but not too much.


Buns

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 T butter
1 Large egg
3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t Salt
1 T Instant yeast

Method
Combine all the ingredients and mix and knead them together until you've made a soft smooth dough. (By hand or by mixer) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces, and shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place the buns on greased cookie sheets, cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes, until they're puffy.

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

Bake the buns for 12-15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool on a rack.

I like to split them and spread them with salted butter, then fry the buttered sides, or toast them under a broiler before serving.


Coleslaw

Ingredients
1 package pre-cut coleslaw mix (because it makes life so much easier)
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 T cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t celery seed
Kosher salt, and Freshly Ground pepper to taste

Method
Mix the mayo, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, celery seed, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour a little of the dressing over the coleslaw mix at a time until you get your desired amount. I find there is more dressing than I want, and the cabbage will soften over time, so less is more.


Putting it all together

You will need:
Pulled pork
Buns
Coleslaw
Sliced Pickles
BBQ sauce
Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
Split the buns, spread with Salted butter, and fry them butter side down until crispy. Put a serving of pork on each bottom bun. Drizzle with BBQ sauce, add some coleslaw, then some sliced pickles. Top the buns and serve.