Apple Cider with Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pork!   Pork!  Pork is the perfect match for Bundaberg Apple Cider.  So simple, nothing else to add here, end of this blog post.

Hmmm………..  That would be incredibly lazy of me wouldn’t it?  Not sure I would be invited back to write if I left it at that.  Yes I have teamed Bundaberg Apple Cider with pork for my suggested recipe, but let’s not leave it there and take a bit of a closer look at the food pairing possibilities.

Moving as far away from pork as we can get, let’s take a look at almonds. Apples are a complex flavour, there are fruity, dairy and nutty notes in their make up.  I instantly think of a buttery almond tart or croissant as a great match to Bundaberg Apple Cider.  Cinnamon shortbread biscuits would also go well.

We have covered some sweet parings, now onto some savoury.  Hard cheeses such as cheddar or Stilton, bacon and egg pie, even a good Irish fry up with black pudding.  I can even see Bundaberg Apple Cider being paired with seafood, the likes of a light crab salad or freshly peeled prawns with mayonnaise.

I did go for the obvious pairing of pork, mainly because I wanted to share these amazing pulled pork sandwiches with you.  We Aussies would call them pulled pork rolls.  They are so simple to make, you just need to make sure you have time to cook the pork, as it is a slow cooked recipe over a few hours.

Bundaberg Apple Cider works well with the spice in the rub on the pork, the tangy BBQ sauce, which has a hint of heat, and the buttery brioche buns.

Cheers, Sara

Sara McCleary is guest blogging for Bundaberg Brewed Drinks.  You can find more of Sara’s recipes at www.bellyrumbles.com

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

• 2kg piece Pork scotch fillet
• 6 brioche buns (or hamburger buns)
• 6 slices of cheese
• Gherkin/Pickled Cucumber

Pork Rub

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (hot)
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup tomato ketchup
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder

Slaw

• ½ small fennel bulb, finely sliced
• ¼ red cabbage, finely sliced
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated horseradish

1. Preheat oven 150°C (300°F)
2. In a small bowl combine all ingredients for the pork rub and mix well.
3. Massage pork well with the rub and place into a baking dish. Cook covered with foil for 4 hours.
4. While the pork is cooking make BBQ sauce.
5. In a medium size pot add all the sauce ingredients. Simmer gently over a medium heat for around 15 minutes until the sauce has darkened in colour and thickened.  Remove from heat, place sauce in a clean bowl, cover and place in the fridge until needed.
6. Remove pork from oven and leave to rest, covered, for at least 30 – 40 minutes.
7. While the pork is cooling make the slaw.
8. In a large bowl add mayonnaise, lemon juice and horseradish. Mix ingredients well and then add fennel and cabbage and toss until well coated with the dressing.  Place in fridge covered until required.
9. Once the pork is cool enough to handle, but not cold, pull and shred the pork with your fingers or two forks. It really should just start to fall apart.
10. To assemble the pulled pork sandwiches
11. Cut brioche buns in half and lightly toast.
12. Mix 4 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce through 2 ½ cups of pulled pork.
13. Place a slice of cheese, on the bottom of each bun, then add pulled pork, some sliced gherkins and top with the slaw.
14. They are served with paprika chips and gherkins in the photo.

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