Here in Texas, we are all about our BBQ. I think that we will just about put BBQ meat in anything, sandwich, taco, casserole, you name it - we put BBQ in it. A few weeks ago I was at a local movie theater here in Austin which was running a special in July for a pulled pork grille cheese. They were all out of one, so I didn't get to order it, but they did have a pre-show commercial that came on the screen showing what all went into the sandwich.
I was entranced. Inspired. De{light}ed.
As soon as I got home I started to come up with my own ways to make the sandwich healthier and lighter.
My first thought was to use a pork tenderloin. Why? Because it's one of the leaner cuts of pork and I know that I can keep it good and tender with cooking it in my crock pot. I didn't want just any tenderloin though, I wanted one that was local, organic, grass-fed, all that great stuff.
The next thing I did was to choose a spicy BBQ sauce. Stubb's Bar-B-Q sauce is one of my favorites because they are also a local (native to Texas) company. Their sauces and rubs are all gluten-free, made with real ingredients, contain no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, MSG or high fructose corn syrup. All their sauces are also enrolled in the Non-GMO Project. I chose the spicy bar-b-q sauce because I thought it would pair well with the natural sweetness of pork.
I also went with a local organic smoked light gouda cheese and some bare natural whole wheat crustless bread.
The longer the tenderloin cooks in the crock pot, the more tender it will be. Just be sure you don't let the sauce get 'toasty' like I did. If you intend to keep it in there longer than in the directions, be sure to add more sauce, broth, or water to make up for it.
I like burnt ends, what can I say?
Healthified BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 Grilled Cheese • Calories: 389.5 • Fat: 13 g • Carb: 38.1 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 34.2 g • Sugar: 5 g • Sodium: 627.9 mg
Ingredients:
Pork:
1 Lb. Pork Tenderloin (Mine was organic and local!)
1 Tbsp. Stubb's Pork Rub
1/2 Bottle Stubb's Spicy Bar-B-Q Sauce
Sandwich:
12 Slices Sugar Free Whole Wheat Bread
6 Slices Light Smoked Gouda (Again, local and organic!)
3 Tbsp. Light Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. Whole Grain Mustard
3 Tbsp. Hot Pepper Jelly
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
Coat the tenderloin with the pork rub and place it into the skillet once the pan is good and hot.
Sear the meat on all sides.
This will help to lock in those juices and seal in the flavor.
Place the tenderloin into the base of a crock pot with about 1/2 of the bottle of BBQ sauce poured over it.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.
I cooked mine for a little too long since I was out of the house today. Oops!
Once the meat is done, transfer it to a large bowl and shred with a fork or with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
Allow the meat to work covered in the crock pot for another 30 minutes or so.
For each sandwich, coat one side of bread with 1 1/2 tsp. mayonnaise and 1 1/2 tsp of the whole grain mustard. For the other slice, coat evenly with 1 1/2 tsp. of the hot pepper jam.
Layer with sliced cheese and about 1/4 c. of the warmed pulled pork.
Lightly coat the inside of a small skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
Place the sandwich down carefully into the skillet and allow to brown on one side before flipping over to brown the other side.
Transfer the sandwich to a plate and enjoy right away.
I served mine with some spicy seasoned sweet potato baked chips!
