Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce. Perfect football food!
I get to do things. Fun things, cool things. This still feels new to me, these fun cool things. I spent years working with grubby, incredible, wonderful, difficult, heartbreaking kids in South Central LA.
Then I worked behind a desk, in the pencil skirts and stilettos that I couldn’t wear in Compton, working with elderly Holocaust survivors in Beverly Hills. I social worked my way through most of Los Angeles.
Now I get to work on TV shows, and I go to Vegas for awards dinners, and cook on the news. There are times when I feel selfish, for walking away from the good work to do the fun work.
But those feelings don’t last long. I’m so grateful for what I do now that I can’t sully that with feelings of guilt. I’m lucky. I’m excited. I cooked on the news again Wednesday, I made football food, talked about beer, and made a few jokes.
It’s the same in a way, social work and beer cooking. I’m solving problems. Beer cheese sauce separates? let me help you with that. Not sure how to tell if that beer is bitter or not? I’ve got the answer. Social work was solving problems and answering questions. I do that now too, although I’m not sure I’m saving anyone’s life.
I’ll always be a person who wants to help, wants to add to your table, wants to make your life better because we came in contact. Even if the only thing you gained from me is a slider recipe or a desire to visit Fremont Brewing. Beer social work is much easier, and I’m fine with bringing my work home with me now.
Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs onion powder
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1 tbs ground cumin
- 1 tbs black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 4 lb Pork butt also called pork shoulder
- 6 cloves of garlic peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cups 2, 12ounce bottles stout or smoked porter
- 24 slider buns
For the cheese sauce:
- 2 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbs flour
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 1 cup beer wheat beer, blonde ale, pale ale, pilsner
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar do not use pre shredded
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl stir together the salt, brown sugar onion powder, chili powder, cumin, pepper, smoked paprika and mustard powder together until combined, set aside.
- Take out your pork and stab 6, 2-inch deep holes fairly evenly spaced through the meat. Push a clove of garlic into each hole until no longer visible.
- Rub the entire surface of the meat with the spice mixture, using it all.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until very hot. Sear all surfaces of the meat, even the sides, until browned. The entire process will probably take about 10-15 minutes. Pour the beer over the meat, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 3 hours, turning the meat over about every 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and falling apart.
- Once the meat is tender remove from heat, use two forks to shred into pieces while still in the pot (or remove, shred and return to pot). Return to the pot to heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and discard the liquid.
- Add all cheese sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor. Process on high until very well blended, about 5-8 minutes.
- Transfer contents to a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk rapidly and continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill slider buns with pork, top with cheese sauce, serve warm.