Saturday, May 9, 2009

Another day another burger bun...

Okay so originally I had no intent for theses posts to go up back to back but alas, it just happened that way. This past week I was digging through the freezer and came across a two pound pork shoulder roast....ok really just 1/2 of a larger roast but it was about two pounds. I pulled it out, stuck in the fridge to thaw and began contemplating what exactly I could do with said pork. Then it hit me, BBQ! I love BBQ but am not lucky enough to have my own smoker/pit, just a grill and all my indoor cooking toys, so I started digging through some cookbooks and morphed up a BBQ pork recipe for the crockpot.

I'm about to stir up some controversy I'm sure but here I go....what is BBQ? Who makes it best??

There's Mongolian BBQ, Japanese BBQ, Greek BBQ and then Southern BBQ...and probably five hundred other types! All of these are very different things. So ignoring (for today) international bbq, let's talk about BBQ in the South...the biggest debate you will find along the purists of the meaning of Barbecue will occur if you bring together a Texan and a South Carolinian. In Texas, Barbecue means Beef, particularly Brisket. In the Carolina's (the whole south for that matter), Barbecue means Pork (typically shoulder roasts and Boston butts). Now, being the proud Texan that I am I want to tout the benefits of our delicious 'Q but can't neglect to mention that some pulled pork is very tasty!

Ok, again, stirring up some controversy here, my thoughts on what it takes to make some BBQ: BBQ requires meat. You grill vegetables (and I love grilled veggies, but they just aren't the same as BBQ'd meat). BBQ is more than a meal. It is an event. People gather for good BBQ, whether invited or not. It is an event that gathers people around an open (or pit) fire to watch, smell and eat. BBQ is social and the root of so many a family gathering.

BBQ in the South is especially social, you'll see it as an after church lunch, a school fundraiser, or a restaurant that people will wait hours to eat at. In Lockhart, Texas (a short drive away), the self-proclaimed BBQ Capital of Texas, there are BBQ joints that sell out before noon on Saturdays and don't open back up again until the following Saturday! BBQ is a culture unto itself, I cannot begin to say that my crockpot version does justice to the truly delightful concoctions that true pit-masters concoct but it makes a decent weeknight substitute.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

2 Lbs Pork Shoulder Roast
1/2 Medium Onion Sliced in Rounds
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
16 Oz BBQ Sauce (I used a mixture of a sweet sauce and a tangier sauce).

1. Cook roast on low for 10-12 hours in crockpot, no cooking liquid required!
2. After roast has cooked sufficient time, use forks to pull it apart within the pot.
3. Place onions in crockpot, stir lemon juice, brown sugar and BBQ sauce in with pork. Let cook on high 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, turn off the pot and enjoy!

Seeing as the hamburger buns made earlier this week were long gone by this time I had to whip up another a little more conducive to weeknight timing, so on All Recipes I stumbled across an easy/low time requirement burger bun recipe:

Easy Hamburger Buns

1/8 cup margarine, melted
1/8 cup warm water
1/8 cup white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast
1 teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed

2. Mix in the salt, and gradually stir in the flour until you have a soft dough. Divide into 5 pieces, and form into balls. Place on baking sheets so they are 2 to 3 inches apart. Let rise for 20 minutes.

These buns had a less sweet taste than the ones I made earlier this week but were so easy they took less than an hour in total - completely do-able for a weeknight! We filled these tasty buns with pulled pork and had some deliciously easy sauteed green beans alongside. The BBQ is a pretty tasty dish that leaves you with a little left over - it was a great filling for a plain baked potato later this past week!

What's your favorite BBQ recipe and style?


doggybloggy said...

Thats it! I am making the buns. BBQ is a loose question - it could involve anything with bbq sauce or it could involve hours and hours of low and slow cooking in a pit and then everything in between...tough call.

Kerstin said...

I'm so impressed your made your own hamburger buns! They look really good, as does the pulled pork - yum!

girlichef said...

Pulled pork is one of my faves!! And, are you kidding me? Making buns twice in one week? You are the (wo)man!!!

Chef Fresco said...

I've never thought of making my own buns! I bet these are way better than the store bought ones!

Joie de vivre said...

I made homemade hamburger buns last week for the first time. They were easy, just required some forethought, and I will definitely be making them again!

Reeni♥ said...

I bet your home-made buns were really yummy! So much better than buying them. And with your tender pulled pork heaped on top-that must of been heavenly!

Tangled Noodle said...

More homemade buns! You put me to shame with my store-bought rolls. But thank you for the great recipes - they do look easy to make so there's really no reason for me to delay. And of course, pulled pork BBQ is tops!

Grace said...

the only thing better than this pulled pork is a good ol' burger (which you also do extremely well). i prefer a honey barbecue saucy because my sweet tooth cannot be tamed! :)

Anonymous said...

Delicious bbq pork sandwich - I bet it is so excellent with the homemade buns.

Katherine Aucoin said...

You have so raised the burger bar! I am going to have to try homemade burger buns! The pork has me drooling!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Oh my goodness I am so salivating here viewing your gorgeous pulled pork and those scummy buns! Excellent....

Rosie x

Hornsfan said...

Doggybloggy - I promise it's well worth the time to make those buns! BBQ though, I'm with you, no BBQ snobbery here, I love it all.
Kerstin - Thanks, it's delish!
Girlichef - Hey, I read your exploits as well, making buns is nothing compared to your crime solving :)
Chef Fresco - So much better, plus you get that yummy bread baking smell too!
Joie - They really are easy aren't they - and so much better.
Reeni - Thanks :)
Tangled Noodle - That's what I loved about these, it took less than an hour to throw them together, super quick and easy.
Grace - I'm with you on the Honey BBQ, sweet and sticky BBQ!
5 Star - Thanks!
Katherine - Not sure if something this easy can really raise the bar ;)
Rosie - Thanks!