Manly Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

This is one of those recipes that is born from leftovers, not one to be made from beginning to end.  That being said, I will share with you the ingredients and steps for slow cooking this pork loin in a crock pot. But first, I want to tell you the story behind this sandwich.

Last Fall, I got lined up with a farmer here in Sulphur Springs, Texas, who was trapping wild hogs on his land.  The farmer also happens to be a certified meat processor.  When I got the call that he had shot a small hog for me, all I had to do was tell him how I wanted it cut up.  Well folks, I'll tell ya, that was a first for me. My answer was, "uuuuhh..."

I quickly learned that telling him, "I'll take it in the form of ham and bacon", wasn't going to cut it.  (No pun intended.)  There were all the other parts that had to be considered.  I could have ham steaks, ribs, backstrap loins, pork chops...  Did I want the whole hog ground up unseasoned or made into breakfast sausage?
Oh and just so you know.  There's no bacon on wild hogs.  Wild hogs are lean and healthy animals that graze on vegetation, wild fruits and tree nuts.  They're not fat enough to have bacon.

And having a ham required knowing someone with a proper smoke house.  I learned there's a Mennonite community in the next town South of here that smoke meats, but I would have to bring them the meats.  I, also, learned they make rockin' butter.  Maybe next time.

When all the answers look good, choose 'D' for All of the above.  I told the farmer to give me parts I can grill and grind the rest half unseasoned and half into sausage.  That answer worked out for us very well.  It's Summer time now as I write this and we have plenty of pork still left in the freezer.  I'm thankful that it was a smaller than average hog or it would have taken up too much room in my freezer.

When I went to pick up the pork, the farmer was quick to advise me to cook all my lean cuts slowly and in some sort of liquid.  Because grass-fed, naturally raised meats are extremely lean, there's not enough fat in the muscle to ensure tenderness during the cooking process.  Crock pots or slow cookers were idea for tenderizing the larger cuts, so said the farmer.

Speed time up to last week.

So last week, I caught a show on the cooking channel called Drink Up.  This one episode was all about beer; drinking it, pairing it with food and cooking with it.  I watched this dude named, Justin Philips, from the Beer Table restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, cook up a hunk a beef with fennel and onions and roasted it in an I.P.A. (India Pale Ale).  I could almost smell it through the television.  I knew right away what I was going to do with that backstrap pork loin in my freezer.

HERE'S WHAT I DID FIRST

• 2-pounds lean pork loin
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle India Pale Ale or a darker beer (I had a Shiner Bock sitting on the frig door waiting for a purpose.)

I layered the bottom of the slow cooker with half of the onions, pork loin on top, covered the loin with the remaining onions.  Poured the entire bottle of Shiner, minus one swig, in the slow cooker.  Covered and cooked on low heat for 6 1/2 hours.  Removed the meat from the broth.  Allowed it to cool enough for me to handle, then divided it for two dinners.

Let me tell you something.  The aroma of meat, onions, and beer cooking together was enough to make me wanna slap my momma for not ever cooking like this.  It's the truth!

The first night, we ate the pork & onions straight up with a side of mashed potatoes, fried green tomatoes, buttermilk biscuits (leftover from breakfast) and fresh blackberry cobbler.  I couldn't get enough of that meaty broth seeping into my mashed potatoes, then dipping my biscuit right into the soupy broth.  There's nothing better in life than country-style victuals.

The next day, I knew I wanted barbecue pork sandwiches for dinner.  But first, I was going to need some seriously good barbecue sauce to pour over this seriously wonderful pork.  Using a store bought name brand would have been a shameful way to finish it off.  I couldn't bring myself to buy a bottle.  I had to make a batch of barbecue sauce from scratch.  So, I got out my trusty grilling cookbook, Barbecue Bible Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes, and went to work.

Go to the following link to read how I made the barbecue sauce recipe.

• A Manly Barbecue Sauce – It’ll Put Hair On Your Chest

I had about 8 sandwiches-worth of shredded pork.  Eyeing it, I'd say about 3 cups shredded pork.

HERE'S WHAT I DID AFTER MAKING THE SAUCE

• 3 cups, approximately, shredded pork
• 2 cups thick barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup water

Put the shredded pork, sauce and water in the slow cooker on high heat for 45 minutes to 1-hour.  I could have warmed it in a saucepan on low heat, but then I would have had to stir it occasionally and keep watch over it.  I didn't want to do that, I had something else to do in that time.

I served these barbecue sandwiches with store bought buns, home made bread-n-butter pickles and GMO tator-chips.  For those keeping track of home grown goods verses store bought processed goods, yeah, I almost had it all from scratch.  Oh well, better planning next time.

If you can find yourself a farmer friend or hunter to score you some fresh wild game, make them your closest friend.  It's worth your money and your health to eat lean, naturally fed meats.  After you've tasted the clean and lean difference, you'll only be sorry that your freezer's not bigger.