Pulled Pork 'Sandwich' with Smoky Barbecue Sauce and Southern Style Slaw

So this, quite simply, is a delicious consummation between the home-made pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and slaw I've posted, between two pieces of bread, or bun, or roll, or whatever you like to call it...

It's for those who like the details, the numbers, the finished product.

Look tempting? Mmmm, it is very tasty - my son actually said, without being asked or prompted "Wow, Mum, I think that's actually the tastiest sandwich I've ever had in my life".

I'm not sure what that says about my sandwich-making, but this is some good shizzle.

Not, perhaps a recipe in itself, but it does give the calorie counters an idea of how much they're putting in their mouths in terms of delicious, smoky, porky naughtiness. Or maybe not so naughty! The rest of you, just go ahead and shovel it in... [calories in square brackets].

Calories, per bun/'sandwich' approximately 309 (if using all my recipes - other products will vary)

You don't need to use all of these recipes, you can just buy your favourite coleslaw and BBQ sauce and impress your friends by finishing off your own pork on the barbecue - or if this has really whet your appetite, you can even buy pre-cooked pork joints for warming through and pulling as well. But obviously, they won't be as tasty... ;)

American-Style Pulled Pork with Home-Made Barbecue Sauce

Moist, smoky, tender, slow-cooked pork, brined overnight, and rubbed with the perfect blend of spices before cooking; then shredded and mixed with the tasty cooking juices for maximum flavour...

This has a nice, subtle kick to the pork from the spice rub, and a delicious flavour and moistness from the brining. Slow cooking renders it tender, then shred and serve warm in a soft bun, with my Smoky Barbecue Sauce, and a generous scoop of my Southern-Style Slaw for the full flavour experience.

Across America, pulled pork is cooked and served in a number of ways, with and without rubs and brines, and with various different sauces - including vinegar and mustard-based sauces as well as tomato-based barbecue sauces depending on the region. I've gone with the latter, as I think it's more universally popular, and also a more versatile sauce if you're going to make it yourself (plus you can always buy a classic barbecue sauce if you don't want to make your own). I've brined the pork to increase moistness and flavour (you can skip this part if you'd rather), and used a rub for flavour as well ('Tripple D' style!) - especially for those who don't want to mix in a barbecue (or other sauce) to the pork, as this gives it bags of flavour. The smoking part of this at the end is not essential, it just gives it an added flavour dimension, akin to the pulled pork you'd find in diners the states, which would be cooked long and low in hot smokers - you could use 'liquid smoke' or smoked paprika instead. You can also cook pulled pork in a slow cooker. My suggestion is to start brining it the night before, take it out in the morning, and get it into the oven mid-morning to eat for dinner early evening. Even better the next day, after being shredded and mixed with its own juices, if you're going to be really organised - re-heats really well, and freezes and re-heats well too.

Calories approximately 100  per 50g serving (enough for one bun/roll/cob - see notes for calculation, and photo at the bottom), makes approximately 25 servings of this size, freezes/chills and re-heats very well.

Smoky Barbecue Sauce (includes Thermomix method)

You can't beat a decent barbecue sauce, especially if you make it yourself!

This is amazing with my Pulled Pork recipe, especially in a bun with some homemade Southern style coleslaw or with spare ribs, and also great on burgers, with sausages, or even on grilled chicken with a little handful of melted cheese, and a couple of rashers of crispy bacon. You could use it as a glaze if you're cooking, as well as a sauce.

Many commercially-made varieties are overly sugary and vinegary, and lack substance, being made mostly of water and thickener. If you make your own with a base of tomato passata (sieved tomatoes), you can control how sweet and thick it is yourself, and adjust the salt and acidity levels as well. As you can see, I played around until I got it to my preferred consistency and flavour (the bottom right!).

Even better, if you're making it for the family, you can leave out the salt if you have small children (or want to reduce your salt levels). This one does have a little bit of a kick though (only a little one, honest!) from the smoked paprika, so if there are any baby-mouths in the house, you might want to go easy on that! Once you've made it, you could portion it out into re-sealable sandwich bags to freeze (and defrost as required), or store from hot in sterilized jars and refrigerate after opening. If you have a Thermomix, I've included the Thermomix method at the bottom. [Calories in square brackets]

Calories per 2 tbsp (30ml) serving, 24. Makes approximately 1.2 litres / 1,200 ml / 1,200g.