The pull of pork

Red meat is rarely on the list of foods I crave for. Between beef and pork, I'm far likelier to crave for beef (usually in the form of a burger) than pork. I can go for months without eating pork and rely on a trip home to Manila for Christmas to fill up my meagre pork "quota" for the year. I'm probably one of the few Pinoys alive on this earth who simply does not, cannot eat pork liempo. 

In fact, the list of pork dishes I actually eat is very short.

1. Sausages (chorizo, wurst, and longganisa fall into this general category)
2. Cebu lechon (only from Cebu!)
3. Sisig
4. Chicharon
5. Majestic ham (a Christmas family tradition)
6. Pulled pork sandwiches

So it was to my great surprise that I found myself craving pork last week. Specifically, a pulled pork sandwich. The best I've had was at Daisy Mae's in New York two years ago. Since then, I've put pulled pork out of my mind... until now. The good thing is that it's easy to make, and thus a lot easier for me to get my hands on over here. Imagine if I'd been craving for lechon, sisig or Majestic ham!

I found an easy recipe for pulled pork on the Food Network that required the use of a Dutch oven. We've rarely used our Dutch oven since moving to the Netherlands (a true irony, har har) so it was nice to finally bring it out of the cabinet. With an abundance of Cs (cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, chili and homemade chicken broth, among others) simmering away, the kitchen smelled mouthwatering. 

After Marlon and I attacked the cooked, tender meat with forks and left it to soak up the sauce, I made a broccoli slaw to go with it. I don't usually like slaw, but I like this recipe for broccoli slaw because it uses zero mayonnaise. Instead, it uses vinegar (I substituted apple cider with red wine) and wholegrain mustard to give the slaw a delectable zing.

Then all we had to do was plop a generous serving of pulled pork onto toasted hamburger buns and add a dollop of broccoli slaw. Et voila, our homemade pulled pork sandwiches!

The crunch and acidic tang of the slaw cuts right into the soft and sweet pork, making a yummy match. The pork is heavy though, so I don't see myself doing this at home too often. But to fulfill a craving that comes once in a blue moon, it's more than enough. This will keep me in good stead until pork and I have our Christmas reunion.