At this point we are deep into football season. Here in Ohio the big game is The Ohio State Buckeyes followed closely by the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. My favorite part of football is the social aspect; people with a common interest getting together to watch a game, drink a couple of beverages, and eat some food (and yell at the t.v.). The food component of this ritual is the one area that presents the most diversity; it can range from the basic potato chips and pretzels to full blown buffets. Over the last couple of years I have gotten into the routine of ordering pizza, wings, and bread sticks from the local pizza place, with my diet I have had to fundamentally rethink my football fare. With my new approach to food I wanted to find something that could be a snack or could be expanded to a more substantial meal. While looking through recipes online I found part of the solution in BBQ pork sandwiches. I like this because beyond the taste and ease of preparation it can be served along side other snacks or you can add something like sweet potato fries to make it a meal. I also like that you can make it at home, put the BBQ pork in a crock pot, and take it to your friend's party.
This is not a pulled pork recipe but rather the idea is to use 1/4 inch thick slices of pork tenderloin and to further slice them into pieces that are roughly 2 inches by 1 inch by 1/4 inch thick. It may be hard to see but the sandwich in the picture above has five pieces of bbq'd pork stacked in three layers. Another thing you will notice in the picture and the recipe to follow is that the homemade slaw is piled on the pork in the sandwich. This is the way this sandwich is meant to be made; I suggest that you try it this way and if you don't like it you can put the slaw on the side next time.
So let's take a look at today's recipe.
BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Slaw
Prep time 20 Min. Cook time 25 Min. Serves 4
Ingredients
1 spray, cooking spray
1 pound lean pork tenderloin, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
15 ounce canned tomato sauce
1-1/2 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 reduced-calorie hamburger buns
3 tablespoons reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (sub. white wine vinegar if you don't have it)
2 cups packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
3 tablespoons scallions, sliced
Instructions
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Add pork slices in a single layer and season with salt and pepper; brown 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd; cook in batches if necessary. Remove pork and set aside. Add onion and garlic to skillet; saut'e over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to skillet; stir and simmer 1 minute. Add pork to skillet and spoon sauce over pork; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk mayonnaise, water, and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Add coleslaw mix and scallions; toss to mix and coat.
Divide pork into 4 portions, place 1 portion of pork on the bottom half of each bun and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of barbeque sauce; top with 1/2 cup of coleslaw and cover with top half of bun.
This recipe yields one sandwich per serving.
These are great sandwiches that works well with football games or any gathering where you want to serve something quick and easy. These sandwiches will also boost the wow factor at the next tailgate party. As always, if you try this dinner, leave a comment here and let me know how it worked out.
Next week - Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad or A New Series.
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