Pulled Pork Sandwich

To spend a month abroad means eating out every day, not knowing where your food came from, who handled it, was the cook in a good mood that day or not. A whole month abroad also means shopping in foreign bazaars, smelling unknown spices, eating tropical fruit, and drafting new recipes. The idea for this dish came to me over a cup of Indonesian coffee with Dutch pastries.

During the colonization of the 19th century, the Dutch introduced classic European pastries to Indonesia. Since then, Indonesian cooks have been applying European baking techniques to local ingredients to make guava filled danish, avocado chocolate tort, and melon cheesecake. To make this pulled pork sandwich, I used a mix of Jamaican spices for the dry rub, mango for the BBQ sauce, and Smitten Kitchen light brioche buns. This dish should be served at the next European, Caribbean and South East Asian summit :)

Pulled pork

1 2-pound cured ham steak

½ tsp of the follow dry spices: pimento, ginger, red pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cumin, brown sugar
2 tbsp of salt
Mix the spices and salt. Rub the spice mix into the steak and refrigerate for 2 hours. Wash off the rub with cold water and pat dry the steak.

While the meat is marinating make the BBQ sauce.

BBQ sauce
4 large ripe red tomatoes
1 freshno pepper
1 medium size red onion
1 ripe yellow mango
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat the grill to 400F.
Cut tomatoes in a half. Cut onions into thick rings. Place tomatoes (cut side down), onions, and peppers on the grill. Grill the vegetables until they are well charred. Lower the grill temperature

Using a blender or a food processor, puree vegetables with remaining ingredients into a smooth sauce. Adjust salt and pepper.

Lower the grill to 250F. Place the steak on the grill and cook for at least 2 hours. The internal temperature of the meat should be at least170F. Remove the meat from the grill. Let it cool.

Warm the BBQ sauce in a large skillet. Shred the meat or cut it into fine pieces. Mix the meat with the sauce letting it absorb the juices for at least 10 minutes.

Slice the bun in a half and stuff it with meat. Enjoy with few pickles, fries, and a good beer.