Pulled-Pork Sandwiches (Martha Stewart)

Honestly, I always associate American foods with big generous portions... And, I can never walk out of any American-style restaurants feeling not full enough or still hungry. One of the most fulfilling American food that I reckon would be a classic pulled-pork sandwich and this is what I have cooked for my family when we were feeling very hungry, especially on a cool weekend.

There are heaps of pulled-pork sandwich recipes that are available Martha Stewart website and I have chosen this because the pulled-pork is cooked in ketchup and seems very saucy and delicious to eat. I could have choose this Southern pulled-pork recipe which uses cider vinegar but prefer to explore a non-vinegar slow-cooked dish for this bake.

To compliment my saucy pulled pork, I have made homemade buns from scratch and served our pulled-pork sandwiches with Martha Stewart's tangy coleslaw for an overall balance in their tang and taste. In particular, the homemade buns recipe from Epicurious is interesting to bake because it uses no butter or oil in the recipe but uses cream instead. Due to this, these golden brown crusty buns are interestingly milky and white at their inside.

I think I have to trust the look of my satisfying "customers" as everything in our plates is delicious being on its own or even being together and they are gone without any hesitation.

Serving now... my pulled-pork sandwich

The ingredients that I used to cook the pulled-pork

After 2 1/2 hrs of slow-baking...

Proving the bread dough

Freshly baked bread - Now, where is the pork?

Making the tangy coleslaw

Assembling pulled-pork sandwiches... got to eat the sandwiches now. Ciao!

Here are the recipes (with my modification and notes in blue)

Pulled-Pork Sandwiches from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon light-brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

tangy red cabbage, for serving (I served mine with Tangy Coleslaw)

6 crusty white rolls, split in half horizontally (I baked my own homemade buns)

The oven method:

Preheat oven to 350°F (or 160°C fan forced). Stir together 1/2 cup ketchup, sugar, garlic, sage, oregano, 1 tsp coarse salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut pork in half lengthwise, coat the pork with the sauce and add all into a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1 cup water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until pork is tender for about 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare tangy red cabbage (or coleslaw) if desired.

Transfer pork to a large bowl. Using a large spoon, skim off and discard any fat from surface of cooking liquid. With two forks, pull meat apart until shredded. Pour any juices from slow cooker over pork, add remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. Spoon meat onto bottom half of rolls; add red cabbage (or coleslaw), if desired, and top of roll.

Tangy Coleslaw from Martha Stewart

1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I used 99% fat free ones)

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream (replaced by yogurt)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix

3 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced crosswise (I didn't add this)

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add coleslaw mix and most of scallions (I didn't add this); toss to coat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining scallions (I didn't do this) , or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

Homemade Burger Buns from Epicurious

For dough:

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup warm water (105-115°F)

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

5 cups all-purpose flour

(replaced by a combination of OO flour and bread in the ratio of 1:4)

2 tsp salt

For tops of hamburger buns:

1 large egg, lightly beaten  

(I used 1 egg yolk plus 2 tbsp milk)

2 tsp sesame seeds

Make dough:

Bring milk and cream to a bare simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cool mixture to 105 to 115°F.

Meanwhile, stir together warm water and yeast in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 min. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Add warm milk mixture, sugar, flour, and salt to yeast mixture and mix at low speed, scraping down side of bowl as necessary, until flour is incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 6 min. (Dough will be sticky.)

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hrs.

Butter 2 large baking sheets. Punch down dough, then roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round (about 1/2 inch thick). Cut out as many rounds as possible with floured cutter, arranging 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Gather and re-roll scraps once, then cut out more rounds.

Loosely cover buns with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until they hold a finger mark when gently pressed, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.

Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Brush buns with some of egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden and undersides are golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 min. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

Note: Instead of using the electric mixer, I've placed all my ingredients into my bread-maker and use "dough" setting to knead and prove the dough for 1 hr plus 30 min extra in the bread-maker. To shape my buns, I've divide the dough into 16 portions and shape each into a smooth ball. The buns were then proved in a 25 cm x 35 cm lightly greased non-stick baking tin and were baked 180°C fan forced for 18 min.

Happy Baking

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