Pulled Pork Burger with Special Sauce
Here's an amazing recipe for a pulled pork burger with special sauce that packs a little kick creating a unique, Southern BBQ burger.
Servings: 8
Calories: 507kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pulled Pork
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
- 1 ½ cups carrots peeled, largely chopped
- 1 ½ cups leeks chopped and rinsed in cool water to remove grit
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 can dark beer
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hickory BBQ sauce
- salt and pepper
For the Special Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Burger
- 8 burger buns brioche, potato, sesame, etc.
- watercress or mixed greens
- tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan to high heat. Add the canola oil and swirl it around in the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Sear the pork shoulder until you get a nice brown/golden color on all sides.
- Once it’s golden-brown, place the pork in a slow cooker with all of the other pulled pork ingredients. Give the vegetables and beer sauce a mix.
- Cover and cook at high temperature in the slow cooker for approximately 4 to 6 hours, until tender and falls apart easily.
- For the special sauce, mix the mayonnaise with the apple cider vinegar, cumin powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
- Place all of the cooking liquid and the vegetables in a blender and pulse until blended. (Make sure to open the vent hole in the lid and cover with a kitchen towel to release the steam without any splashing.)
- Return the pork to the slow cooker. Pour the blended vegetable mixture over the shredded pork and combine well (you might not need all of the sauce--just enough to moisten the pork and add flavor). Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Toast the buns. Assemble the burgers with the watercress, tomato slices, pulled pork and special mayo. Serve!
Notes
- Leftover fridge storage: Store leftover pulled pork, covered in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
- Freezing instructions: To freeze the pulled pork, let it cool (no longer than 2 hours) and place it in double-bagged freezer bags with the air squeezed out to avoid freezer burn or you can vacuum seal it if that option is available to you. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Sauce storage: The special sauce can be stored for up to two weeks, covered, in the fridge.
- Vegetable sauce: You can reserve the unused vegetable sauce in the fridge and use it to remoisten the leftovers or even add it to mashed potatoes.
- Sides: Some popular sides to serve the burgers with include fries, green salads like Caesar salad, potato salad, slaw, roasted vegetables, and grilled corn on the cob.
- Sauce options: Besides my special sauce, you could try a good BBQ sauce, mayo, mustard, lime crema, HP, etc.
- Prep tip: I like to chop the vegetables while the roast is searing to save some time.
- Leeks: For the leeks, you only want to chop the white and light green parts. The darker green parts can be saved and used for homemade, soup stock.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 828mg | Potassium: 883mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 4295IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 3.2mg
