Lovers of 'dude food' or American diner food know what I'm talking about. Burgers of any variety, a Philly Cheesesteak, a Maine lobster roll, a club sandwich, a Reuben and even a Po' Boy are the most delicious things to eat with one hand while clutching a beer or napkin in the other. There's an art to eating a hot sandwich, staying well beerdrated and keeping your chin and cheeks grease-free.
Oh yeah.
However, nothing knocks my socks off like a slider. The heady meeting of slow-cooked marinated beef, lamb or pork, carelessly shredded into melt-in-the-mouth strips with anything else that takes your fancy and wedged between a soft and slightly sweet white bread bun is the ultimate sandwich. The sandwich de jour...the sandwich de la creme...you get the idea.
I don't know where the term for this sandwich comes from, and I don't care. I don't know what differentiates this from any other sandwich, but I JUST KNOW what makes a good slider in my own narrow, solipsistic view of the foodiverse.
- The bread bun must be white
- The bun should be small enough to hold comfortably in one hand
- You should be able to eat at least 2-3 in a single sitting. With accompanying fries or onion rings
- The meat should be beef, pork or lamb and well-seasoned and marinated - on the bone is better than fillet
- The meat should be slow cooked for at least 3-4 hours before being shredded - by human fingers
- Condiments must include but not be confined to pickles, chutneys, mayonnaise, mustards, gravy, ketchup, BBQ sauce
- There must be a salad of some description - coleslaw is best - with its own dressing wedged in there.
- Grated cheese is optional
- The filling should spill out of the bread
Brown a 1-1/2 kilo piece of pork leg or shoulder in its own fat in a large crock pot, then add:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 375ml bottle brown beer (Porter or stout)
- 2 tsp salt
- Chicken or beef stock to cover meat
- 2 peeled onions whole
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1-2 star anise pods
- 1 chopped de-seeded red chilli
Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment