By Mid-January. The household has settled into the small steady married-couple-in-an-apartment rhythm that the first three weeks of the new year have produced. The factory schedule is the factory schedule. Dustin’s HVAC schedule is the HVAC schedule. Sunday dinners are the small re-anchor that gives the week its shape.
Sunday I made pulled pork parfait because the format had occurred to me Saturday afternoon at the apartment while I was rinsing the slow cooker that had cooked Roy Calloway’s maple pulled pork two weeks ago. The format: layered pulled pork with mashed potatoes, pickled onions, slaw, and barbecue sauce in a clear glass for visual presentation. The parfait architecture borrows from dessert parfaits but uses savory components.
The procedure: spoon a layer of warm pulled pork into a clear sixteen-ounce mason jar. Top with a layer of buttery mashed potatoes. Top with a tangle of quick-pickled red onions. Top with a small handful of crunchy slaw (shredded cabbage tossed with a touch of cider vinegar and salt). Top with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of chopped chives. Repeat the layering if the jar has room. Serve with a long iced-tea spoon. The format is the kind of small visual reframing that makes a standard pulled-pork dinner read as something restaurant-creative. Dustin had two parfaits. I had one and a half. The format is going on the maybe-list for future cafe-style experiments.
Pulled Pork Parfait
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours (slow cooker) | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder (butt roast)
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- For the coleslaw layer:
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the parfait layers:
- 1 can (28 oz) baked beans, warmed
- 8 small squares cornbread, crumbled (store-bought or homemade)
- Sliced green onions and pickled jalapeños for topping
Instructions
- Season and slow cook the pork. Rub the pork shoulder all over with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Place in a slow cooker. Whisk together the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar; pour over the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Shred the pork. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it into pieces. Return it to the slow cooker juices and stir to coat, or drain and toss with additional barbecue sauce to your preferred sauciness.
- Make the coleslaw. While the pork finishes cooking, combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Assemble the parfaits. Use large plastic cups, Mason jars, or individual bowls. Start with a layer of crumbled cornbread on the bottom. Spoon a generous layer of warm baked beans on top. Add a heaping layer of pulled pork. Finish with a scoop of coleslaw.
- Top and serve. Garnish each parfait with sliced green onions and pickled jalapeños. Drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Serve immediately while the pork and beans are still warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 890mg